Many of you may have heard about the area in recent years in connection with Princess Diana, who resided at Kensington Palace. (By the way, you could often see Princess Diana shopping in the area, or visiting local cafes or the cinema.) Further back, your parents may well remember the area which started "Swinging London" in the mid-60s with places like King's Road (which also saw the birth of punk in the 70s) Kensington Market and Biba Fashion House (now the location of a Marks and Spencer shop!). Nowadays, amongst other things, Kensington and Chelsea is the most affluent borough (local authority area) in Britain. Perhaps surprisingly then, it is apparently very popular with younger visitors because there are still much reasonably-priced accommodation available. These visitors, as well as numerous others, come to Kensington and Chelsea to explore many of the area's attractions. If you are a visitor to the area, I would highly recommend buying one of a guide book before your visit to read up a little on sights you think you might enjoy. There are, unfortunately, no guidebooks on the area of Kensington and Chelsea itself but you will definitely find detailed sections in many of the excellent guide books on London, such as those published by Lonely Planet, Time Out or Rough Guide (see the Favourite London Guides section). Another must is to buy Time Out magazine, on sale every Tuesday, which is the unrivalled listings guide to events in the capital.

History of Kensington and Chelsea
However, let me first start with the history of the area: Kensington and Chelsea first originated from Saxon settlements with both mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086. Royalty first moved into the area in 1689 when William III moved into Kensington Palace. Queen Victoria was born in Kensington Palace in 1819 and continued to reside there until her accession to the throne in 1837. With Queen Victoria's wishes, the title "Royal Borough" was given to Kensington in 1901, after her death.

In the census of 1801, Kensington was recorded as having a population of 8,500, Chelsea 11,600. By 1831 this had risen to 32,371 and 20,902 for Kensington. It was only in 1861 that Kensington overtook its neighbour in population size.

The two boroughs were only united in 1965 to form the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.

Getting to Kensington and Chelsea
You'll be please to know that the area is easily reachable by public transport!

From Heathrow Airport
If you've arrived at Heathrow Airport you can take the Airbus to Notting Hill Gate or the Underground. By Underground, take the Piccadilly Line to Earl's Court and change to the District Line for High Street Kensington and Notting Hill Gate, or another District Line branch for Gloucester Road, South Kensington and Sloane Square stations. Or, you might prefer to take the Heathrow Express train to Paddington Station, and then change for the Circle Line to Notting Hill Gate, High Street Kensington, Gloucester Road, South Kensington and Sloane Square.

From Gatwick Airport
If you arrive at Gatwick Airport, take the Gatwick Express train to Victoria Station and then take the Underground to your destination (Circle, District and Victoria Lines).