Explore Kensington, London During the Queen’s 2012 Diamond Jubilee

Greater London is divided into 32 boroughs, two of which are “royal”, due to the presence of a palace within their borders. Upscale Kensington and Chelsea is one, home to Kensington Palace, and the other is Kingston-upon-Thames, home to Hampton Court, famous as a retreat for Henry VIII. In further tribute during the 2012 Diamond Jubilee celebrations, HRH Queen Elizabeth II has bestowed a third royal borough designation upon Greenwich, home of the all-important Prime Meridian, to take effect February 3, 2012.

Kensington Palace
Sitting in prime position in Kensington Gardens, adjacent to Hyde Park, is Kensington Palace, a royal residence since the 17th century. The former home to Diana, Princess of Wales and to Princess Margaret, the next residents with a forward move-in date of 2013 are set to be the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Palace renovations are taking place through March 26, 2012, but the 18th century Orangery is open for traditional afternoon tea, sandwiches, scones, crumpets and champagne.

World-Class Museums
Among the famous Kensington sights are the museums of South Kensington. These include the Victoria and Albert, the Natural History Museum with its Darwin Wing extension and the Science Museum, all located along Cromwell Road where it meets the Brompton Road near the corner of Exhibition Road, just south of the park and near the Royal Albert Hall and the Albert Memorial Statue. A V&A photographic exhibition to mark the Diamond Jubilee is open February 8 through April 22, 2012.

Some Hidden Gems
The primary shopping street of Kensington, High Street translates as Main Street to Americans. Aside from the expected Marks & Spencer and other household shop names, there are a handful of unexpected delights. St. Mary Abbots Parish Church is a gothic-style gem from 1872 boasting London’s tallest spire located at the corner of the High Street and Kensington Church Street. Here a Choral Evensong service takes place at 6:00 p.m. on February 6, 2012, to mark Accession Day of 60 years ago, as the first event of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

A block away to the east is Kensington Palace Gardens, a pedestrian-only zone also known alternatively as Embassy Row and Billionaire’s Row, with some of the world’s highest priced real estate averaging £19.5 million (about $30 million), where one mansion famously sold recently for over £100 million.

A block behind Whole Foods on Kensington High Street is Kensington Square, London’s oldest private residential square, which dates from 1685. Look for the historic blue plaques mounted at house numbers 17, 18, 40 and 41, indicating former notable residents, including the 19th century philosopher John Stuart Mill, who lived at 18 Kensington Square.

Up the hill off the High Street, tucked among Kensington’s residences are the 1866 Frederick Leighton House Museum, quirky home studio of artist Lord Leighton, at 12 Holland Park and the Linley Sambourne House, a preserved Victorian home, at 18 Stafford Terrace. Both are open to the public and the former can be reached via a leisurely walk through stunning Holland Park, complete with roaming peacocks.

A Hunt for Two Milestones
Two historic milestone markers are nestled into the walls that delineate or border the Royal Borough. A large concrete one is attached to the walls of the Royal Geographical Society in Kensington Gore across from the park, dates from 1911 and pinpoints one mile distance to Hyde Park Corner. The second is smaller, located a further half mile west by the wall of the pretty Milestone Hotel that faces Kensington Palace.


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