Chelsea lies in West London, north of the River Thames, just two miles from Hertford Street. Situated in the smallest London borough (the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea), just two hundred years ago it was all but a rural idyll, becoming an area of exclusivity with the development of highly desirable properties.
Cheyne Walk, named after William Cheyne, Viscount Newhaven who owned the manor of Chelsea until 1712, was established in the early eighteenth century, along with the surrounding roads Cheyne Row, Cheyne Mews and Cheyne Gardens. Originally on the banks of the river, before the development of the Chelsea Embankment in 1894, the beautiful Georgian properties became home to an impressive alumni of notable figures, including George Eliot, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, James McNeill Whistler, Elizabeth Taylor, Bram Stoker, Elizabeth Gaskell, Diana Mitford, JMW Turner and Sylvia Pankhurst, to name but a few. Rossetti, a lover of exotic animals, was unable to keep pet peacocks whilst living here due to their unsociable calls which would’ve been a disturbance to the neighbourhood. However, Chelsea did become the heart of Rossetti’s Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, as his artistic comrades loved the area as much as he did.
Cheyne Walk has also inspired the imaginations of authors over the years, becoming the homes of fictional characters of Virginia Woolf, Nancy Mitford and Iris Murdoch.
Cheyne Walk is even more breath-taking than when it was first built, with well-established wisteria, roses, seasonal perennials and topiary buxus adorning the facades and front gardens.
Other places to visit in Chelsea
The Chelsea Physic Garden, which is the oldest botanic garden in London, was established by apothecaries in 1673 for the purpose of growing medicinal plants. It’s a wonderful place to see one of the world’s largest and diverse collection of living plants, with over 4,000 specimens. It has a café with a good selection of seasonal food and drink. Registered support dogs are welcome in the grounds.
Take a tour of the Royal Hospital Chelsea, home of the Chelsea Pensioners. A resident Chelsea Pensioner will take you around the beautiful buildings whilst sharing stories about its history and its former and current residents.
Explore the two mile stretch of the famous King’s Road, which is home to some fantastic boutiques and eateries. The iconic street is maybe best known as the location for Mary Quant’s Bazaar and Vivienne Westwood & Malcolm McLaren’s homage to the punk movement. Now, you can expect to find luxury brands, independent boutiques, a secret garden-style nursery, a weekly food market and a fabulous selection of cafés and restaurants (we highly recommend Bluebird).
The Saatchi Gallery, which was established in 1985, showcases contemporary art. It will open for the summer season on 10 June, when it will launch a major Tiffany & Co. retrospective which will run until 19 August.
Carlyle’s House, the home of literary couple Thomas and Jane Carlyle, which was frequented by Dickens, Ruskin, Tennyson and William Makepeace Thackeray, who stated: ‘Tom Carlyle lives in perfect dignity in a house in Chelsea with a snuffy Scotch maid to open the door and best company in England ringing at it!’ Built in 1708, its interior has been kept in a nineteenth-century style and is a good example of a middle-class Victorian home.
Photo credit: © 9 Hertford Street