West Kensington

West Kensington is an area of west London primarily located within the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, encompassing some western areas of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, located 3.6 miles (5.5 km) west of Charing Cross. West Kensing

West Kensington is an area of west London primarily located within the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, encompassing some western areas of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, located 3.6 miles (5.5km) west of Charing Cross. West Kensington, the London postal area of W14 is roughly defined as the area between Brook Green & Hammersmith Road to the west, Fulham to the south, Shepherd's Bush to the north and Kensington to the east.

It is best known as home to the Olympia Exhibition Centre and the Queen's Club sports complex.

To find a flat or house to rent in West Kensington, London contact the Black Katz Hammersmith office. Black Katz have flats and houses to rent in West Kensington and across London. If you are a landlord wishing to rent out your property contact Black Katz.

Residential

West Kensington is primarily a residential area consisting mainly of Victorian terraced houses, many of which are subdivided into flats. There are excellent examples of Victorian architecture, with several houses and some entire streets listed - including the imposing mansion blocks of Fitzgeorge Avenue (off North End Road) and the mansion blocks around Avonmore Road including, Glyn Mansions (Built 1897), Avonmore Mansions, Avonmore Gardens (Built 1893) which is located next to Kensington Village. There are also a number of ex-local and local authority buildings around the North End Road, including the recently renovated Lytton Estate. Many of these buildings have been sold off to first-time buyers and young professionals. A more recent private development, St Paul's Court, was built in 1980 on the former site of St Paul's School.

Businesses & Schools

Business is mostly limited to small shops, offices and restaurants, but the Olympia Exhibition Centre is nearby. There are also several pubs and hotels. Carnival Store is a famous fancy dress and costume shop located in the same premises and family owned for the past 40 years. A Tesco supermarket recently opened nearby in West Cromwell Road, creating new jobs perhaps but undoubtedly having negative impacts for the many local, independently owned shops. Indeed, it is the mix of local shops that give the place its character. There is also easy access to High Street Kensington. The area has a branch of Barclays Bank and Avonmore Road has become home to Kensington Village, a new development of high-specification office buildings. West Kensington is also home to the St James Independent School for Junior Boys and Girls and St James Independent School for Senior Girls.

Transportation

West Kensington is remarkably well serviced by public transport, owing to its central location between Fulham, Hammersmith and Kensington.

Tube: Four separate Tube lines are within a 5 to 15 minute walk of West Kensington - District Line from West Kensington Station, Piccadilly Line from Barons Court/Earl's Court, Circle and District Line from High Street Kensington and Hammersmith and City Line from Hammersmith tube station.

Overground: The London Overground is available from Kensington (Olympia) station.

Bus: Several Bus routes are available in the area including the 28. Along Hammersmith Road, there are numerous buses linking the area to Paddington, Hammersmith, Chiswick, Notting Hill, Oxford Street, Aldwych, King's Cross and Trafalgar Square. The N9 bus also runs from Olympia to Heathrow via Isleworth and West Middlesex Hospital.

Road: West Kensington is also conveniently located close to the A4 (West Cromwell Road) with links to the West and Heathrow and High Street Kensington with links to the Central London/West End.

Nearest Tube Stations

  • West Kensington tube station
  • Barons Court tube station
  • Kensington Olympia station
  • Earl's Court tube station - Warwick Road Entrance
  • High Street Kensington tube station
  • Hammersmith tube station

Nearest Locations & Places of Interest

  • Queen's Club - home to The Queen's Club Championships
  • Olympia, London Exhibition Centre
  • Sotheby's central London sales room is located at the Olympia, London
  • Blythe House Archive & Library Reading Room (Victoria & Albert Museum)
  • North End Road Market
  • Earls Court Exhibition Centre
  • Kensington High Street
  • Holland Park
  • Fulham Broadway
  • Hammersmith Broadway

To find a flat or house to rent in West Kensington, London contact the Black Katz Hammersmith office. Black Katz have flats and houses to rent in West Kensington and across London. If you are a landlord wishing to rent out your property contact Black Katz.

Famous residents

Peg Entwistle; noted Broadway actress whose 1932 suicide from atop the Hollywood sign forever tagged her as "The Hollywood Sign Girl" had her earliest childhood at 53 Comeragh Road in West Kensington.

Mahatma Gandhi lived in West Kensington for a year while a student.

Edward Elgar lived for some years in 51 Avonmore Road.

Tom Felton was born here

James MacLaren designed 22 and 22A Avonmore Road for sculptor HR Pinkes .

Estelle the West London rapper was born and raised in West Kensington; her song "1980" was written about her experiences growing up in the area.

Henry Rider Haggard lived for several years in Gunterstone Road, West Kensington, and wrote "King Solomon's Mines" and "She (novel)" while living there.

Marcus Garvey, Pan Africanist, founder of the Black Star Line shipping company and the UNIA, lived and died in West Kensington.

Sir Edward Burne-Jones, acclaimed Victorian architect, resided at the Grange, North End Crescent in West Ken.

Sir Stirling Moss, Formula 1 Champion was born in West Kensington - Sep 17th 1929.

William Butler Yeats lived in Edith Villas with his family in 1867.

James Hunt Formula 1 Champion lived in Normand Mews between 1980 and 1982.

Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman 's Long Way Down office was based on Avonmore Road, West Ken.

Konnie Huq owns property in the area.

Billionaire David Reuben has lived at the same West Kensington house for the past 20 years.

To join these notable people, find a house or flat to rent in West Kensington with Black Katz. Black Katz are London's largest lettings only agency and have flats and houses to rent in West Kensington and across London.

Sociology & Rejuvenation

West Kensington straddles the border between the boroughs of Fulham/Hammersmith and Kensington/Chelsea. Although it is true that West Kensington has not experienced the same level of investment and rejuvenation as its neighbours Earl's Court and Fulham, new building and renovation work is ongoing.

West Kensington also has a major advantage in its location. An influx of spill-over wealth from Kensington (W8) means that the area has already experienced change including the opening of more speciality shops, eateries and gastropubs.

People generally opt for West Kensington over neighbouring areas due to the lower comparative property prices and relative grandeur of the properties.

Trivia

Heather Graham and Mia Kirshner play upper-middle-class dilettantes from West Kensington in the 2008 movie Buy Borrow Steal.

The "Famous Three Kings" pub was the venue of Joy Division's last London gig.

W14 has become the first London postcode to not have a post office - however talks are in place for a branch to open within the Barons Court library.