Former name(s) | The Queen's Road |
---|---|
Location | Kensington, London, England |
Coordinates | 51°30′24″N0°11′27″W / 51.50667°N 0.19083°W |
From | Notting Hill Gate |
To | Kensington High Street |
Kensington Palace Gardens is an exclusive street in Kensington, west of central London, near Kensington Gardens and Kensington Palace. Entered through gates at either end and guarded by sentry boxes, it was the location of the London Cage, the British government MI19 centre used during the Second World War and the Cold War. Several foreign diplomatic missions are located along it.
A tree-lined avenue half a mile long studded with embassies, Kensington Palace Gardens is one of the most expensive residential streets in the world, and has long been known as "Billionaires Row", due to the huge wealth of its private residents, although in fact the majority of its current occupants are either national embassies or ambassadorial residences. As of late-2018, market prices for a property in the street average over £35 million. [1]
It connects Notting Hill Gate with Kensington High Street. The southern section of Kensington Palace Gardens is called Palace Green.
The road was originally called The Queen's Road and was renamed Kensington Palace Gardens around 1870 when plane trees were planted in the avenue. It was built from the 1840s onward on part of the grounds of Kensington Palace; the freehold still belongs to the Crown Estate. The palace, which is the residence of the Prince and Princess of Wales, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, Duke and Duchess of Kent, and Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, fronts the southern part of the street on the eastern side. The houses at the northern end are mostly Italianate, while those at the southern end are mostly in the Queen Anne style. For much of the 20th century a large proportion of the houses were occupied by embassies and ambassadors' residences. Some still are, but others have been renovated by the Crown Estate and let to private buyers on long leases. One of these was bought in 2004 by the Indian steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal, who in 2008 was listed by Forbes magazine as the fourth richest man in the world. The sale was widely misreported at £70 million, [2] before accurate figures were available from HM Land Registry, where records state that on 30 June 2004, 18–19 Kensington Palace Gardens, along with three mews houses at the rear of the property, sold for £57,145,967. [3]
The mansion at 18 Kensington Palace Gardens, historically belonging to the Rothschild family, was sold in 2001. [4]
No. 8 was used as an interrogation centre for German POWs during and after the Second World War and was known as the London Cage. The house was demolished in 1961 and replaced by a glass-and-steel block of four apartments designed by Richard Seifert and completed in 1964. Flat 3 was on the market in 2006 as a three-bedroom apartment designed by international architect David Chipperfield, [5] valued at a minimum of £13.25 million through Knight Frank, [6] [7] which sold in March 2007 for £10.29m. [8]
Diplomatic buildings on the street are: the Russian Embassy at Nos. 6–7; the Embassy of Nepal at No. 12A; the Embassy of Lebanon at No. 21; and the Embassy of Slovakia at No. 25. In Palace Green are the Embassy of Israel at No. 2 and the Embassy of Romania at No. 4. Egypt, Laos and the Philippines formerly had their embassies here. No. 11 has been the official residence of the French Ambassador since 1944; it was rebuilt after a fire in December 1990. [9]
Due to the presence of likely terrorist targets—embassies etc., including those of Russia and Israel—both ends of the street have armed police checkpoints (Diplomatic Protection Group officers) with crash barriers as well as the original wrought-iron gates. Entry of pedestrians is not normally controlled, only vehicles. This has the side effect of leading to extremely low traffic volumes for a central London street. Some of the buildings occasionally set up barriers to keep vehicles at a distance.
No. 10 was designed by Philip Hardwick for Sutherland Hall Sutherland, and the first tenant was the civil engineer James Meadows Rendel, who probably became resident in early 1852, and died there in 1856. [11] In 1862, Edmund Ernst Leopold Schlesinger Benzon, a German-born steel magnate, moved in and lived there until his death in 1873. [11] In 1896, the financier Leopold Hirsch had "substantial alterations" made, designed by Leonard Stokes, and he was resident until at least 1904. [11] No. 10 was home to the USSR Embassy from 1960 to 1986. [12]
Sir Frederick Wills, 1st Baronet (1838–1909), a member of the Wills tobacco family, had a London residence at No. 9, [13] but now it serves as the residence of the Indian High Commissioner. It is the residence of many ambassadors, including those of Saudi Arabia, UAE, and India. Famous residents included Israeli billionaire Noam Gottesman and Indian billionaire Lakshmi Mittal. [14]
Princess Haya of Jordan resides in a home in Kensington Palace Gardens. [15] [16] [17]
In 2015 Ukrainian-born billionaire Len Blavatnik bought a property on the street. [18]
No. 16 is owned by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, a 15-bedroom mansion that he bought for £90 million in 2009. [19] The house was built in 1846, and designed by T. H. Wyatt and D. Brandon for John Sperling of Norbury Park. [11] In 1972, it was home to the Soviet Embassy. [11]
Knightsbridge is a residential and retail district in central London, south of Hyde Park. It is identified in the London Plan as one of two international retail centres in London, alongside the West End. Knightsbridge is also the name of the roadway which runs near the south side of Hyde Park from Hyde Park Corner.
Belgravia is a district in Central London, covering parts of the areas of the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.
Ailesbury Road, is a tree-lined avenue in the affluent Dublin 4 area in Dublin, Ireland. It links Sydney Parade Station on Sydney Parade Avenue and the Church of the Sacred Heart at Anglesea Road, Donnybrook. Historically, many embassies and diplomatic residences have been located on the road, including the striking residence of the French Ambassador, the embassy of the People's Republic of China, and the Japanese embassy.
Kensington Palace is a royal residence set in Kensington Gardens, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London, England. It has been a residence of the British royal family since the 17th century, and is currently the official London residence of the Prince and Princess of Wales, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, the Duke and Duchess of Kent, Prince and Princess Michael of Kent and Princess Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank and their two sons.
Kensington High Street is the main shopping street in Kensington, London, England. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.
The British Embassy, Washington D.C. is the British sovereign's diplomatic mission to the United States of America, representing the interests of the United Kingdom and British Government. It is located at 3100 Massachusetts Avenue NW in Washington, D.C. The embassy compound includes the chancery offices, as well as the British Ambassador's residence.
The Embassy of Israel in London is the diplomatic mission of Israel in the United Kingdom. It is located in the South Kensington area on Kensington Palace Gardens near the junction with Kensington High Street. The Grade II* listed building hosts both the Embassy of Israel and the Israeli Consulate, accessible via a separate entrance at 15a Old Court Place.
The Embassy of the United States of America in London is the diplomatic mission of the United States in the United Kingdom. It is located in Nine Elms and is the largest American embassy in Western Europe and the focal point for events relating to the United States held in the United Kingdom.
740 Park Avenue is a luxury cooperative apartment building on the west side of Park Avenue between East 71st and 72nd Streets in the Lenox Hill neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, United States. It was described in Business Insider in 2011 as "a legendary address" that was "at one time considered the most luxurious and powerful residential building in New York City". The "pre-war" building's side entrance address is 71 East 71st Street.
The Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Washington, D.C. is the diplomatic mission of the Republic of Poland to the United States of America. The chancery is located at 2640 16th Street NW, Washington, D.C., in the Meridian Hill neighborhood.
The Embassy of Poland in Paris is the diplomatic mission of the Republic of Poland to the French Republic. The chancery is located in the Hôtel de Monaco on the Rue de Talleyrand.
The British ambassador's residence in Washington, D.C. is located at 3100 Massachusetts Avenue, Northwest, Washington, D.C. in the Embassy Row neighborhood.
The Embassy of the United Kingdom in Tehran is the United Kingdom's diplomatic mission to the Islamic Republic of Iran. It is located at 172 Ferdowsi Avenue in Tehran.
13 Kensington Palace Gardens, also known as Harrington House, is the former London townhouse of the Earls of Harrington. It is now the official residence of the Russian Ambassador. There were earlier Harrington Houses in London, located at Craig's Court, Charing Cross and at Stable Yard, St James's.
The Embassy of Finland in London is the diplomatic mission of Finland in the United Kingdom.
The Embassy of Peru in London is the diplomatic mission of Peru in the United Kingdom. The Embassy is located in 15 Buckingham Gate, London, SW1E 6LB.
The Embassy of France in London is the diplomatic mission of France to the United Kingdom. Located just off Knightsbridge at Albert Gate, one of the entrances to Hyde Park, it is situated immediately opposite the Embassy of Kuwait.
The Embassy of Russia in London is the diplomatic mission of Russia in the United Kingdom. The main building and Consular section is located at 5 and 6-7 Kensington Palace Gardens at the junction with Bayswater Road; the Ambassador's Residence is located in a separate building at 13 Kensington Palace Gardens. Russia also maintains a Defence Attaché's Office at 44 Millfield Lane, Highgate, and an Office of the Trade Representative at 33 Highgate West Hill, Highgate.
The Embassy of Sweden in Washington, D.C., is Sweden's diplomatic mission in the United States. The Swedish Embassy in Washington, D.C., is one of Sweden's largest diplomatic missions with more than fifty employees. Ambassador since 2023 is Urban Ahlin. Sweden also has a Consulate General in New York City and in San Francisco and a number of Honorary Consulates General in the United States. Since 2006, the chancery is located in the House of Sweden building on the Potomac River.
The Embassy of Sweden in Ottawa is Sweden's diplomatic mission in Canada. The Swedish embassy in Canada represents the Swedish government in Canada and The Bahamas. The embassy is located in ByWard Market in the downtown core of the capital of Ottawa. Ambassador since 2019 is Urban Ahlin. Sweden also has nine honorary consulates in Canada.
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