The first settlements of Kensal New Town were in place by 1841, including East Row, Middle Row, West Row and South Row. Kensal New Town in those days had something of a rural character, with many people keeping pigs.
Very soon, the area became known as a laundry colony, that soon being the main occupation of the neighbourhood.
The village had six public houses.
Things began to change quickly after the opening of the Hammersmith and City Railway and the station on Ladbroke Grove (originally called Notting Hill) in 1864. That meant that people who were working in the City could now commute from Notting Hill and this stimulated the building of houses, shops and pubs on the farmland to the south.
In the 1870s, what had been a footpath leading from Portobello Road to Kensal Road was turned into a road which became Golborne Road.
The cottages of East Row were unusually run-down and small. Soon after 1911, the cottages were demolished and their site converted into a small park. The land from later demolitions (post-Second World War) were added to expand the park.