Kensal House

There are two Kensal Houses in London W10 - this was the original

In the triangle between the canal and Harrow Road, a new Italianate villa stood by 1835. Called Kensal House and occupied by Alfred Haines in 1841, it was unusually large for its position.

In 1911, in association with the LCC, the Paddington & Kensington Dispensary for the Prevention of Consumption established an open air school for local tuberculous children, set in the estate of Kensal House.

Kensal House had an extensive garden and the Open Air School provided an education for children who would otherwise have been barred from normal school.

The original Italianate house survived in the 21st century, containing three storeys over a basement and of brick and stucco, the main façade having seven bays, a prominent cornice, and a Corinthian porch.

A 19th century wing has been added to the east and a modern one to the west. After serving as a school, the house was occupied by the Metropolitan Railway Surplus Lands Co. by 1949, stood empty when owned by the United Church of God in Christ by 1965, and was owned by the I.C.E. Group by 1985.

In 2003 Virgin Records sold this and Portobello Dock to, and leased them back from, Derwent Valley Holdings.

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CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE LOCALITY

Roy Batham Notting Dale Added: 7 Jan 2022 05:50 GMT	Batham Family (1851 - 1921) I start with William Batham 1786-1852 born in St.Martins Middlesex. From various sources I have found snippets of information concerning his early life. A soldier in 1814 he married Mary Champelovier of Huguenot descent By 1819 they were in Kensington where they raised 10 children. Apart from soldier his other occupations include whitesmith, bell hanger and pig breeder. I find my first record in the 1851 English sensus. No street address is given, just ’The Potteries’. He died 1853. Only one child at home then George Batham 1839-1923, my great grandfather. By 1861 he is living in Thomas St. Kensington with his mother. A bricklayer by trade 1871, married and still in Thomas St. 1881 finds him in 5,Martin St. Kensington. 1891 10,Manchester St. 1911, 44 Hunt St Hammersmith. Lastly 1921 Census 7, Mersey St. which has since been demolished. Source: Batham/Wiseman - Family Tree Reply
Tom Vague 3 Acklam Road Added: 9 Sep 2020 14:02 GMT	The Bedford family at 3 Acklam Road (1860 - 1965) From the 19th century up until 1965, number 3 Acklam Road, near the Portobello Road junction, was occupied by the Bedford family. When the Westway construction work began the Bedfords sold up and moved to south London. In the early 1970s the house was taken over by the North Kensington Amenity Trust and became the Notting Hill Carnival office before its eventual demolition. Anne Bedford (now McSweeney) has fond memories of living there, although she recalls: ‘I now know that the conditions were far from ideal but then I knew no different. There was no running hot water, inside toilet or bath, apart from the tin bath we used once a week in the large kitchen/dining room. Any hot water needed was heated in a kettle. I wasn’t aware that there were people not far away who were a lot worse off than us, living in poverty in houses just like mine but families renting one room. We did have a toilet/bathroom installed in 1959, which was ‘luxury’. ‘When the plans for the Westway were coming to light, we were still living in the house whilst all the houses opposite became empty and boarded up one by one. We watched all this going on and decided that it was not going to be a good place to be once the builders moved in to demolish all the houses and start work on the elevated road. Dad sold the house for a fraction of what it should have been worth but it needed too much doing to it to bring it to a good living standard. We were not rich by any means but we were not poor. My grandmother used to do her washing in the basement once a week by lighting a fire in a big concrete copper to heat the water, which would have been there until demolition. ‘When we moved from number 3, I remember the upright piano that my grandparents used to play �’ and me of sorts �’ being lowered out of the top floor and taken away, presumably to be sold. I used to play with balls up on the wall of the chemist shop on the corner of Acklam and Portobello. We would mark numbers on the pavement slabs in a grid and play hopscotch. At the Portobello corner, on one side there was the Duke of Sussex pub, on the other corner, a chemist, later owned by a Mr Fish, which I thought was amusing. When I was very young I remember every evening a man peddling along Acklam Road with a long thin stick with which he lit the streetlights.’ Michelle Active who lived at number 33 remembers: ‘6 of us lived in a one-bed basement flat on Acklam Road. When they demolished it we moved to a 4-bed maisonette on Silchester Estate and I thought it was a palace, two toilets inside, a separate bathroom that was not in the kitchen, absolute heaven.’ Reply
Brenda Jackson Granville Road, NW6 Added: 13 Aug 2017 21:39 GMT	83 Pembroke Road My Gt Gt grandparents lived at 83 Pembroke Road before it became Granville Road, They were married in 1874, John Tarrant and Maryann Tarrant nee Williamson. Her brother George Samuel Williamson lived at 95 Pembroke Road with his wife Emily and children in the 1881 Census Apparently the extended family also lived for many years in Alpha Place, Canterbury Road, Peel Road, Reply
Susan Wright Bramley Mews Added: 16 Sep 2017 22:42 GMT	Ada Crowe, 9 Bramley Mews My Great Grandmother Ada Crowe was born in 9 Bramley Mews in 1876. Reply
Fumblina Lancefield Street, W10 Added: 27 Mar 2021 11:13 GMT	St Jude’s Church, Lancefield Street Saint Jude’s was constructed in 1878, while the parish was assigned in 1879 from the parish of Saint John, Kensal Green (P87/JNE2). The parish was united with the parishes of Saint Luke (P87/LUK1) and Saint Simon (P87/SIM) in 1952. The church was used as a chapel of ease for a few years, but in 1959 it was closed and later demolished. The church is visible on the 1900 map for the street on the right hand side above the junction with Mozart Street. Source: SAINT JUDE, KENSAL GREEN: LANCEFIELD STREET, WESTMINSTER \| Londo Reply
The Underground Map 1879 Royal Agricultural Society Added: 24 Nov 2020 14:25 GMT	The 1879 Agricultural Show The 1879 Royal Agricultural Society of England’s annual show was held on an area which later became Queen’s Park and opened on 30 June 1879. The show ran for a week but the poor weather meant people had to struggle through deep mud and attendances fell disastrously. The visit to the show by Queen Victoria on the fifth day rallied visitors and nearly half the people who visited the show went on that day. Reply
Fumblina Lancefield Street, W10 Added: 27 Mar 2021 11:08 GMT	Wedding at St Jude’s Church On 9th November 1884 Charles Selby and Johanna Hanlon got married in St Jude’s Church on Lancefield Street. They lived together close by at 103 Lancefield Street. Charles was a Lather, so worked in construction. He was only 21 but was already a widower. Johanna is not shown as having a profession but this is common in the records and elsewhere she is shown as being an Ironer or a Laundress. It is possible that she worked at the large laundry shown at the top of Lancefield Road on the 1900 map. She was also 21. She was not literate as her signature on the record is a cross. The ceremony was carried out by William Hugh Wood and was witnessed by Charles H Hudson and Caroline Hudson. Source: https://www.ancestry.co.uk/imageviewer/collections/1623/images/31280_197456-00100?pId=6694792 Reply
Joan Clarke Mary Place Workhouse Added: 2 Feb 2021 10:54 GMT	Avondale Park Gardens My late aunt Ivy Clarke (nee Burridge) lived with her whole family at 19 Avondale Park Gardens, according to the 1911 census and she was still there in 1937.What was it like in those days, I wonder, if the housing was only built in 1920? Reply
PETER FAIRCLOUGH Brindley Street, W2 Added: 10 May 2021 14:46 GMT	We once lived here My family resided at number 53 Brindley Street Paddington. My grandparents George and Elizabeth Jenkinson (ne Fowler) had four children with my Mother Olive Fairclough (ne Jenkinson) being born in the house on 30/09/1935. She died on 29/04/2021 aged 85 being the last surviving of the four siblings Reply
David Jones-Parry McGregor Road, W11 Added: 7 Sep 2017 12:13 GMT	Mcgregor Road, W11 (1938 - 1957) I was born n bred at 25 Mc Gregor Rd in 1938 and lived there until I joined the Royal Navy in 1957. It was a very interesting time what with air raid shelters,bombed houses,water tanks all sorts of areas for little boys to collect scrap and sell them on.no questions asked.A very happy boyhood -from there we could visit most areas of London by bus and tube and we did. Reply
Dave Fahey Jack of Newbury Added: 6 Jan 2021 02:40 GMT	Bombing of the Jack O Newberry My maternal grandfather, Archie Greatorex, was the licensee of the Earl of Warwick during the Second World War. My late mother Vera often told the story of the bombing of the Jack. The morning after the pub was bombed, the landlord’s son appeared at the Warwick with the pub’s till on an old pram; he asked my grandfather to pay the money into the bank for him. The poor soul was obviously in shock. The previous night, his parents had taken their baby down to the pub cellar to shelter from the air raids. The son, my mother never knew his name, opted to stay in his bedroom at the top of the building. He was the only survivor. I often wondered what became of him. Reply
Brenda Newton Hewer Street, W10 Added: 5 Jun 2021 07:17 GMT	Hewer Street W10 John Nodes Undertakers Hewer Street W10 Reply
Southam Street, W10 Added: 30 Dec 2022 21:41 GMT	Southam Street, W10 do any one remember J&A DEMOLITON at harrow rd kensal green my dad work for them in a aec 6 wheel tipper got a photo of him in it Reply
ken gaston Avondale Park Gardens, W11 Added: 16 Jan 2021 11:04 GMT	Avondale Park Gardens My grandmother Hilda Baker and a large family lived in number 18 . It was a close community and that reflected in the coronation celebration held on the central green . I grew up in that square and went to school at Sirdar Road then St. Clements it was a great place to grow up with a local park and we would also trek to Holland Park or Kensington Gardens .Even then the area was considered deprived and a kindergarden for criminals . My generation were the first to escape to the new towns and became the overspill from London to get decent housing and living standards . Reply
Scott Hatton East Row, W10 Added: 11 Sep 2020 15:38 GMT	6 East Row (1960 - 1960) We lived at 6 East Row just before it was demolished. Reply

LATEST LONDON-WIDE CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE PROJECT

Sue Meyrick Road, SW11 Added: 24 Sep 2023 19:09 GMT	Meyrick Rd My family - Roe - lived in poverty at 158 Meyrick Rd in the 1920s, moving to 18 Lavender Terrace in 1935. They also lived in York Rd at one point. Alf, Nell (Ellen), plus children John, Ellen (Did), Gladys, Joyce & various lodgers. Alf worked for the railway (LMS). Reply
Michael Tyrrell Avenue, DA16 Added: 20 Sep 2023 21:10 GMT	Momentous Birth! I was born in the upstairs front room of 28 Tyrrell Avenue in August 1938. I was a breach birth and quite heavy ( poor Mum!). My parents moved to that end of terrace house from another rental in St Mary Cray where my three year older brother had been born in 1935. The estate was quite new in 1938 and all the properties were rented. My Father was a Postman. I grew up at no 28 all through WWII and later went to Little Dansington School Reply
Mike Levy Arbour Square, E1 Added: 19 Sep 2023 18:10 GMT	Bombing of Arbour Square in the Blitz On the night of September 7, 1940. Hyman Lubosky (age 35), his wife Fay (or Fanny)(age 32) and their son Martin (age 17 months) died at 11 Arbour Square. They are buried together in Rainham Jewish Cemetery. Their grave stones read: "Killed by enemy action" Reply
Lady Townshend Bridge House Added: 8 Sep 2023 16:02 GMT	Tenant at Westbourne (1807 - 1811) I think that the 3rd Marquess Townshend - at that time Lord Chartley - was a tenant living either at Westbourne Manor or at Bridge House. He undertook considerable building work there as well as creating gardens. I am trying to trace which house it was. Any ideas gratefully received Reply
Alex Britton Roding Valley Added: 30 Aug 2023 10:43 GMT	Late opening The tracks through Roding Valley were opened on 1 May 1903 by the Great Eastern Railway (GER) on its Woodford to Ilford line (the Fairlop Loop). But the station was not opened until 3 February 1936 by the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER, successor to the GER). Source: Roding Valley tube station - Wikipedia Reply
Kevin Pont Roding Valley Added: 30 Aug 2023 09:52 GMT	Shhh.... Roding Valley is the quietest tube station, each year transporting the same number of passengers as Waterloo does in one day. Reply
Kevin Pont Dollis Hill Added: 30 Aug 2023 09:47 GMT	The connection with Bletchley Park The code-breaking computer used at Bletchley Park was built in Dollis Hill. Reply
Kevin Pont Hampstead Added: 29 Aug 2023 15:25 GMT	The deepest station At 58m below ground, Hampstead is as deep as Nelson’s Column is tall. Source: Hampstead tube station - Wikipedia Reply

NEARBY LOCATIONS OF NOTE

Adair Road before redevelopment (1964) A photo showing Adair Road’s junction with Golborne Gardens in March 1964.

Adair Road before redevelopment (1964)

Adair Road junction with Southam Street (1932) A wet day in London W10.

Adair Road junction with Southam Street (1932)

Admiral Blake (The Cowshed) The Admiral Blake was situated at the corner of Ladbroke Grove and Barlby Road.

Admiral Blake (The Cowshed)

Barlby Primary School Barlby Road Primary School has long served the children of North Kensington.

Barlby Primary School

Clayton Arms A pub which was situated halfway down West Row in Kensal Town.

Clayton Arms

Corner of Caird Street and Lancefield Street (1910) The corner of Caird Street with Lancefield Street.

Corner of Caird Street and Lancefield Street (1910)

Emslie Horniman’s Pleasance Emslie Horniman’s Pleasance is the traditional starting point for the Notting Hill Carnival.

Emslie Horniman’s Pleasance

Gas Light and Coke Company The gasometers of the Gas Light and Coke company dominated North Kensington until demolition in the late 20th century.

Gas Light and Coke Company

Hudson’s the chemist (1906) Hudson’s, a chemist shop, stood on the corner of Ilbert Street and Third Avenue in the Queen’s Park estate.

Hudson’s the chemist (1906)

Jack of Newbury The Jack of Newbury stood at the corner of East Row and Kensal Road until it was bombed on 2 October 1940.

Jack of Newbury

Kensal House There are two Kensal Houses in London W10 - this was the original

Kensal House

Ladbroke Grove looking north (1900) This early 1900s image was taken just south of the junction of Ladbroke Grove and Treverton Street.

Ladbroke Grove looking north (1900)

Ladbroke Grove railway bridge Looking north over Bartle Bridge in the 1950s

Ladbroke Grove railway bridge

Lads of the Village One of the signature public houses along Kensal Road.

Lads of the Village

Lothrop Street (1907) Postcard of a "street on the Queen’s Park Estate".

Lothrop Street (1907)

Middle Row School Middle Row School was established in the late 19th century to provide education to the children of Kensal New Town.

Middle Row School

Portobello Arms The Portobello Arms was a former pub in Kensal Town, established in 1842.

Portobello Arms

Queen’s Park Library Queen’s Park Library was built to improve the minds of the new Queen’s Park Estate residents.

Queen’s Park Library

St Quintin Park Cricket Ground (1890s) Before the turn of the 20th century, west of present day North Kensington lay fields - the future Barlby Road was the site of the St Quintin Park Cricket Ground.

St Quintin Park Cricket Ground (1890s)

The Flora The Flora is situated on Harrow Road, W10.

The Flora

The Foresters The Foresters - a lost pub of London W10

The Foresters

The Plough From the sixteenth century onwards, the Plough stood beside the Harrow Road.

The Plough

The Victoria (Narrow Boat) The Victoria later became the Narrow Boat before it burned down.

The Victoria (Narrow Boat)

Wedlake Street Baths In a time when most had somewhere to live but few had somewhere to wash at home, public baths were the place to go...

Wedlake Street Baths

Western Arms The Western Arms was a pub situated on the corner of Ladbroke Grove and Kensal Road.

Western Arms

William Miller’s Yard William Miller's Yard stood in Chapel Place, West Row.

William Miller’s Yard

NEARBY STREETS

Absalom Road, W10 Absalom Road was the former name for the western section of Golborne Gardens.

Absalom Road, W10

Adair Road, W10 Adair Road is a street on the Kensal Town/North Kensington borders.

Adair Road, W10

Adair Tower, W10 Adair Tower is a post-war tower block on the corner of Adair Road and Appleford Road, W10.

Adair Tower, W10

Adela Street, W10 Adela Street is a small cul-de-sac in Kensal Town.

Adela Street, W10

Admiral Mews, W10 Admiral Mews is a small road off Barlby Road, W10.

Admiral Mews, W10

Alderson Street, W10 Alderson Street is a side street north of Kensal Road.

Alderson Street, W10

Alperton Street, W10 Alperton Street is the first alphabetically named street in the Queen’s Park Estate, W10.

Alperton Street, W10

Appleford House, W10 Appleford House is a residential block along Appleford Road.

Appleford House, W10

Appleford Road, W10 Appleford Road was transformed post-war from a Victorian street to one dominated by housing blocks.

Appleford Road, W10

Ash House, W10 Ash House is a block on Heather Walk.

Ash House, W10

Banister House, W10 Banister House is a block on Bruckner Street.

Banister House, W10

Bantock House, W10 Bantock House is located on Third Avenue.

Bantock House, W10

Barlby Gardens, W10 Barlby Gardens is a street in North Kensington, London W10

Barlby Gardens, W10

Bayford Road, NW10 Bayford Road is a street in Willesden.

Bayford Road, NW10

Berens Road, NW10 Berens Road is a location in London.

Berens Road, NW10

Birch House, W10 Birch House is a block on Droop Street.

Birch House, W10

Bosworth Road, W10 Bosworth Road was the first street built as Kensal New Town started to expand to the east.

Bosworth Road, W10

Bransford Street, W10 Bransford Street became Porlock Street before vanishing altogether.

Bransford Street, W10

Branstone Street, W10 Branstone Street, originally Bramston Street, disappeared in 1960s developments.

Branstone Street, W10

Briar Walk, W10 Briar Walk lies on the Queen's Park Estate

Briar Walk, W10

Buller Road, W10 Buller Road is a small residential road on the west side of Kilburn Lane.

Buller Road, W10

Caird Street, W10 Caird Street is the ’C’ street on the Queen’s Park Estate

Caird Street, W10

Canal Close, W10 Canal Close was built over the former gas works site at the top of Ladbroke Grove.

Canal Close, W10

Canal Way, W10 Canal Way was built on the site of the Kensal Gas Works.

Canal Way, W10

Cherry Tree House, W10 Cherry Tree House is a block on Droop Street.

Cherry Tree House, W10

Clayton Yard, Clayton Yard ran off the west side of West Row.

Clayton Yard,

Clifford House, W10 Clifford House is a block on Droop Street.

Clifford House, W10

Compton Road, NW10 Compton Road is a street in Willesden.

Compton Road, NW10

Conlan Street, W10 Conlan Street is one of the newer roads of Kensal Town.

Conlan Street, W10

Courtville House, W10 Courtville House is a block on Parry Road.

Courtville House, W10

Croft House, W10 Croft House is a block on Parry Road.

Croft House, W10

Danby House, W10 Danby House is a block on Bruckner Street.

Danby House, W10

Droop House, W10 Droop House is a block on Droop Street.

Droop House, W10

Droop Street, W10 Droop Street is one of the main east-west streets of the Queen’s Park Estate.

Droop Street, W10

East Row, W10 East Row is a road with a long history within Kensal Town.

East Row, W10

Elm House, W10 Elm House can be found on Briar Walk.

Elm House, W10

Enbrook Street, W10 Enbrook Street is another street north of Harrow Road, W10 without a pub.

Enbrook Street, W10

Farrant Street, W10 Farrant Street is the missing link in the alphabetti spaghetti of the streetnames of the Queen’s Park Estate

Farrant Street, W10

Fifth Avenue, W10 Fifth Avenue is a street on the Queen's Park Estate, London W10

Fifth Avenue, W10

Fir House, W10 Fir House can be found on Droop Street.

Fir House, W10

Fourth Avenue, W10 Fourth Avenue runs south from Ilbert Street.

Fourth Avenue, W10

Galton Street, W10 Galton Street lies within the Queen’s Park Estate, W10.

Galton Street, W10

Golborne Gardens, W10 Golborne Gardens may date from the 1880s.

Golborne Gardens, W10

Halstow Road, NW10 Halstow Road was laid out in the 1890s.

Halstow Road, NW10

Harrow Road, NW10 Harrow Road is a location in London.

Harrow Road, NW10

Harrow Road, W10 Harrow Road is a main road through London W10.

Harrow Road, W10

Hawthorn Walk, W10 Queen's Park Estate

Hawthorn Walk, W10

Hazlewood Crescent, W10 Hazlewood Crescent, much altered by 1970s redevelopment, is an original road of the area.

Hazlewood Crescent, W10

Hazlewood Tower, W10 Hazlewood Tower is a skyscraper in North Kensington, London W10.

Hazlewood Tower, W10

Heather Walk, W10 Heather Walk lies in the Queen’s Park Estate

Heather Walk, W10

Holly House, W10 Holly House is a block on Hawthorn Walk.

Holly House, W10

Humber Drive, W10 Humber Drive is one of the streets of London in the W10 postal area.

Humber Drive, W10

Huxley Street, W10 Huxley Street is the only street beginning with an H on the Queen’s Park Estate.

Huxley Street, W10

Ilbert Street, W10 Ilbert Street is the ’I’ street on the Queen’s Park Estate, W10

Ilbert Street, W10

James House, W10 James House is a residential block in Appleford Road.

James House, W10

John Fearon Walk, W10 This is a street in the W10 postcode area

John Fearon Walk, W10

Kensal House, W10 Kensal House was designed in 1936 to show off the power of gas and originally had no electricity at all.

Kensal House, W10

Kensal Road, W10 Kensal Road, originally called Albert Road, is the heart of Kensal Town.

Kensal Road, W10

Kilravock Street, W10 Kilravock Street is a street on the Queen’s Park Estate, London W10

Kilravock Street, W10

Kingisholt Court, NW10 Kingisholt Court is sited on Harrow Road.

Kingisholt Court, NW10

Kings Holt Mews, W10 Kings Holt Mews runs behind Kilburn Lane.

Kings Holt Mews, W10

Larch House, W10 Larch House is a block on Rowan Walk.

Larch House, W10

Lavie Mews, W10 Lavie Mews, W10 was a mews connecting Portobello Road and Murchison Road.

Lavie Mews, W10

Lothrop Street, W10 Lothrop Street is a street on the Queen's Park Estate, London W10

Lothrop Street, W10

Manchester Drive, W10 Manchester Drive is one of the streets of London in the W10 postal area.

Manchester Drive, W10

Maple Walk, W10 Post war development on the Queen’s Park Estate created some plant-based street names.

Maple Walk, W10

Marne Street, W10 Marne Street is a street on the Queen's Park Estate, London W10

Marne Street, W10

Matthew Close, W10 Matthew Close is a street in North Kensington, London W10

Matthew Close, W10

Middle Row, W10 Middle Row is one of the original streets laid out as Kensal New Town.

Middle Row, W10

Mounsey House, W10 Mounsey House is a block on Parry Road.

Mounsey House, W10

Murchison Road, W10 Murchison Road existed for just under 100 years.

Murchison Road, W10

Nautilus House, W10 Nautilus House is a block on West Row.

Nautilus House, W10

Nutbourne Street, W10 Nutbourne Street is a street on the Queen's Park Estate, W10

Nutbourne Street, W10

Oak House, W10 Oak House is sited on Sycamore Walk.

Oak House, W10

Octavia House, W10 Octavia House on Southern Row was built in the late 1930s.

Octavia House, W10

Parry Road, W10 Parry Road is on the Queen's Park Estate, London W10

Parry Road, W10

Peach Road, W10 Peach Road is one of the newer streets of the Queen’s Park Estate.

Peach Road, W10

Pember House, NW10 Pember House is a block on Pember Road.

Pember House, NW10

Pember Road, NW10 Pember Road is one of the side streets to the west of Kilburn Lane, NW10

Pember Road, NW10

Pine House, W10 Pine House is a block on Droop Street.

Pine House, W10

Purday House, W10 Purday House is a block on Bruckner Street.

Purday House, W10

Queen’s Park Court, W10 Queen’s Park Court is a block on Ilbert Street.

Queen’s Park Court, W10

Rainham Road, NW10 Rainham Road, in Kensal Green, was laid out in 1895.

Rainham Road, NW10

Raymede Street, W10 Raymede Street, after severe bomb damage in the area, disappeared after 1950.

Raymede Street, W10

Regent Street, NW10 Regent Street, otherwise an obscure side street is one of the oldest roads in Kensal Green.

Regent Street, NW10

Ronan Walk, W10 Ronan Walk was one of the streets constructed in a 1970s build parallel to the Harrow Road.

Ronan Walk, W10

Rootes Drive, W10 Rootes Drive is one of the streets of London in the W10 postal area.

Rootes Drive, W10

Salters Road, W10 Salters Road lies on the site of an old playground.

Salters Road, W10

Second Avenue, W10 Second Avenue is one of the streets of the Queen's Park Estate, W10

Second Avenue, W10

Shrewsbury Street, W10 Shrewsbury Street is one of the streets of London in the W10 postal area.

Shrewsbury Street, W10

Sixth Avenue, W10 Sixth Avenue is a street on the Queen's Park Estate, London W10

Sixth Avenue, W10

Southam House, W10 Southam House is situated on Adair Road.

Southam House, W10

Southam Street, W10 Southam Street was made world-famous in the photographs of Roger Mayne.

Southam Street, W10

Southern Row, W10 Southern Row was originally South Row to match the other streets in the neighbourhood.

Southern Row, W10

St Johns Terrace, W10 St Johns Terrace is a street in North Kensington, London W10

St Johns Terrace, W10

Steve Biko Court, W10 Steve Biko Court is a block on St John’s Terrace.

Steve Biko Court, W10

Sunbeam Crescent, W10 Sunbeam Crescent is a street in North Kensington, London W10

Sunbeam Crescent, W10

Sycamore Walk, W10 Queen's Park Estate

Sycamore Walk, W10

The Quadrant, W10 The Quadrant is a street in North Kensington, London W10

The Quadrant, W10

Third Avenue, W10 Third Avenue is a street on the Queen's Park Estate, London W10

Third Avenue, W10

Tollbridge Close, W10 This is a street in the W10 postcode area

Tollbridge Close, W10

Treverton Street, W10 Treverton Street, a street which survived post war redevelopment.

Treverton Street, W10

Tropical Court, W10 Tropical Court is a block on Kilburn Lane.

Tropical Court, W10

Wakeman Road, NW10 Wakeman Road is a street in Willesden.

Wakeman Road, NW10

Warfield Road, NW10 Warfield Road is a street in Willesden.

Warfield Road, NW10

Wedlake Street, W10 Wedlake Street arrived as the second wave of building in Kensal Town was completed.

Wedlake Street, W10

Wellington Road, NW10 Wellington Road commemorates the Duke of Wellington.

Wellington Road, NW10

West Row, W10 West Row, W10 began its life in the early 1840s.

West Row, W10

Western Dwellings Western Dwellings were a row of houses, opposite the Western Gas Works, housing some of the workers.

Western Dwellings

Westfield Court, NW10 Westfield Court is a block on Chamberlayne Road.

Westfield Court, NW10

Westgate Mews, W10 Westgate Mews ran west from West Row to the Deco Works.

Westgate Mews, W10

Willow House, W10 Willow House can be found on Maple Walk.

Willow House, W10

Zahra House, NW10 Zahra House can be found on Harrow Road.

Zahra House, NW10

NEARBY PUBS

Admiral Blake (The Cowshed) The Admiral Blake was situated at the corner of Ladbroke Grove and Barlby Road.

Admiral Blake (The Cowshed)

Albion The Albion stopped being a pub early.

Albion

Clayton Arms A pub which was situated halfway down West Row in Kensal Town.

Clayton Arms

Earl of Warwick The Earl of Warwick stood at 36 Golborne Road.

Earl of Warwick

Jack of Newbury The Jack of Newbury stood at the corner of East Row and Kensal Road until it was bombed on 2 October 1940.

Jack of Newbury

Lads of the Village One of the signature public houses along Kensal Road.

Lads of the Village

Parlour

Portobello Arms The Portobello Arms was a former pub in Kensal Town, established in 1842.

Portobello Arms

Pub location

The Earl Derby The Earl Derby stood on the corner of Southern Row and Bosworth Road.

The Earl Derby

The Flora The Flora is situated on Harrow Road, W10.

The Flora

The Foresters The Foresters - a lost pub of London W10

The Foresters

The Paradise

The Plough From the sixteenth century onwards, the Plough stood beside the Harrow Road.

The Plough

The Prince of Wales A pub in Kensal Town

The Prince of Wales

The Victoria (Narrow Boat) The Victoria later became the Narrow Boat before it burned down.

The Victoria (Narrow Boat)

Western Arms The Western Arms was a pub situated on the corner of Ladbroke Grove and Kensal Road.

Western Arms

William IV

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Kensal Town

Soapsuds Island

Kensal New Town was built between the Grand Central Canal (which opened in 1801) and the Great Western Railway line (opening in 1837) in the 1840s. It was built by a lawyer.

Single-storey cottages with gardens suitable for drying clothes were the first buildings and Kensal Road, Middle Row, West Row, East Row and Southern Row all appeared between 1841 and 1851. The rows of cottages quickly degenerated into a slum, mainly due to overcrowding, industrialisation and pollution.

The area was dominated by the Western Gas Company and Kensal Cemetery, which provided work but did little to improve the environment. Women were primarily involved in laundry work giving the area its nickname of ‘Soapsuds Island’.

The area was isolated from the rest of London at a time when Portobello Lane (now Portobello Road) was a muddy track sometimes impassable in bad weather.

Cut off from the municipal authorities it was left to charities to attempt to alleviate the social and health problems.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the cottage laundry industry began to be replaced by larger mechanized concerns.

In 1902 Charles Booth described it as, “Just as full of children and poverty as was the old woman’s dwelling in the nursery rhyme.” By this date the area had been transferred to the newly formed Royal Borough of Kensington. When the Piggeries and Potteries in Notting Dale were finally cleared in the early 20th century most of the displaced residents moved north into Golborne ward and Kensal.

By 1923 in the Southam Street area 140 houses contained some 2500 inhabitants. A series of evocative photographs by Roger Mayne in the 1950s showed that little had changed. It was only from the 1960s that the overcrowded and dilapidated terraces were cleared and replaced by social housing including Goldfinger’s Trellick Tower.

LOCAL PHOTOS

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Coronation street party, 1953. TUM image id: 1545250697 Licence: CC BY 2.0	The "Western" TUM image id: 1489498043 Licence: CC BY 2.0	Ladbroke Grove (1866) The future Kensington Park Hotel is the corner building on the left. The area beyond the railway bridge (now the Hammersmith and City Line) was still green fields at this stage TUM image id: 1513618275 Licence:	Clayton Arms TUM image id: 1453029104 Licence: CC BY 2.0	The Earl Derby stood on the corner of Southern Row and Bosworth Road. The Earl Derby himself was Thomas Stanley, 1st Earl of Derby who fought at the battle of Bosworth. TUM image id: 1453372511 Licence: CC BY 2.0
The Foresters TUM image id: 1453071112 Licence: CC BY 2.0	The Lads of the Village pub TUM image id: 1556874496 Licence: CC BY 2.0	The Prince of Wales TUM image id: 1556874951 Licence: CC BY 2.0	Admiral Blake (The Cowshed) Adjacent Admiral Mews was occupied by a series of sheds for cows. Drovers bringing their cattle to the London markets would house them in these sheds for the night, whilst they themselves found shelter and refreshment in the neighbouring tavern, which received a nickname alongside its official one. The exterior of the pub was featured in the early 2000s pub-based sitcom, "Time Gentlemen Please", written by Richard Herring and Al Murray. TUM image id: 1556888887 Licence:	Photographed just after the Second World War, this is the bombed-out Rackham Street, London W10 looking down from the junction with Exmoor Street. Rackham Street ran off Ladbroke Grove, roughly along the line of the modern Bruce Close. Credit: Kensington and Chelsea library TUM image id: 1557403168 Licence:
Middle Row School was constructed to provide education for the children of Kensal New Town. In 1877, an application was made to the Chelsea Vestry "to build a School House and premises. to be known as Middle Row Schools. Kensal Road by Messrs. Hook & Oldrey, builders..." The official opening took place on 19 August 1878. Credit: Wiki Commons TUM image id: 1615381435 Licence:	The Albion, now in residential use. TUM image id: 1556404154 Licence: CC BY 2.0	The corner of Caird Street with Lancefield Street, Queen’s Park Estate. TUM image id: 1456818108 Licence:	The Dissenter’s Chapel inside Kensal Green cemetery - over the wall at the back the road with the streetlights is Ladbroke Grove. Credit: Phillip Perry TUM image id: 1453313372 Licence: CC BY 2.0	Saint John the Evangelist TUM image id: 1453377588 Licence: CC BY 2.0

In the neighbourhood...

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Coronation street party, 1953.
Licence: CC BY 2.0

The "Western"
Licence: CC BY 2.0

Ladbroke Grove (1866) The future Kensington Park Hotel is the corner building on the left. The area beyond the railway bridge (now the Hammersmith and City Line) was still green fields at this stage
Licence:

Clayton Arms
Licence: CC BY 2.0

The Earl Derby stood on the corner of Southern Row and Bosworth Road. The Earl Derby himself was Thomas Stanley, 1st Earl of Derby who fought at the battle of Bosworth.
Licence: CC BY 2.0

The Foresters
Licence: CC BY 2.0

The Lads of the Village pub
Licence: CC BY 2.0

The Prince of Wales
Licence: CC BY 2.0

Admiral Blake (The Cowshed) Adjacent Admiral Mews was occupied by a series of sheds for cows. Drovers bringing their cattle to the London markets would house them in these sheds for the night, whilst they themselves found shelter and refreshment in the neighbouring tavern, which received a nickname alongside its official one. The exterior of the pub was featured in the early 2000s pub-based sitcom, "Time Gentlemen Please", written by Richard Herring and Al Murray.
Licence:

Photographed just after the Second World War, this is the bombed-out Rackham Street, London W10 looking down from the junction with Exmoor Street. Rackham Street ran off Ladbroke Grove, roughly along the line of the modern Bruce Close.
Credit: Kensington and Chelsea library
Licence:

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