In Mediaeval times Earls Court was a small hamlet roughly where the tube station is today. The Lords of the Manor were the Earls of Warwick and Holland, and the area took its name from their courthouse which was in this part of the manor. James Gunter, a successful pastry chef, bought farmland in Earls Court in the early 18th century. His sons and grandsons benefited from this decision as housing moved west. The station for the Metropolitan Railway was built in the 1860s on what was then still farmland. But the railway connection made the area very attractive for commuting to the centre of London and the present roads and terraces were created by the 1880s as fashionable new homes. After the First World War, most of the larger houses were converted into flats or tenements, or used as hotels. In the 1960s Earl’s Court was called Kangaroo Valley because so many Australians lived there on a temporary basis.

Earls Court Square is symbolic of the whole area - with large houses converted into flats during the last century. It is surrounded by crescents containing large properties backing onto communal gardens, also converted into flats. These include Eardley Crescent, Kempsford Gardens and (further north) Philbeach Gardens. Between Warwick Road and Earls Court Road is the area of Nevern Square, Nevern Place and other desirable residential streets above Trebovir Road. The large properties here were converted into hotels in the mid- 20th century, but have now mainly been turned into flats. There are also some original Victorian mansion blocks. On the other side of Earls Court Road heading towards Collingham Road, popular residential streets such as Bramham Gardens and Barkston Gardens contain mainly red-brick Victorian buildings, often surrounding private garden squares. There are also enclaves of stucco-faced houses in Courtfield Gardens and nearby streets.

South of Old Brompton Road, the area west of the Little Boltons is also considered part of Earls Court nowadays. There are large terraced houses divided into flats in this area, which includes attractive streets such as Redcliffe Square and the very large mansion block, Coleherne Court.