Kensington and Chelsea

The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea is a compact, affluent area in west-central London, England. It is one of the smallest London boroughs by area but contains world-class museums and institutions clustered around South Kensington, including the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Natural History Museum and Imperial College.

Grand Victorian terraces, private garden squares and leafy parks sit alongside high-end shopping on Kensington High Street and the King's Road, and colourful cultural quarters such as Notting Hill and the Portobello Road. Galleries and performance venues from the Saatchi Gallery to the Royal Albert Hall help keep the borough culturally lively, while Holland Park and nearby Kensington Gardens give it a surprisingly green feel.

Economically the borough is one of the wealthiest in the country with very high property values around Knightsbridge and Chelsea, yet it also contains sharp social contrasts that came to national attention after the Grenfell Tower tragedy in 2017, prompting sustained debate on housing, safety and local governance. The result is a place of global glamour and commerce that also has strong local communities and active conservation traditions.