Kensal Town

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Kensal Town
Grand Union Canal at Kensal Town - geograph.org.uk - 2860626.jpg
The Grand Union Canal passing through Kensal Town
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Kensal Town
Location within Greater London
London borough
Ceremonial county Greater London
Region
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town London
Postcode district W10
Dialling code 020
Police Metropolitan
Fire London
Ambulance London
UK Parliament
London Assembly
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UK
England
London
51°31′26″N0°12′36″W / 51.524°N 0.210°W / 51.524; -0.210

Kensal Town is a sub-district of North Kensington located at the very north of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea where the Grand Union Canal forms the boundary with the City of Westminster. The area lies four miles north-west of Charing Cross and is part of the W postcode area. Kensal Town was an exclave of Chelsea from the middle ages, through to 1900.

Contents

Origin

The origin of the area was as a well wooded, 144 acre, exclave of the Manor and Ancient Parish of Chelsea, since at least the time of Edward the Confessor, prior to the Norman Conquest, when oaks from the area were used to build Westminster Abbey. [1] It was then known as Chelsea-in-the-Wilderness or the Hamlet of Kensal Town. [2]

19th and 20th centuries

Arrival of the canal and the railway

The Grand Junction Canal (now known as the Grand Union Canal) opened in 1801 and passed through the south of what was by then a deforested but still rural area. The Great Western Railway, skirting the very south of the exclave, opened in 1838. [3]

The Kensal New Town estate was laid out shortly after the arrival of the railway, lying south of the canal and contained by the boundaries of the exclave. The name is first recorded on an OS map of 1876. [4] [5] Later the name Kensal Town was applied formally to the whole of the exclave, [6] while the name Kensal New Town remained limited to the area south of the canal and other adjacent areas of Kensington that also lay between the railway and the canal.

The newly built Kensal New Town Estate quickly attracted a large Irish community, and the surrounding area still has a significant number of Catholic churches. The Estate was disadvantaged by its position between the railway, the canal and the Kensal Green Cemetery. The area north of Harrow Road, where the Queens Park Estate was developed from 1875–81, [7] was more prosperous.

During the 19th century, the dog dealer Bill George's 'Canine Castle' establishment was on the Kensal Road.

When the local MP for Chelsea, Emslie Horniman, presented an acre of ground between East Row and Bosworth Road to the London County Council in 1911 for recreational purposes, he stated that there was then "no place within a mile or more where children could play, except in the streets, nor anywhere for the mothers and old people to rest". [8] The park was later expanded and is now known as Emslie Horniman Pleasance.

The area was much improved when the slums were cleared and replaced with new council housing during the mid-20th century. [9] [10]

Kensal Town as part of the Chelsea parliamentary constituency, which was coterminous with the Ancient Parish of Chelsea Chelsea1885.png
Kensal Town as part of the Chelsea parliamentary constituency, which was coterminous with the Ancient Parish of Chelsea

Administrative changes

In 1900, despite stiff local opposition, the exclave of Kensal Town was removed from Chelsea and divided between its neighbours. The area south of the canal joined with the ancient parish of Kensington to form the new Metropolitan Borough of Kensington. The area north of the canal merged with the ancient parish of Paddington to form the new Metropolitan Borough of Paddington. The area remained part of the parliamentary constituency of Chelsea (which had identical boundaries with the ancient parish of Chelsea) until 1915.

In 1965, Kensington joined with the Metropolitan Borough of Chelsea (the area of ancient parish of Chelsea, minus its former exclave) to form the new London Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Paddington merged with Westminster and Marylebone to form what is now City of Westminster.

Geography and landmarks

Alternative descriptions

Like many areas of London, different parts of Kensal Town are subject to overlapping perceptions of which district or districts they are part of. The area south of the canal, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and including the site of the former Kensal New Town estate, is viewed by many residents as also being in North Kensington. [11]

Some of the area north of the Canal in the City of Westminster, including the Queens Park Estate and the Mozart Estate, is regarded as also being a part of Queens Park, an area that extends further to the north-east into the former parish and borough of Willesden, now the London Borough of Brent.

Emslie Horniman's Pleasance The Emslie Horniman Pleasance (2945072572).jpg
Emslie Horniman's Pleasance

Parks

Culture and Community

Related Research Articles

Kensal Green is an area in north-west London and along with Kensal Town forms part of northern section of North Kensington. It lies north of the canal in the London Borough of Brent and also to the south within Kensington and Chelsea. Kensal Green is located on the Harrow Road, about 4.4 miles (7.1 km) miles from Charing Cross.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea</span> Place in United Kingdom

The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea is an Inner London borough with royal status. It is the smallest borough in London and the second smallest district in England; it is one of the most densely populated administrative regions in the United Kingdom. It includes affluent areas such as Notting Hill, Kensington, South Kensington, Chelsea, and Knightsbridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Notting Hill</span> Area of London, England

Notting Hill is a district of West London, England, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Notting Hill is known for being a cosmopolitan and multicultural neighbourhood, hosting the annual Notting Hill Carnival and Portobello Road Market. From around 1870, Notting Hill had an association with artists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paddington</span> Area of central London, England

Paddington is an area in the City of Westminster, in central London, England. A medieval parish then a metropolitan borough, it was integrated with Westminster and Greater London in 1965. Paddington station, designed by the engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel opened in 1847. It is also the site of St Mary's Hospital and the former Paddington Green Police Station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chelsea, London</span> District in west London, England

Chelsea is an affluent area in West London, England, due south-west of Charing Cross by approximately 2.5 miles. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames and for postal purposes is part of the south-western postal area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metropolitan Borough of Paddington</span> Former borough of London

Paddington was a civil parish and metropolitan borough in London, England. It was an ancient parish in the county of Middlesex, governed by an administrative vestry. The parish was included in the area of responsibility of the Metropolitan Board of Works in 1855 and became part of the County of London in 1889. The parish of Paddington became a metropolitan borough in 1900, following the London Government Act 1899, with the parish vestry replaced by a borough council. In 1965 the borough was abolished and its former area became part of the City of Westminster in Greater London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metropolitan Borough of Chelsea</span> Former borough of London

The Metropolitan Borough of Chelsea was a metropolitan borough of the County of London between 1900 and 1965. It was created by the London Government Act 1899 from most of the ancient parish of Chelsea. Following the London Government Act 1963, it was amalgamated with the Royal Borough of Kensington in 1965 to form the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metropolitan Borough of Kensington</span> Former borough of London

The Metropolitan Borough of Kensington was a Metropolitan borough in the County of London from 1900 to 1965, which since 1901 was known as the Royal Borough of Kensington, following the death of Queen Victoria, in accordance with her wishes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ladbroke Grove</span> Human settlement in England

Ladbroke Grove is an area and a road in West London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, passing through Kensal Green and Notting Hill, running north–south between Harrow Road and Holland Park Avenue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Queen's Park, London</span> Suburb of London

Queen's Park is an area located partly in the City of Westminster and mostly in the London Borough of Brent. Some of the area within Westminster forms a civil parish, the first to be created in London since the right of communities to establish civil parishes was enacted in 2007. The area is located 3.9 miles (6.3 km) north-west of Charing Cross, and centred around a 30 acres (12 ha) park, which opened in 1887 and was named in honour of Queen Victoria. The area gives its name to Queens Park Rangers football club.

The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, an Inner London borough, has responsibility for some of the parks and open spaces within its boundaries. Most of them are relatively small: many are the typical London square, built to service the houses around that square. Two of the larger open spaces both form part of the "Magnificent Seven" cemeteries, being those at Brompton and Kensal Green. The parks are policed by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Parks Police.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Kensington</span> Neighbourhood of west London

North Kensington is an area of west London. It is north of Notting Hill and south of Kensal Green and in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. The names North Kensington and Ladbroke Grove describe the same area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harrow Road</span> Street in London

The Harrow Road is an ancient route in North West London which runs from Paddington in a northwesterly direction towards Harrow. It is also the name given to the immediate surrounding area of Queens Park and Kensal Green, straddling the NW10, W10, W2 and W9 postcodes. With minor deviations in the 19th and 20th centuries, the route remains otherwise unaltered.

Ladbroke Grove is a proposed railway station in London, England on the Crossrail Route between Old Oak Common and Paddington. This is not part of the internal route and would be added at a later stage. Locals want the station to be called Portobello Central to serve the nearby Portobello Market. It was originally called Kensal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emslie Horniman's Pleasance</span>

Emslie Horniman's Pleasance is a park in Kensal Town, in the Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London. It is named after Emslie John Horniman the MP for Chelsea who created it. It opened in 1914. The park is the traditional starting point for the Notting Hill Carnival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">College Park, London</span> Human settlement in England

College Park is a small mainly residential neighbourhood in Kensal Green, to the north of the borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, London and is near Kensal Green station and Willesden Junction station. It borders the London Borough of Brent to the north and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea to the east. It is part of College Park & Old Oak wards of the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emslie Horniman</span>

Emslie John Horniman was a British anthropologist, philanthropist and Liberal Party politician.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kilburn Lane</span> Street in London, England

Kilburn Lane is a street in Kilburn, London which runs west to east from Kensal Green, dividing Queen's Park to the north from Queens Park Estate to the south. Its route marks the boundary between the City of Westminster and the London Borough of Brent. To the east it continues into South Kilburn as Carlton Vale. At the western end the street curves southwards until it meets Harrow Road, becoming Ladbroke Grove and continuing across the Grand Union Canal into North Kensington.

References

  1. The London Encyclopaedia, Weinreb and Hibbert, p 633
  2. "Page 12: Chelsea-in-the-Wilderness, now Kensal". Virtual Museum – The History of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  3. 'Kensal Green', in Survey of London: Volume 37, Northern Kensington, ed. F H W Sheppard (London, 1973), pp. 333–339. British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-london/vol37/pp333-339 [accessed 6 January 2023]
  4. See OS map for position within exclave https://maps.nls.uk/view/102345961
  5. Mills, A., Oxford Dictionary of London Place Names, (2001)
  6. Parliamentary Papers, Volume 51, p210
  7. The London Encyclopaedia, Weinreb and Hibbert, p 633
  8. 'Kensal Green', in Survey of London: Volume 37, Northern Kensington, ed. F H W Sheppard (London, 1973), pp. 333–339. British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-london/vol37/pp333-339 [accessed 6 January 2023].
  9. Willey, Russ. Chambers London Gazetter, p 268.
  10. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 December 2009. Retrieved 14 May 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  11. Willey, Russ. Chambers London Gazetter, p 268.
  12. Evening Standard 27 Aug 2022
  13. Independent Rs website https://www.indyrs.co.uk/2011/07/history-in-the-making-the-unveiling-of-the-plaque-at-st-judes-hall/