The Metropolitan Borough of Chelsea was a

metropolitan borough A metropolitan borough (or metropolitan district) is a type of local government district in England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972, metropolitan boroughs are defined in English law as metropolitan districts within metropolitan ...

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. It was amalgamated in 1965 under the London Government Act 1963, with the

Royal Borough of Kensington 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. His ...

to form 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 ...

Ecclesiastical parish

The ancient parish, was originally dedicated to All Saints, but by the late 17th century it had been rededicated to

St Luke Luke the Evangelist (Latin: '' Lucas''; grc, Λουκᾶς, '' Loukâs''; he, לוקאס, ''Lūqās''; arc, /ܠܘܩܐ לוקא, ''Lūqā’; Ge'ez: ሉቃስ'') is one of the Four Evangelists—the four traditionally ascribed authors of t ...

. It was in the

Diocese of London The Diocese of London forms part of the Church of England's Province of Canterbury in England. It lies directly north of the Thames. For centuries the diocese covered a vast tract and bordered the dioceses of Norwich and Lincoln to the north ...

. In 1824 a new parish church was built in the centre of the parish, it was also dedicated to

and the original parish church became a chapel-at-ease known as All Saints, Chelsea or Chelsea Old Church. From 1831, as the population of Chelsea increased, a number of new parishes were formed: * Holy Trinity, Upper Chelsea in 1831 * St Saviour, Upper Chelsea in 1840 * St Jude, Upper Chelsea in 1844, (merged into Holy Trinity, Upper Chelsea in 1892) * All Saints, Chelsea (Chelsea Old Church) voluntarily took care of certain streets from 1855, became a separate parish in 1951 * Park Chapel, Chelsea Park in c.1855, (renamed Emmanuel, Chelsea Park in 1906; then St Andrew, Chelsea Park in 1912) * St Simon Zelotes, Upper Chelsea in 1859 * Christ Church, Chelsea in 1860 * St John, Chelsea World's End in 1877 In the detached part of Chelsea parish, around the hamlet of

Kensal Green Kensal Green is an area in north-west London. It lies mainly in the London Borough of Brent, with a small part to the south within Kensington and Chelsea. Kensal Green is located on the Harrow Road, about miles from Charing Cross. To the w ...

( Kensal Town), a number of new parishes were also formed: * St John the Evangelist, Kensal Green in 1845 ''with parts of Kensington, Paddington, Hammersmith and Willesden'' * St Luke the Evangelist, Kensal Green in 1877 ''with parts of Holy Trinity, Kilburn'' * St Jude, Kensal Green in 1879

Population and area

The area of the borough was , once Kensal Town was transferred to Kensington and Paddington. The population recorded in the Census was: Chelsea Vestry 1801–1899 Metropolitan Borough 1900–1961

Coat of arms

The borough was granted a coat of arms by the College of Arms on 28 February 1903. The blazon was: :''Gules within a cross voided or a crozier in pale of the last in the first quarter a winged bull statant in the second a lion rampant reguardant both argent in the third a sword point downwards proper pomel and hilt gold between two boars' heads couped at the neck of the third and in the fourth a stag's head caboshed of the second.'' The winged bull is the symbol of

, patron saint of Chelsea ( St Luke's parish church is just off the King's Road). The other emblems referred to various holders of the manor over the centuries: the crozier for Westminster Abbey, the lion for Earl Cadogan (first mayor of the borough), the boars' heads and sword for the Sloane family and the stag's head for the Stanley family. The motto was ''Nisi dominus frustra'' or "It is vain without the Lord". The fourfold division of the shield was a design favoured by Albert Woods,

Garter King of Arms The Garter Principal King of Arms (also Garter King of Arms or simply Garter) is the senior King of Arms, and the senior Officer of Arms of the College of Arms, the heraldic authority with jurisdiction over England, Wales and Northern Ireland. ...

for municipal grants: other examples in London being the metropolitan boroughs of Bermondsey,

Camberwell Camberwell () is a district of South London, England, in the London Borough of Southwark, southeast of Charing Cross. Camberwell was first a village associated with the church of St Giles and a common of which Goose Green is a remnant. This e ...

Islington Islington () is a district in the north of Greater London, England, and part of the London Borough of Islington. It is a mainly residential district of Inner London, extending from Islington's High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the ar ...

Kensington Kensington is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in the West End of London, West of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up b ...

Southwark Southwark ( ) is a district of Central London situated on the south bank of the River Thames, forming the north-western part of the wider modern London Borough of Southwark. The district, which is the oldest part of South London, developed ...

Politics

Under the Metropolis Management Act 1855 any parish that exceeded 2,000 ratepayers was to be divided into wards; as such the incorporated vestry of St Luke Chelsea was divided into four wards (electing vestrymen): No. 1 or Stanley (9), No. 2 or Church (18), No. 3 or Hans Town (21) and No. 4 or Royal Hospital (12). In 1894 as its population had increased the incorporated vestry was re-divided into five wards (electing vestrymen): Stanley (12), Church & Cheyne (15), Hans Town (12), Royal Hospital (9) and Kensal Town (12). The metropolitan borough was also divided into five

wards Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a priso ...

for elections: Cheyne, Church, Hans Town, Royal Hospital and Stanley.Ordnance Survey 'County Series 3rd Edition' Map of London (1912-14) at 1:2500 scale. Accessed at https://www.old-maps.co.uk/

Borough council

The borough council was controlled by the Municipal Reform Party, which was allied to the Conservative Party, from its creation until 1949. In that year, the "Municipal Reform" label was discarded, and the Conservative Party governed the borough until the borough's abolition in 1965. Chelsea Town Hall, a

neo-classical building Neoclassical architecture is an architectural style produced by the Neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century in Italy and France. It became one of the most prominent architectural styles in the Western world. The prevailing style ...

containing

fresco Fresco (plural ''frescos'' or ''frescoes'') is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaste ...

s, remains in use. It is situated on King's Road, at the corner of Chelsea Manor Street.

Parliament constituency

For elections to parliament, the borough formed a single constituency. By 1950, the decline in population meant that the Chelsea constituency also included the Brompton area of the Metropolitan Borough of Kensington.

References

External links

''A Vision of Britain''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chelsea, Metropolitan Borough of Metropolitan boroughs of the County of London History of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Parishes governed by vestries (Metropolis) 1900 establishments in England 1965 disestablishments in England Districts abolished by the London Government Act 1963 Metropolitan Borough of