Living in Kensington

Kensington is prime west London, built around Kensington High Street and the royal parks. Kensington Palace sits at the western edge of Kensington Gardens, which merges with Hyde Park to form one of the largest green spaces in central London, and Holland Park lies to the north-west of the High Street.

The area has an exceptional cultural offer. The Design Museum occupies the former Commonwealth Institute building on Kensington High Street, and South Kensington, a short walk away, holds the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Natural History Museum, the Science Museum, the Royal Albert Hall and Imperial College. Kensington Church Street is known for antique shops.

The housing includes grand stucco terraces, garden squares, red-brick mansion blocks and quiet cobbled mews, many split into flats. Large numbers of homes are owned by international buyers or used as second homes, and the rental market is dominated by high-end, often furnished flats. Embassies and diplomatic residences are common in the streets around the palace.

High Street Kensington station has the Circle and District lines, with Gloucester Road and South Kensington adding the Piccadilly line towards the West End and Heathrow. Buses along Kensington High Street run east to Knightsbridge and Piccadilly and west to Hammersmith. The neighbourhood is safe, clean and quiet, with good restaurants but restrained nightlife, and it tends to attract families, older professionals, diplomats and international residents rather than young sharers. Kensington suits people who prioritise parks, museums, beautiful streets and central west London access, and for whom a high rent is less important than the setting.