'''Chelsea''' is an affluent and enduringly fashionable area of West London noted for its shopping (Sloane Square and the King's Road), restaurants and historical associations. It is also the location each spring of the renowned Chelsea Flower Show [http://www.rhs.org.uk/chelsea/].

Understand

Chelsea is a extensive riverside area of London that extends broadly from Sloane Square in the east to the World's End public house in the west and down to the River Thames Embankment. The King's Road marks the main thoroughfare of Chelsea.

History

Chelsea's modern reputation as a centre of innovation and influence originated in a period during the 19th century when the area became a veritable Victorian artists' colony: artists such as Dante Gabriel Rossetti, J.M.W. Turner, James McNeill Whistler, William Holman Hunt and John Singer Sargent, as well as writers such as George Meredith, Algernon Swinburne, Leigh Hunt and Thomas Carlyle all lived and worked here. A particularly large concentration of artists existed in the area around Cheyne Walk (pronounced ''Chey-nee'') and Cheyne Row, where the pre-Raphaelite movement had its heart.

Following the Second World War Chelsea, like many other formerly prosperous areas became rather run down and poor. It became prominent once again as an artistic centre, Bohemian district and hotspots for young professionals in the 1960s. The Americans called this period "Swinging London" and the King's Road became the definition of style and fashion and both the Beatles and the Rolling Stones lived in the neighbourhood. In the 1970s, the "World's End" area of the King's Road was home to Vivienne Westwood's shop ("Sex"), and witnessed the genesis of Punk music and style with many Mohawks to be seen on the road against the background of the closed down shops. Thereafter, working class youth culture was priced out towards the fringes of Camden, Islington, Ladbroke Grove, Brixton and Brick Lane. The 1980s saw the rise of the Sloane (archetypally Princess Diana) and the Mohawks gave was to twin set pearls, pink Polo shirts and what a Yank would call a preppry. Chelsea seems to have settled into stylish affluence and aspiration and although the 'Hooray Henries' do not try to stand out, their loud braying voices, youth and wealth are quite exceptional. They can be seen here in their natural habitat particularly on school holidays when they return from their boarding schools and all stay at a friends house, on the "King's Road, mate".

Get in

See

  • '''Albert Bridge''' [http://www.dklphotography.co.uk/gallery/v/London-Photo-Gallery/Albert_Bridge_2.jpg.html]
  • '''Carlyle's House''' [http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/places/carlyleshouse/], 24 Cheyne Row. Now preserved by the National Trust [http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk], this 18th century house was the home of the historian Thomas Carlyle from 1834 and now houses a museum dedicated to his life and work
  • '''Chelsea Old Church'''[http://www.chelseaoldchurch.org.uk/] and '''Roper's Garden''', Cheyne Walk
  • '''Chelsea Physic Garden''' [http://www.chelseaphysicgarden.co.uk/], Swan Walk
  • '''Cheyne Walk'''
  • the '''King's Road'''
  • the '''National Army Museum''' [http://www.national-army-museum.ac.uk/], Royal Hospital Road
  • the '''Royal Hospital''' [http://www.chelsea-pensioners.org.uk/], Royal Hospital Road
  • '''Sloane Square'''
  • Do

  • '''Chelsea Football Club''' See the former English Premier League champions ply their trade at their famous stadium, Stamford Bridge. Chelsea, under the watchful eye of interim coach Guus Hiddink, have gone from English football's nearly men to a sublime team which are one of the best teams in the world. Star players such as Didier Drogba, Joe Cole, John Terry and Frank Lampard will be joined in the 2006/07 season by German maestro Michael Ballack, the highest paid footballer in the world.
  • '''Royal Court Theatre''' [http://www.royalcourttheatre.com/], Sloane Square
  • [http://www.soundmap.co.uk/kingsroad.aspx '''King's Road Audio Tour'''], ''Take a walk with Max Decharne, author of "King's Road - the rise and fall of the hippest street in the world" down the street that was the epicentre of Swinging London.'' Download the audio tour from '''www.soundmap.co.uk'''
  • Troubadour Club. 63 - 267 Old Brompton Road. arls Court or West Brompton Tube. 20 7370 1434. ttp://www.troubadour.co.uk/the-club.html. 0:00 - 02:00. rom __6. This well known music venue has been programming acoustic music since the 1950s when Bob Dylan et all took to the stage. It's bigger now and has gone electric but is still one of the best venues in London for up and coming talent. The musical spectrum is broad. On any night you might catch solo singersongwriters or full bands. No heavy rock or covers bands though. There's a good menu too but arrive early to get a table. It can get very busy. Well worth a visit.

    Buy

    The King's Road is one of London's smartest fashion streets, having evolved from the cutting-edge of bohemia and innovative fashion in the 60s to a more genteel place to indulge in retail therapy, albeit with a notable presence of trendy young Londoners (including many [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sloane_Ranger Sloane Rangers]). It is a very attractive street that retains the atmosphere of a small town whilst being in the heart of a huge city. There is a huge range of fashion stores from upmarket chains to one-off boutiques, as well as variety of other shops, complimented by cafes, restaurants, bars, pubs and clubs. There is an obvious affluence to the road without any of the bling or snobbiness of nearby Sloane Street. The two converge at Sloane Square which is a busy, traffic-bound interchange (Chelsea's tube station is here), but a sit under the trees in warmer months remains pleasant. King's Road stretches south-west from here for miles, though the best of the shopping is in the first mile. The Duke of York Square shopping complex has a range of spacious branches of popular fashion chains, but lacks some of the road's character, however the small adjoining public space of Duke of York square is a welcome place for a rest between shopping, and a popular place to hang out.

    Eat

    Gastropubs in Chelsea. All these pubs charge about the same and the quality is more or less the same too.

    Pigs Ear (Old Church Street) Phoenix (Smith Street) Builders Arms (Britten Street) Coopers Arms (Flood Street) Admiral Codrington (Mossop Street)

    Budget

  • '''Chelsea Kitchen''', 98 King_fs Road. 8AM-11:45PM daily. The Chelsea Kitchen is inexpensive, serving a variety of hearty dishes. Epitome of _echeap eats._f - The Chelsea Kitchen has unfortunately closed...
  • '''La Nuova Delizia''', 63-65 Chelsea Manor Street. Open noon-midnight daily. Quaint Italian bistro offers 18 different pizzas, three risottos, various pasta dishes, gnocchi and other traditional Italian entrees. It_fs top-notch food at a great value.
  • '''The Pig's Ear''', 35 Old Church Street. [http://www.thepigsear.co.uk]. The Pig_fs Ear is a lively, old-world style pub/restaurant on Old Church Street. Acclaimed bistro fare and a wide selection of wines by the glass.
  • '''The Troubadour Cafe''', 263-267 Old Brompton Road, SW5 9JA Open 9am to midnight, 7 days. Famous bohemian cafe with a pleasing menu of hearty dishes such as fishcakes, burgers and delicious filling salads. Good wine list too and lovely leafy garden out the back. There's a great little music venue downstairs and even accommodation on the top floor. A piece of London history and great fun http://www.troubadour.co.uk/
  • Splurge

  • '''Aubergine''', 11 Park Walk. ''+44'' 020 7352 3449. Dinner: M-Sa 7:00PM-11:00PM, Lunch: M-Fr 12:00PM-2:30PM. [http://www.auberginerestaurant.co.uk]. A venerable star on the London restaurant scene, Aubergine continues to delight as much-admired chef William Drabble works his magic in the kitchen, creating a superlative menu of modern French cuisine. The charming, urbane decor of the dining room affords a pleasing milieu for enjoying dishes such as poached lobster tail on smooth cauliflower puree, lamb with a salty olive jus and sweet ratatouille-style sauce, quail with sweetbreads and foie gras, roast John Dory with mussels, savoy cabbage, cauliflower and parsley sauce and poached peaches with lemon verbena ? to name but a tasty few. A gastronomic joy.
  • '''Tom's Kitchen''' - Populist spot for Tom Aikens's aptly named restaurant, albeit certainly in the "Splurge" category, the fish and chips make it certainly worth the difficulty getting reservations and the rather high cost.

    Drink

    '''Henry J Beans'''- 195 - 197 Kings Road, Chelsea London SW3 5ED tel:0207 352 9255. The biggest and best beer garden in London. Burger and Rib shack menu, showing American sports.

    '''Chelsea Potter''' - 119 Kings Road, Chelsea London SW3 4PL. First pub when walking away from Sloane Square tube stop. Traditional Pub fare, but when warm outside, best people watching spot around. Also, Aussie and Kiwi barmen solidify the awesome environment here.

    '''Coopers Arms''' - 87 Flood Street, Chelsea London SW3 5TB. Great pints, including Peroni on tap. Best Sunday Roast around, and more of a gastropub than a traditional pub.

    '''The Phoenix''' - 23 Smith St, Chelsea London SW3 4EE. Great pints, tremendous place for a pint on a sunny day - be sure to grab one of the outdoor tables and enjoy a cool pint on a hot day here (when not raining in London).

    '''Troubadour Wines''' 267 Old Brompton Road. SW5 9JA Right next door to its famous sister '''The Troubadour Cafe''' this cosy wine bar is a quiter alternative to the buzz next door. With a great selection of wines from around the world, many of which are not available anywhere else in London, this is a peaceful oasis where you can discover delicious and good value wines. Drink in or take home.

    Sleep

  • Jury's Inn. _79. Jurys Inn is an affordable Hotel of one of the better hotel chains. All rooms are ensuite and large by london standards.

  • La Reserve Hotel Chelsea. 22-428 Fulham Road, London, SW6 1DU. ttp://www.la-reservehotel.co.uk/. La Reserve Hotel in Chelsea is a spacious hotel offering 43 en-suite bedrooms. The hotel overlooks Chelsea Football Club.

  • '''Refresh Accommodation''', - Situated along Sydney street in chelsea. The serviced apartment agency has over 1,000 serviced apartments located within Chelsea and South West London. Some of their apartments are located in Rosary Gardens, SW7. For further information on the location of serviced apartments try visiting [http://www.refreshaccommodation.com] or email [mailto:info@refreshaccommodation.com info@refreshaccommodation.com] - Refresh Accommodation can be contacted on 08456800080
  • Holiday Inn Oxford. 57-59 Welbeck Street. Clean and affordable hotel in central London.

  • Wyndham Grand London. yndham Grand London, Chelsea Harbour, London SW10 0XG. 44 20 7823 3000. yndhamlondon@wyndham.com" url="http://www.wyndhamgrandlondon.co.uk" >London's only 5-star luxury all-suite hotel with 154 suites and 6 penthouses. The hotel is located in Chelsea Harbour London near to the M4 motorway. The nearest tube station is Fulham Broadway - 10 minutes walk. The Hotels' restaurant Aquasia has been awarded a Rosette and been voted for 'Best for Breakfast'; 'Best Views' and 'Best Sunday Brunch' by readers of Square Meal Magazine.</sleep>{{coor title d|deg|NS|deg|EW|optional}}Travelboy 12:11, 11 July 2008 (EDT)Travelboy

  • Chelsea House Hotel. 6 Redcliffe Garden, London. p.m.. 0 p.m.. The Chelsea House Hotel is a cheap hotel. The staff is '''very''' gentle and helpful. It is clean, and the rooms are all right - they are a bit small, have fridge, a small tv, but no table. The hotel is not nice, but OK. The breakfast is uninteresting - except the coffee, which is awful! But, the tea and the juice are good. Check price and availability on the net. The hotel is 5 min. walk from Earl Court Underground: Go to right on Earls Court Road, and you find the hotel app. 50 m after crossing Crompton Road. It is close to many pubs, cafes, a supermarket, a baker, etc. Good place to stay, but a little too much traffic.
  • The Troubadour Garret. 63 - 267 Old Brompton Road. arls Court or West Brompton tube. 20 7341 6322. ttp://www.troubadour.co.uk/the-garret.html. pm. idday. _150. The Troubadour Garret is a luxury one bedroom apartment nestled at the top of the Troubadour Cafe http://www.troubadour.co.uk and Club in Earls Court. Despite the close proximity to all the action and buzz of the cafe downstairs, the accommodation is quiet and tranquil. "The most important feature of The Garret is a very large and comfortable Philippe Starck double bed (2.5m square). In addition antique furniture, a double sofa bed, kitchenette, high powered shower and free WiFi internet connection make this slightly more than your ordinary one-bed flat." Alistair Sawday. There is a small kitchenette if you'd like to cook, and breakfast items can be stocked in the fridge. More likely you'll want to go downstairs to the cafe for a properly filling breakfast or brunch. Room service also available.

    Contact