Chelsea
Chelsea is an affluent area of West London, forming part of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Once a village, Chelsea is now an extremely upmarket area of London. Chelsea offers wonderful eating and drinking possibilities that stretch down the Fulham and Kings Roads. The latter is of course world famous for its clothes shops. There are also beautiful and historic squares, museums, antique shops, clubs and bars and who can forget the stunning views of the river!
With such a rich history in tow, it is hardly surprising that Chelsea has been popular with the rich and famous for several centuries. King Henry VIII attained the Manor of Chelsea in 1536. Two of his wives, Catherine Parr and Anne of Cleaves resided in the property and Princess Elizabeth – the future Queen Elizabeth I– was also a resident. Keeping with the royal connections, King's Road was named for Charles II, recalling the King's private road from St James’s Palace to Fulham.
By the 19th century, Chelsea had become a haven for Victorian artists: Dante Gabriel, John Singer Sargent, and J. M. W. Turner all lived and worked there. The concentration of artists was particularly large in the Cheyne Walk and Cheyne Row area where the Pre-Raphaelite movement had its heart. Chelsea is also popularly renowned for being the epicentre of ‘60s London’ and was once the bohemian quarter of Cool Britannia – the Rolling Stones bought up rows of houses and even Bob Marley took up residence in the neighbourhood.
Nowadays, Chelsea has a rather different reputation. It is regarded as one of London’s most prestigious areas to live in. The neighbourhood’s main artery is the famous King's Road, a shopping mecca of designer stores, high street shops, exclusive boutiques, and independent restaurants. The Saatchi Gallery and Royal Court Theatre are among its cultural gems. The Chelsea Flower Show is the horticultural event of the year. No longer considered to be a Bohemian quarter, Chelsea attracts considerable attention. Much of Chelsea is now viewed as a "Global Ultra Prime Residential Area". With this in mind, it is no surprise that Hugh Grant, Kylie Minogue and Kate Middleton have come to call Chelsea home.
Much of the land in Chelsea is owned by the Cadogan Estate which in turn means that properties, especially some of the larger ones, tend to come at a price. While one bedroom and two bedroom apartments tend to go for £400-£800, larger properties can go up to £20-30,000 a week.