Kensington Mansions

Kensington Mansions

Many people like to buy, rent, sell or hire mansions in Kensington. Some may want to stay at large mansions in the region of London so they can own or stay in a high status region of the city. Some may want to stay at luxury or cheap mansions in the city. Some may want to buy or sell a mansion in the region. Some may want town an old classically built mansion or one that is new and has modern design features,. Mansions often offer luxury and high status. Some may want access to mansions that offer good views, access to parking and luxury facilities. They may want to buy mansions in the high status area of Kensington. They may want large mansions that have alot of space, with gardens and with good access to culture and to entertainment.

Kensington is a district of West London, England within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, located 2.8 miles west of Charing Cross. An affluent and densely-populated area, its commercial heart is Kensington High Street and it contains the well known museum district of South Kensington.

The manor of Kensington, Middlesex, was granted by William I of England to Geoffrey de Montbray or Mowbray, bishop of Coutances, one of his inner circle of advisors and one of the wealthiest men in post-Conquest England. He in turn granted the tenancy of Kensington to his vassal Aubrey de Vere I, who was holding the manor in 1086, according to Domesday Book. The bishop's heir, Robert de Mowbray, rebelled against William Rufus and his vast barony was declared forfeit. Aubrey de Vere I had his tenure converted to a tenancy in-chief, holding Kensington after 1095 directly of the crown. He granted land and church there to Abingdon Abbey at the deathbed request of his young eldest son, Geoffrey. As the Veres became the earls of Oxford, their estate at Kensington came to be known as Earls Court, while the Abingdon lands were called Abbots Kensington and the church St. Marys Abbots.

A mansion is a large dwelling house. The word itself derives (through Old French) from the Latin word mansus (the perfect passive participle of manere "to remain" or "to stay".) In the Roman Empire, a mansio was an official stopping place on a Roman road, or via, where cities sprang up, and where the villas of provincial officials came to be placed. The Scots word "manse" originally defined a property large enough for the Minister of the parish to maintain himself, but a mansion is no longer self-sustaining in this way (compare a Roman or medieval villa). 'Manor' comes from the same root — territorial holdings granted to a lord who would remain there — hence it can be seen how the word 'Mansion' came to have its meaning.

To the north, Kensington is bordered by Notting Hill. To the east, Kensington is bordered by Brompton and Knightsbridge. To the south, Kensington is bordered by Chelsea and Earl's Court. To the west, Kensington is bordered by Hammersmith and Shepherd's Bush.

Its name came from Anglo-Saxon Ce-nsiginga tu-n = The village or enclosure of Keen-Victory's people.

Kensington's second activity centre is South Kensington, where a variety of small shops are clustered close to South Kensington tube station. This is also the southern end of Exhibition Road, the thoroughfare that links the area's museums and educational institutions together.

The edges of Kensington are not well-defined; in particular, the southern part of Kensington blurs into Chelsea, which has a similar architectural style. To the west, a transition is made across the West London railway line and Earl's Court Road further south into other districts, whilst to the north, the only obvious dividing line is Holland Park Avenue, to the north of which is the similar district of Notting Hill.

In the north east, the large Royal Park of Kensington Gardens (contiguous with its eastern neighbour, Hyde Park) is an obvious buffer between Kensington and areas to the north east. The other main green area in Kensington is Holland Park, just north of Kensington High Street, whilst Kensington has numerous small residential garden squares.

Kensington is, in general, an extremely affluent area, a trait that it now shares with its neighbour to the south, Chelsea. The area has some of London's most expensive streets and garden squares, including Edwardes Square, Earls Terrace - an exclusive redevelopment of Georgian Houses, The Phillimores, and Wycombe Square - a new build development done to a very high standard.

Kensington is also very densely populated; it forms part of the most densely populated local government district (the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea) in the United Kingdom. This high density is not formed from high-rise buildings; instead, it has come about through the subdivision of large mid-rise Victorian and Georgian terraced houses (generally of some four to six floors) into flats. Unlike other parts of the Borough, Kensington itself has almost no high-rise buildings - the exception being Cromwell Road's Holiday Inn, a 27-storey hotel.

Notable attractions and institutions in Kensington (or South Kensington) include: Kensington Palace in Kensington Gardens, the Royal Albert Hall opposite the Albert Memorial in Hyde Park, the Royal College of Music, the Natural History Museum, the Science Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum, Heythrop College, the Royal College of Art, Imperial College London and Kensington and Chelsea College. The Olympia exhibition hall is just over the western border in West Kensington.

Kensington is well-served by public transport and is located in the central zone of the public transport network; three London Underground lines serve the district via stations at High St Kensington, Gloucester Road and South Kensington. All three are served by the Circle Line which connects them to London's railway terminals. The District Line also serves all three stations, albeit on different branches; it links the latter two to Westminster and the City. The Piccadilly Line also links South Kensington and Gloucester Road to the West End in about 10 minutes, and in the other direction to Heathrow Airport in about 40 minutes.

Kensington Mansions

Interested in the subject of buying or selling Mansions in the Kensington area, why not email chammaby1979@yahoo.co.uk and he can discuss what to do

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