Earl's Court
Earl's Court is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London, England. It is an inner-city district centered on Earl's Court Road and surrounding streets, located 3.1 miles (5 km) west south-west of Charing Cross. It borders the sub-districts of South Kensington to the East, West Kensington to the West, Chelsea to the South and Kensington to the North. The Earls Court ward had a population of 9,659 according to the 2001 Census. [1] It is home to Earls Court Exhibition Centre, one of the country's largest indoor arenas and a popular concert venue.
History
Early history
Earl's Court, was once a rural area, covered with green fields and market gardens. The Saxon thegn Edwin had been the owner before the Norman Conquest. For over 500 years the land, part of the ancient manor of Kensington, was under the lordship of the Vere family, Earls of Oxford and descendants of Aubrey de Vere I, who held the manor of Geoffrey de Montbray, bishop of Coutances, in Domesday Book in 1086. By circa 1095, his tenure had been converted, and he held Kensington directly of the crown.[2] The earls held their manorial court where Old Manor Yard is now, just by the London Underground station.[3] Earl's Court Farm is visible on Greenwood's map of London dated 1827.
Railway line
The construction of the Metropolitan District Railway station, in 1865-9, was a catalyst for development. In the quarter century after 1867 Earl's Court was transformed into a densely populated suburb with 1,200 houses and two churches. Eardley Crescent and Kempsford Gardens were built between 1867 and 1873, building began in Earl's Court Square and Longridge Road in 1873, in Nevern Place in 1874, in Trebovir Road and Philbeach Gardens in 1876, and Nevern Square in 1880.[4]
Population
Twentieth century
Following World War II, a large transient population of Australians and New Zealanders stayed in Earls Court, leading to Earl's Court Road being known for several decades as "Kangaroo Alley." [5] It was at the time one of the cheapest areas close to central London, and up until the 1990s remained a somewhat down-at-heel district compared to its more upmarket neighbours to the North and East. Today, while there are still significant numbers of students or other people on temporary visas, many of the Australians and New Zealanders appear to have moved on to now-cheaper areas further North and West. The name "Kangaroo Alley" lingers on in the usage of older ex-patriate Australians and Australian visitors, as does the alternate nickname "Kangaroo Court."[6]
The change in the area's population is largely owed to rocketing property prices and the continued gentrification of the area. This can be seen in the obvious divide between the eastern and western areas of Earls Court.
Following WWII it was in fact Polish immigrants that settled in Earls Court leading to it being dubbed 'The Polish Corridor'. It wasn't until the late sixties that the Antipodean travellers began to use Earls Court as a UK hub. Thus 'Kangaroo Valley'.
Neighborhoods
East Earl's Court
"East Earl's Court" lies to the south of Cromwell Road and to the east of Earl's Court Road (a main North-South artery and now the Western Boundary of the London Congestion Charge which bisects Earls Court) and is home to many multi-million-pound apartments and houses in smart garden squares and residential streets. The southern boundary of Earls Court is Old Brompton Road, with the area to the south being West Brompton, and the area to the south east being The Beach Area of Chelsea. Here, (based on sale prices per square foot), The Boltons, has some of the most costly real estate in Europe. Houses in The Boltons' have sold for up to £20 million. The eastern boundary of Earls Court is Collingham Road, east of which is South Kensington. [7]
West Earl's Court
"West Earl's Court," lying to the west of Earl's Court Road, is notably different in architecture. This area still contains a number of cheap hotels and cramped apartment houses or rooming houses full of "bed sits" (also known as bed-sitters or bed-sitting rooms). There are, nevertheless, a number of notable exceptions, such as the impressive Earls Court Square and Nevern Square.
Architecture
There are some impressive examples of early- to mid-Victorian architecture in the Earls Court ward. Gardens such as Bramham Gardens and Courtfield Gardens are beautiful traditional residential squares with many imposing properties fronting onto them and in the case of Courtfield Gardens, traditional cast iron railings around the enclosed gardens have just been restored (the originals having been removed in 1940 for scrap iron during World War 2) creating a more authentic Victorian ambience. Further West, Nevern Square and Philbeach Gardens are built around impressive formal garden settings (access limited to key holding residents). Collingham Road and Harrington Road, also have some unique buildings, many of them very large and currently used as Embassies. A little further north, just south of the Cromwell Road, the tranquil conservation area comprising Childs Place, Kenway Road, Wallgrave Road and Redfield Lane contains fine examples of more modest terraced townhouses painted in pastel shades in a very picturesque setting with some fine floral displays. Hidden in the middle of this area is London's smallest communal garden, "Providence Patch" built on the site of former stables serving the surrounding houses, which were destroyed by a V1 flying bomb in 1941. A glimpse of the (private) gardens can be seen via the original stable entrance way in Wallgrave Road
Local attractions
Earl's Court is within easy walking distance of High Street Kensington, Holland Park, Kensington Gardens/Hyde Park, the Royal Albert Hall, Imperial College, the Natural History, Science and Victoria and Albert Museums. The multi-award-winning Finborough Theatre which opened in 1980 is the neighbourhood's local theatre. The Troubadour[2] is a coffee house and a small music venue, which has hosted emerging talent since 1954 - including Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix and Elvis Costello. Earl's Court Village is the center of the Filipino British community, where it has a number of Asian restaurants and Filipino supermarkets, many of which serve take-away food.
Nearby places
Districts
Tube station
References
- ^ Office for National Statistics Neighbourhood Statistics [1]
- ^ Victoria County History of England, Middlesex, vol. I, 116-7.
- ^ Richard Thames, Earl's Court and Brompton Past. Historical Publications, London, 2000
- ^ Survey of London. Vol XLII Southern Kensinton: Kensington Square to Earl's Court. General Editor Hermione Hobhouse. The Athlone Press, London, 1986.
- ^ To the World's End: Scenes and Characters On a London Bus Route, director Jonathan Gili, BBC, 1985.
- ^ "History of Nevern Square," nevernsquaregarden.co.uk
- ^ Nethouseprices.com
Bibliography
- AA Illustrated Guide to Britain, Basingstoke, Hampshire, 5th edition, 1983, p.240-1.
