King’s Road
King’s Road is part of the long promenade that runs from the Royal Mews through Sloane Square and Chelsea.
It was laid out by Charles II as a link between the Palace of Westminster and Hampton Court, and such was its royal status that you even needed a special pass to use it. This was rescinded in 1830, whereupon posh homes and businesses quickly moved in.
Most of these homes have now been demolished, but you can still see a few along its length – for example, the early 18th-century houses at numbers 211–215.
The Swinging Sixties
King’s Road’s hey-day was during the Swinging Sixties, when London ruled the world in hippy chic. The seventies saw Punk take a hold in Vivian Westwood’s fashion store, but these days she has a better premises at No. 430 – World’s End.
- Percy Grainger – 31 King’s Road
- “Australian composer, folklorist and pianist, lived here.”
- Princess Astafieva – 152 King’s Road
- “Ballet dancer, lived and taught here.”
- Dame Ellen Terry – 215 King’s Road
- “Ellen Terry, the great actress, lived here from 1904 to 1920.”
Facts and information
- Address:
- King’s Road, Chelsea,
London - Bus route:
- 11 19 22 49 170 171 214 319 360
- Train station:
- Sloane Square, South Kensington
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