Oakley Street arrived in 1830 following the demolition of Chelsea Manor House in 1822.
Oakley Street was named after William Cadogan, who was created Baron Cadogan of Oakley in 1718.
John Samuel Phene developed Oakley Street. He planted trees in Oakley Street, the first examples of this in London. This initiative was admired by Prince Albert who proceeded to plant trees in front of the museums in South Kensington. Phene built a house in Carlton Terrace as a replica of his family’s Chateau de Savenay in the Loire, which was destroyed in the 1790s. It was nicknamed The Gingerbread Castle locally. Phene never lived there and it was demolished in 1917.
The terrace houses date from 1850-60.
Robert Falcon Scott lived at 56 Oakley Street between 1905 and 1908. George Melly lived there in the 1950s. David Bowie lived in a large Georgian house in Oakley Street in 1973.
The Phene pub built in 1850 was a favourite drinking hole of George Best.
