词条 | Kensington and Chelsea |
释义 | Kensington and Chelsea royal borough, London, United Kingdom ![]() In medieval times the Manor of Chelsea was in the possession of Westminster Abbey. With the dissolution of the monasteries in the 1530s, Henry VIII confiscated the manor, together with Sir Thomas More (More, Sir Thomas)'s estate, and gave it to his last wife, Catherine Parr. In the mid-1700s Chelsea became known for the production of Chelsea porcelain, and the area of Ranelagh was a popular entertainment centre in the late 1700s. ![]() ![]() Among the local galleries are the Orangery and the Ice House, buildings which originally pertained to Holland House. The Leighton House Museum and Art Gallery is known for its ornate Arab Hall (1870s) and its displays of Victorian art. Collections on the history of the British military since 1485 are in the National Army Museum, which also features an extensive reference library. The headquarters of the National Heart and Lung Institute (founded 1946) is in the borough; it was placed under the control of the University of London's Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine (Imperial College) (in Westminster) in 1995. Public open spaces are an important asset of the borough, although they cover only a small portion of its area. Summer ballet and opera productions are held at Opera Holland Park, a parkland site by the ruins of Holland House. In the southeastern corner of the borough are Ranelagh Gardens and the Royal Hospital South Grounds (venue of the Chelsea Flower Show). The southern part of the borough was a favoured address for artists, writers, musicians, and bohemians until real estate prices began rising in the 1970s and '80s. Some still cling to the riverbank in the houseboats immortalized in Joyce Cary (Cary, Joyce)'s novel The Horse's Mouth (1944). Connecting the borough with the south bank of the Thames are Albert Bridge (opened 1873), Chelsea Bridge (rebuilt 1934–37), and Battersea Bridge (1890), which replaced the picturesque wooden structure depicted in paintings by James McNeill Whistler (Whistler, James McNeill) and J.M.W. Turner (Turner, J.M.W.). The economy of Kensington and Chelsea is driven by the service sector, centring on the boutiques, antique shops, pubs, and hotels of King's Road, Kensington High Street, and Knightsbridge (the site of Harrods and other stores). The annual Notting Hill Carnival is a popular event organized by Caribbean immigrants to the area, notably Trinidadians. Area 4.7 square miles (12 square km). Pop. (2001) 158,919. |
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