South Kensington

Why go

George Wallis, FSA, (1811–1891), artist, museum curator and art educator, first Keeper of Fine Art Collection at South Kensington Museum. Other institutions such as the Royal Albert Hall, Imperial College London, the Royal Geographical Society, the Royal College of Art, the Royal College of Music are within the City of Westminster, but considered to be in South Kensington.

What to look for

• Although the postcode SW7 mainly covers South Kensington, some parts of Knightsbridge are also covered.
• Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree (1853–1917), actor-manager, lived at 31 Rosary Gardens.
• Two London Underground stations are located in South Kensington: South Kensington and Gloucester Road tube stations.

The full story

Geography It is hard to define boundaries for South Kensington, but a common definition is the commercial area around the South Kensington tube station and the adjacent garden squares and streets (such as Thurloe Square, opposite the Victoria and Albert Museum). The smaller neighbourhood around Gloucester Road tube station can also be considered a part, and Albertopolis around Exhibition Road, which includes the Natural History Museum, the Science Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum and Baden-Powell House. Neighbouring the equally affluent centres of Knightsbridge, Chelsea and Kensington, South Kensington covers some of the most exclusive real estate in the world. A significant French presence is evidenced by the location of the consulate, the Lycée Français Charles de Gaulle - a large French secondary school opposite the Natural History Museum - and the Institut Français, home to a French cinema.

Your next visit

Estimated · Declared scenario and planning estimates; no live opening, weather, queue or booking service.