Kensal Town is a district located partly in the

Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea 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 ...

, and partly in the

City of Westminster The City of Westminster is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and London boroughs, borough in Inner London. It is the site of the United Kingdom's Houses of Parliament and much of the British government. It occupies a large area of cent ...

. The area lies four miles north-west of Charing Cross and is part of the

W postcode area The W (Western and Paddington) postcode area, also known as the London W postcode area is a group of postcode districts covering part of central and part of West London, England. The area originates from the Western (W1) and Paddington (W2-14) ...

. Kensal Town was an

exclave An enclave is a territory (or a small territory apart of a larger one) that is entirely surrounded by the territory of one other state or entity. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is sometimes used improperly to deno ...

Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...

from the middle ages, through to 1900.

Origin

The origin of the area was as a well wooded, 144 acre, exclave of the Manor and Ancient Parish of

, since at least the time of

Edward the Confessor Edward the Confessor ; la, Eduardus Confessor , ; ( 1003 – 5 January 1066) was one of the last Anglo-Saxon English kings. Usually considered the last king of the House of Wessex, he ruled from 1042 to 1066. Edward was the son of Æth ...

, prior to the

Norman Conquest The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Norman, Breton, Flemish, and French troops, all led by the Duke of Normandy, later styled William the Conque ...

, when oaks from the area were used to build

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the United ...

. and was known as Chelsea-in-the-Wilderness or the Hamlet of Kensal Town.

19th and 20th Centuries

It was first recorded in 1876 as Kensal New Town. This name had been used since the 1840s to distinguish the area south of the Harrow Road, in between the

Grand Union Canal The Grand Union Canal in England is part of the British canal system. It is the principal navigable waterway between London and the Midlands. Starting in London, one arm runs to Leicester and another ends in Birmingham, with the latter st ...

and the Great Western Main Line, where new housing was largely occupied by Irish immigrants. By the late 19th century the area had deteriorated into a run-down slum., though it was much improved when the slums were cleared and replaced with new council housing during the mid-20th century. During the 19th century, the dog dealer Bill George's 'Canine Castle' establishment was on the Kensal Road. Kensal Town is recorded in the 1861 England Census as the birthplace of a resident of St. Pancras and in the 1851 Census as a village in its own right.

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

, and including the site of the former ''Kensal New Town'' estate, is viewed by many residents as also being in

North Kensington 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. North Kensington is wh ...

. Some of the area north of the Canal in the City of Westminster, including the ''Queens Park 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 Willesden () is an area of northwest London, situated 5 miles (8 km) northwest of Charing Cross. It is historically a parish in the county of Middlesex that was incorporated as the Municipal Borough of Willesden in 1933, and has formed ...

, now the

London Borough of Brent The London Borough of Brent () is a London boroughs, London borough in north-west London. It borders the boroughs of London Borough of Harrow, Harrow to the north-west, London Borough of Barnet, Barnet to the north-east, London Borough of Camden ...

Notable buildings

Prominent buildings in the area include the distinctive

Trellick Tower Trellick Tower is a Grade II* listed tower block on the Cheltenham Estate in North Kensington, London. Opened in 1972, it had been commissioned by the Greater London Council and designed in the Brutalist style by architect Ernő Goldfinger. ...

, designed by architect

Ernő Goldfinger Ernő Goldfinger (11 September 1902 – 15 November 1987) was a Hungarian-born architect and designer of furniture. He moved to the United Kingdom in the 1930s, and became a key member of the Modernist architectural movement. He is most prom ...

, and Our Lady of the Holy Souls Roman Catholic Church on Bosworth Road. Both buildings are listed by

Historic England Historic England (officially the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England) is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. It is tasked wit ...

References

Districts of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Areas of London Districts of the City of Westminster {{london-geo-stub