Emslie Horniman’s Pleasance

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

During a meeting of the London County Council on the 14 March 1911, the chairman read out a letter containing an offer from politician and ex-council member Emslie J. Horniman:

"Recently I have been able to secure nearly one acre of land, which I consider suitable to lay out as a public garden, with sand-pit, etc., and, having now completed the purchase, I have much pleasure in offering the same to your council, and am ready to make over the freehold, the only condition being that the land be dedicated in perpetuity to the people of London as a recreation-ground. I propose to clear the land and lay out same at my own expense."

Emslie Horniman lived in Chelsea but was inspired to create the park which today bears his name in North Kensington by Sister Ruth, a local nun who worked with the poor of Kensal Town. Emslie Horniman was interested in the arts and gave the commission to design the park to the architect Charles Voysey hence the name ‘Voysey Garden’.

Nowadays the park hosts 20,000 people over the August bank holiday when it becomes the official launch pad of the Notting Hill Carnival.

Emslie Horniman’s Pleasance opened in 1914.

After the northern end of East Row was demolished in 1960, the park was extended in size to cover the whole block between East Row and Bosworth Road.

The park also contains tennis courts, five-a-side football pitches, a hard play area and a children’s playground.

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CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE LOCALITY

CydKB Emslie Horniman’s Pleasance Added: 31 Mar 2023 15:07 GMT	BlackJack Playground Emslie Horniman’s Pleasance was my favourite childhood park.I went to St Mary’s Catholic school, East Row from Nursery all the way through to Year 6 before Secondary School and I was taken here to play most days. There was a centre piece flower bed in the Voysey Garden surrounded by a pond which my classmates and I used to jump over when no one was looking. The Black jack playground was the go to playground for our sports days and my every day shortcut to get close to the half penny steps foot bridge via Kensal Road. There was also a shop where we could buy ice lollies on hot summer days.The Southern Row side of the Park was filled with pebbles which used to be so fun to walk through as a child, I used to walk through the deepness of the pebbles to get to Bosworth Road or east towards Hornimans Adventure Park. Reply
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
The Underground Map Kilburn Park Added: 8 Mar 2021 14:30 GMT	Kilburn Park - opened 1915 Kilburn Park station was opened at the height of the First World War 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
Robert Burns Abourne Street, W9 Added: 5 Jan 2023 17:46 GMT	1 Abourne Street My mother, and my Aunt and my Aunt’s family lived at number 1 Abourne Street. I remember visitingn my aunt Win Housego, and the Housego family there. If I remember correctly virtually opposite number 1, onthe corner was the Lord Amberley pub. Reply

LATEST LONDON-WIDE CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE PROJECT

Loraine Brocklehurst Holcombe Road, N17 Added: 24 May 2023 14:00 GMT	Holcombe Road, N17 I lived at 23Holcombe Rd. with my parents, Grandfather , Aunt and Uncle in 1954. My Aunt and Uncle lived there until it was demolished. I’m not sure what year that was as we emigrated to Canada. Reply
Jen Williams Corfield Street, E2 Added: 20 May 2023 17:27 GMT	Corfield Street, E2 My mother was born in 193 Corfield Street in 1920.Her father was a policeman. Reply
sofia East Acton Added: 19 May 2023 08:57 GMT	43 MELLITUS STREET 43 MELLITUS STREET Reply
Milson Road, W14 Added: 17 May 2023 11:50 GMT	Milson Road (1908 - 1954) My grandparents and great grandparents and great great grandparents the Manley family lived at 33 Milson Road from 1908 to 1935. My grandad was born at 33 Milson Road. His parents George and Grace had all four of their chidren there. When his father Edward died his mother moved to 67 Milson in 1935 Road and lived there until 1954 (records found so far, it may be longer). Before that they lived in the Porten Road. I wonder if there is anyone that used to know them? My grandad was Charles ’Ted’ Manley, his parents were called George and Grace and George’s parents were called Edward and Bessie. George worked in a garage and Edward was a hairdresser. Reply
Rendlesham Road, E5 Added: 16 Apr 2023 15:55 GMT	Rendlesham Road, E5 I lived at 14 Rendlesham Road in the 1940s and 50s. The house belonged to my grandfather James Grosvenor who bought it in the 1920s for £200.I had a brother who lived in property until 1956 when he married. Local families were the paisleys, the Jenners and the family of Christopher Gable. Reply
Sandra Field Masons Place, EC1V Added: 15 Apr 2023 16:15 GMT	Removal Order Removal order from Shoreditch to Holborn, Jane Emma Hall, Single, 21 Pregnant. Born about 21 years since in Masons place in the parish of St Lukes. Source: Sign up Reply
Sue Germain Southwood Road, SE9 Added: 10 Apr 2023 08:35 GMT	Southwood Road, SE9 My great great grandfather lived in Time Villa, Southwood Rd around 1901. He owned several coffee houses in Whitechapel and in South London, including New Time Coffee House so either his house was named after the coffee house or vice versa. Reply
David Gleeson Campbell Road, N4 Added: 7 Apr 2023 22:19 GMT	MBE from Campbell Bunk (1897 - 1971) Walter Smith born at 43 Campbell Bunk was awarded the MBE in january honours list in 1971. A local councillor for services to the public. Reply

NEARBY LOCATIONS OF NOTE

29 Rackham Street, W10 29 Rackham Street lay about halfway along on the north side of the street.

29 Rackham Street, W10

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

Carmelite Monastery of The Most Holy Trinity Convent in North Kensington

Carmelite Monastery of The Most Holy Trinity

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)

Corner of Rackham Street, Ladbroke Grove (1950) The bombing of the Second World War meant that some whole streets were wiped off the future map. Rackham Street, in London W10, was one of them.

Corner of Rackham Street, Ladbroke Grove (1950)

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

Emslie Horniman’s Pleasance

Exmoor Street (1950) Photographed just after the Second World War, looking north along Exmoor Street.

Exmoor Street (1950)

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

Harrow Road (1920s) Harrow Road in the 1920s, looking south east towards the Prince of Wales pub and the Emmanuel Church spire.

Harrow Road (1920s)

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 (1950) Ladbroke Grove on the corner of St Charles Sqaure taken outside the Eagle public house, looking north, just prior to the outbreak of the Second World War.

Ladbroke Grove (1950)

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

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

Rackham Street, eastern end (1950) The bombing of the Second World War meant that some whole streets were wiped off the future map. Rackham Street, in London W10, was one of them.

Rackham Street, eastern end (1950)

Rackham Street, western end (1950) A bombed-out Rackham Street, looking down from the junction with Exmoor Street.

Rackham Street, western end (1950)

St Charles Square after bombing (1950) A corner of St Charles Square looking north, just after the Second World War

St Charles Square after bombing (1950)

St Charles Square ready for redevelopment (1951) Photographed in 1951, the corner of St Charles Square and Ladbroke Grove looking northwest just after the Second World War.

St Charles Square ready for redevelopment (1951)

St Martins Mission Saint Martin's Mission was originally known as Rackham Hall as it was situated on Rackham Street.

St Martins Mission

The Eagle The Eagle is on the corner of Ladbroke Grove and Telford Road.

The Eagle

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 Mitre The Mitre was situated at 62 Golborne Road on the corner with Wornington Road.

The Mitre

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

Angola Mews, W10 Angola Mews, one of the lost mews of North Kensington, was demolished to make way for the Bevington Road School.

Angola Mews, 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

Athlone Place, W10 Athlone Place runs between Faraday Road and Bonchurch Road.

Athlone Place, W10

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

Banister House, W10

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

Barfett Street, W10

Bevington Road, W10 Bevington Road is a street in North Kensington, London W10

Bevington Road, W10

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

Birch House, W10

Bonchurch Road, W10 Bonchurch Road was first laid out in the 1870s.

Bonchurch Road, W10

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

Bosworth Road, W10

Boyce House, W10 Boyce House is located on Bruckner Street.

Boyce House, 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

Bruce Close, W10 Bruce Close replaced the earlier Rackham Street in this part of W10.

Bruce Close, W10

Bruce House, W10 Bruce House is a block on Bruce Close.

Bruce House, 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

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

Cherry Tree House, W10

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

Clifford House, W10

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

Conlan Street, W10

Coomassie Road, W9 Coomassie Road is a street in Maida Vale.

Coomassie Road, W9

Drakeland House, W9 Drakeland House is a block on Fernhead Road.

Drakeland House, W9

Drayford Close, W9 Drayford Close is a street in Maida Vale.

Drayford Close, W9

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

Edenham Mews, W10 Edenham Mews was the site of a youth club and day nursery after the Second World War until demolition.

Edenham Mews, W10

Edenham Street, W10 Edenham Street was swept away in 1969.

Edenham Street, W10

Edenham Way, W10 Edenham Way is a 1970s street.

Edenham Way, W10

Elkstone Road, W10 Elkstone Road replaced Southam Street around 1970.

Elkstone Road, 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

Exmoor Street, W10 Exmoor Street runs from Barlby Road to St Charles Square, W10

Exmoor Street, W10

Faraday Road, W10 Faraday Road is one of the ’scientist’ roadnames of North Kensington.

Faraday Road, 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

Fermoy House, W9 Fermoy House can be found on Fermoy Road.

Fermoy House, W9

Fermoy Road, W9 Fermoy Road was named in 1883 and partly built up by 1884

Fermoy Road, W9

Fernhead Road, W9 Fernhead Road is a street in Maida Vale.

Fernhead Road, W9

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

Fir House, W10

First Avenue, W10 First Avenue is street number one in the Queen's Park Estate

First Avenue, 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 is a street in North Kensington, London W10

Golborne Gardens, W10

Golborne Mews, W10 Golborne Mews lies off of the Portobello Road, W10.

Golborne Mews, W10

Golborne Road, W10 Golborne Road, heart of North Kensington, was named after Dean Golbourne, at one time vicar of St John’s Church in Paddington.

Golborne Road, W10

Great Western Road, W9 Great Western Road’s northernmost section was created after a bridge was constructed over the canal.

Great Western Road, W9

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

Hewer Street, W10 Built as part of the St Charles’ estate in the 1870s, it originally between Exmoor Street to a former street called Raymede Street.

Hewer Street, W10

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

Holly House, W10

Hormead Road, W9 Hormead Road was named in 1885 although its site was still a nursery ground until 1891.

Hormead Road, W9

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

Huxley Street, W10

James Collins Close, W9 James Collins Close is a street in Maida Vale.

James Collins Close, W9

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

James House, 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 Place, W10 Kensal Place ran from Southam Street to Kensal Road.

Kensal Place, W10

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

Kensal Road, W10

Ladbroke Grove, W10 Ladbroke Grove runs from Notting Hill to Kensal Green, and straddles the W10 and W11 postal districts.

Ladbroke Grove, W10

Lancefield Street, W10 Lancefield Street runs from Caird Street to Bruckner Street.

Lancefield Street, 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

Lionel Mews, W10 Lionel Mews was built around 1882 and probably disappeared in the 1970s.

Lionel Mews, 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

Maxilla Walk, W10 Maxilla Walk is a street in North Kensington, London W10

Maxilla Walk, W10

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

Middle Row, W10

Modena Street, W9 Modena Street was swept away in the late 1960s.

Modena Street, W9

Morgan Road, W10 Morgan Road connects Wornington Road and St Ervans Road.

Morgan Road, W10

Mozart Street, W10 Mozart Street was part of the second wave of development of the Queen’s Park Estate.

Mozart Street, W10

Munro Mews, W10 Munro Mews is a part cobbled through road that connects Wornington Road and Wheatstone Road.

Munro Mews, 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

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

Orchard Close, W10 Orchard Close is one of the streets of London in the W10 postal area.

Orchard Close, W10

Pennymore Walk, W9 Pennymore Walk is a close which lies off of Ashmore Road.

Pennymore Walk, W9

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

Pine House, W10

Pressland Street, W10 Pressland Street ran from Kensal Road to the canal.

Pressland Street, W10

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

Queen’s Park Court, W10

Rackham Street, W10 Rackham Street is a road that disappeared from the streetscape of London W10 in 1951.

Rackham Street, W10

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

Rendle Street, W10 Rendle Street ran from Murchison Road to Telford Road.

Rendle Street, W10

Riverton Close, W9 Riverton Close is a street in Maida Vale.

Riverton Close, W9

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

Ronan Walk, W10

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

Second 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 Ervans Road, W10 St Ervans Road is named after the home town of the Rev. Samuel Walker.

St Ervans Road, 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

Sycamore Walk, W10 Queen's Park Estate

Sycamore Walk, W10

Telford Road, W10 Telford Road is one of the local streets named after prominent nineteenth century scientists.

Telford Road, W10

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

Tollbridge Close, W10

Trellick Tower, W10 Trellick Tower is a 31-storey block of flats designed in the Brutalist style by architect Ernő Goldfinger, completed in 1972.

Trellick Tower, W10

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

Treverton Street, W10

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

Wedlake Street, W10

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

Western Mews, W9 Western Mews is a street in Maida Vale.

Western Mews, W9

Wheatstone Road, W10 Wheatstone Road was the former name of the eastern section of Bonchurch Road.

Wheatstone Road, W10

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

Willow House, W10

Wornington Road, W10 Wornington Road connected Golborne Road with Ladbroke Grove, though the Ladbroke end is now closed to through traffic.

Wornington Road, W10

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

Brittania The Brittania disappeared as Trellick Tower began to take shape.

Brittania

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

Sporting Club De Londres

The Eagle The Eagle is on the corner of Ladbroke Grove and Telford Road.

The Eagle

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 Mitre The Mitre was situated at 62 Golborne Road on the corner with Wornington Road.

The Mitre

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

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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:
Kensington Park Hotel TUM image id: 1453375720 Licence: CC BY 2.0	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 Tabernacle is a Grade II*-listed building in Powis Square, W11 built in 1887 as a church. Photographed here in 2010. Credit: Asteuartw TUM image id: 1453285201 Licence: CC BY 2.0	Duke of Cornwall, Ledbury Road W11, around 1990. Later the Ledbury restaurant, holder of two Michelin Stars TUM image id: 1453282426 Licence:

In the neighbourhood...

Click an image below for a better view...

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:

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
Licence:

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