Queen's Gate street in London, spring 2013 (3)

Queen's Gate is a street in South Kensington, London, England. It runs south from Kensington Gardens' Queen's Gate (the edge of which gardens are here followed by

Kensington Road Kensington Road is a section of road in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and the City of Westminster, London, forming part of the A315 road. It runs along the south edge of Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park. To the west it becomes ...

) to

Old Brompton Road Old Brompton Road is a major street in the South Kensington district of The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London. It starts from South Kensington Underground station and runs south-west, through a mainly residential area, until ...

, intersecting

Cromwell Road Cromwell Road is a major London road in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, designated as part of the A4. It was created in the 19th century and is said to be named after Richard Cromwell, son of Oliver Cromwell, who once owned a hous ...

. The street is mostly in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, but part of the east side is in the

City of Westminster The City of Westminster is a city and 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 central Greater London, including most of the West En ...

. The municipal boundary is the street centre between Kensington Road and

Imperial College Road Imperial College Road is a tree-lined road in South Kensington, London, England. It runs east–west with Queen's Gate to the west and Exhibition Road to the east. The road forms part of the boundary between Royal Borough of Kensington and Ch ...

History

The street was built on land purchased by the Royal Commissioners for the Great Exhibition under an agreement dated August 1855 with Henry Browne Alexander, whose family owned the land through which the road was to pass, and William Jackson, a building speculator. The road was originally known as Albert's Road, but was officially changed to Queen's Gate in 1859.

Local Politics

Queen's Gate is also a three-councillor

ward 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 pris ...

of Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea with a population of 9,847 (2011 Census). The local Member of Parliament since 2019 has been Felicity Buchan.

Places of interest

At the northern end of the road, near the actual gate to Kensington Gardens, is an equestrian statue of Field Marshal Robert Napier, 1st Baron Napier of Magdala, erected in 1920. From north to south, places of interest visible on the east side of Queen's Gate include the

Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no governm ...

, the Huxley Building of Imperial College London, the

Dana Library and Research Centre The Dana Library and Research Centre (formerly the Dana Centre) on Queen's Gate, South Kensington, London is part of the Science Museum Group. Designed by Sir Richard MacCormac of MJP Architects, the building opened in 2003 as a public event ...

and the Natural History Museum.

Kensington Park School Kensington Park School is a coeducational independent day and boarding school located in London, England. The lower school for pupils aged 11 to 16 is situated in the Bayswater area of the City of Westminster, while the sixth form is located i ...

is just south of the

Queen's Gate Gardens Queens is a borough of New York City. Queens or Queen's may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * Queens (group), a Polish musical group * "Queens" (Saara Aalto song), 2018 * ''Queens'' (novel), by Stephen Pickles, 1984 * "Queens", a song by ...

, opposite the museum. The road also lends its name to an independent girls' school, Queen's Gate School, which is situated on the road. On the west side is

Baden-Powell House Queen's Gate House, still commonly known by its previous name of Baden-Powell House, is a conference centre in South Kensington, London. It was built as a tribute to Lord Baden-Powell, the founder of Scouting, and has served as the headquarters ...

. The 100 Queen's Gate Hotel London, a historical building dating back to 1870, is also situated there. St Augustine of Canterbury parish church

The only church is St Augustine's of Canterbury ( Church of England). Five countries have embassies or high commissions in Queen's Gate: the Embassy of Iraq is at no. 21, the Bangladeshi High Commission at No. 28, the Royal Embassy of Thailand is at Nos. 29–30, the Embassy of Oman is at No. 167, and the Bulgarian Embassy is at Nos. 186–188. The Security Service (MI5) was based at 73-75 Queen's Gate from 1919 to 1929. The nearest tube stations are South Kensington and Gloucester Road.

Notable people

Benny Hill Alfred Hawthorne "Benny" Hill (21 January 1924 – 20 April 1992) was an English comedian, actor, singer and writer. He is remembered for his television programme ''The Benny Hill Show'', an amalgam of slapstick, burlesque and double ent ...

, comedian and actor (d. 1992) * Dennis Gabor, physicist, 1971

Nobel Prize in Physics ) , image = Nobel Prize.png , alt = A golden medallion with an embossed image of a bearded man facing left in profile. To the left of the man is the text "ALFR•" then "NOBEL", and on the right, the text (smaller) "NAT•" then " ...

(d. 1979) *

Gerald Hocken Knight Gerald Hocken Knight (1908–1979) was a cathedral organist, who served at Canterbury Cathedral. Background Gerald Hocken Knight was born on 27 July 1908 in Par, Cornwall, the only son of Alwyne Knight of Par by his first wife Edith Harvey a ...

, compositor; organist of St Augustine's church, 1931-37 (d. 1979) *

Gilbert Ledward Gilbert Ledward (23 January 1888 – 21 June 1960), was an English sculptor. He won the British Prix de Rome for sculpture in 1913, and in World War I served in the Royal Garrison Artillery and later as a war artist. He was professor of ...

, sculptor (d. 1960) * E. Beresford Chancellor, author known for his works on the history of London, died at no. 31 (d. 1937) *Sir

Richard Baggallay Sir Richard Baggallay PC (1816 – 1888) was a British barrister, politician, and judge. After serving as Attorney-General under Benjamin Disraeli from 1874 to 1875, Baggallay was appointed a Lord Justice of Appeal in Chancery (Lord Justice ...

, barrister, MP then Lord Justice of Appeal, of no. 55 (d. 1888)

References

External links

Bangladeshi High Commission website

Royal Thai Embassy website

Omani Embassy website

Bulgarian Embassy website
{{Coord, 51.49834, N, 0.17961, W, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title, format=dms 1859 establishments in England Streets in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Streets in the City of Westminster South Kensington Imperial College London