Kensington history

Kensington was originally an Anglo-Saxon name, possibly meaning the farm - or “tun” - of Cynesige. In the 18th century it was still an entirely rural area mainly containing market gardens providing food for London to the east and nurseries for exotic fruits such as the newly discovered pineapples. Near present-day Kensington Church Street mansions for the well off began to be constructed from the 17th century onwards. William of Orange bought a house and arranged for Christopher Wren to turn it into Kensington Palace. At a time when plagues were quite frequent in London, the king regarded it as a more healthy place to live than Westminster. In the 19th century, the area was completely redeveloped to provide housing for the ever expanding London market. The Ladbroke, Norland, Phillimore and Smiths Charity Estates were all developed into streets and terraces of houses in the first half of the 19th century. Mid-century, the South Kensington estate belonging to the Commissioners for the Great Exhibition of 1851 was also turned into residential streets. Kensington was a “royal” borough to mark the fact that Queen Victoria was born at Kensington Palace. When Kensington was merged with Chelsea, the combined borough kept the “royal” title.