Kensington Area Guide

Kensington is an affluent district within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in West London. The north east is taken up by Kensington Gardens, once private, as the name suggests, but today a public park with Italian and Dutch gardens, public buildings such as the Albert Memorial, the Serpentine Gallery and Speke's monument.

Its commercial heart is Kensington High Street. The affluent and densely populated area contains the major museum district of South Kensington, which has the Royal Albert Hall for music and nearby Royal College of Music. The area is home to many of London's European embassies. Cementing Kensington's indicators of connections with France, the area has the Lycée Français Charles de Gaulle, French Consulate, French Embassy Cultural Department and the London Oratory on the borders with diminutive Knightsbridge.