KNIGHTSBRIDGE

'Knightsbridge' is a street, running along the south side of Hyde Park, west from Hyde Park Corner, in the City of Westminster, to Rutland Gate, where the street becomes Kensington Road. The name is also applied to Knightsbridge station and the district around it. They all lie to the west of central London. To Brompton Road, the street forms apart of the A4 arterial road, beyond it become the A315. The area is notable for its cultural, educational institutions and financial wealth.

Contents

History

Culture

Economy

Property

Education

Residents

Transport and locale

Nearest places

Nearest tube stations

Others

References

External links

History

Knightsbridge was named after a crossing of the River Westbourne, which is now a underground river. It comes above ground at Sloane Square tube station, where it is enclosed and suspended in a large green pipe above the platforms, on its way to the Thames. It is recorded that the citizens of London met Queen Matilda at the Knight's Bridge in 1141. For centuries the area was renowned as the haunt of highwaymen, robbers and cut throats targeting travellers on the western route out of London. The fortunes of Knightsbridge were transformed in the 19th century.
The area has in the past been a target for high-profile crime. In 1980, the Iranian Embassy siege took place in Knightsbridge, lasting several days. It ended when the Special Air Service stormed the building. In 1983, three Christmas shoppers and three Police officers, evacuating the store, were killed by an IRA car-bomb placed outside Harrods^[1]. In 1987, the Knightsbridge Security Deposit centre was the target of a robbery and the thieves left with a hoard worth £60 million.
To the north of the area, is the Hyde Park Barracks of the Household Cavalry, with a distinctive 33 storey tower by Sir Basil Spence. The Royalty and Diplomatic Protection Department is based in Walton Street near Harrods.

Culture

Cadogan Hall presents concerts of classical and popular music in Sloane Street. The Royal Albert Hall is a large venue for music and sports events. The are a number of fine art auctioneers located in Knightsbridge including Bonhams, together with many smaller boutiques.
To the north of the district, in Hyde Park, is the Serpentine Gallery, and at Hyde Park Corner is ''Number One, London'', former London residence of the Duke of Wellington.
Nearby are the Royal Court Theatre in Sloane Square, and in South Kensington, the Ismaili Centre built by British architect Sir Hugh Casson, together with the Victoria and Albert Museum, Natural History Museum and Science Museums.
Prince's Club was a sports club based in two separate locations in Knightsbridge between 1853 and 1940, and was home to the sports of rackets, squash and badminton. They have subsequently moved down the road to Queen's Club in Kensington.

Economy

Knightsbridge is home to many expensive shops, including the department stores Harrods, Peter Jones and Harvey Nichols. Knightsbridge is noted as the home of flagship stores for many fashion brands. The renowned London- based shoe designers Jimmy Choo and Manolo Blahnik, are based here. There are two Chanel stores in the area, alongside banks for high net worth individuals, including Coutts - bankers to the Queen.

Property

Knightsbridge is home to many of The World's Richest People. Knightsbridge has some of the highest property prices in the world. 14 out of the top 200 most expensive streets in Britain are in the postcode SW1X or SW1Y (Source: The Times, 2007). Knightsbridge is leafy, especially so considering its location at the heart of London, with houses and apartment buildings situated around large private gardens. It is also adjacent to Inner London's largest public park, Hyde Park. In 2006, a four bedroomed apartment in Knightsbridge sold for over £25,000,000, and car parking spaces in the Harrods residential development in Hans Crescent sell for £300,000 on a 94 year lease. In February 2007, the world's most expensive apartment at ''One Hyde Park'', sold off plan for £100,000,000, and has been bought by a Qatari Prince.^[2] The development is valued in excess of £4,000 per square foot.
Knightsbridge is mostly made up of strictly controlled Conservation Areas and development land is difficult to find. Most properties offered by developers are refurbished flats and houses. Many of these now have huge basement extensions, accommodating an eclectic range of facilities.
The principle landowners in the area are the Duke of Westminster and Earl Cadogan.
The two areas of aristocratic landholdings can be distinguished visually, as the red brick Queen Anne Revival buildings are mostly to be found on the Cadogan Estates, whereas white stucco fronted houses are mostly found on the Grosvenor Estate, built by Thomas Cubitt. ^[3]
The most sought-after prime addresses are the garden squares closest to Harrods, which serves as corner shop to many of the world's billionaires and celebrities. The store's famous liveried footmen are regularly seen delivering purchases to the area's local residents. Popular addresses are Belgrave Square, Egerton Place, Cadogan Square, Lennox Gardens and Hans Place, which is located next to Harrods.
Derek Quinlan's private equity fund, Quinlan Private purchased 3.4 acres of prime retail commercial property from BP Pension Fund in 2005. ^[4] This estate stretches along Knightsbridge from Harrods to Harvey Nichols. It is understood that this part of Knightsbridge, which includes some of the world's most expensive retail properties, will shortly be subject to substantial re-development.

Education

There are a number of independent Pre-Preparatory and Preparatory Schools in Knightsbridge, including three with Royal connections - Hill House School in Hans Place, where both the Prince of Wales and the singer Lily Allen received their first education, Francis Holland School which Princess Diana attended for a time after the divorce of her parents, and Knightsbridge School in Lennox Gardens, where the headmaster was formerly Equerry to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. The Lycee Francais Charles de Gaulle caters for the educational needs of London's sizable French community, many based in the local area. Some of Britain's leading degree courses for science-related subjects can be found at Imperial College which borders the district.

Residents

Knightsbridge has many notable residents. This includes Roman Abramovich, oligarchs from Russia, China and India, international businessman Lord Marshall of Knightsbridge, Saudi and several other Middle Eastern Royal Dynasties, American investment bankers and hedge fund managers such as John Duffield of New Star Asset Management. There are also trend-setters like Charles Saatchi and famed fashion designers Valentino and Tom Ford of Gucci.
Residents from the world of entertainment include Sir David Frost, Neil Simon and Nigella Lawson, film stars such as Hugh Grant and Joan Collins.
A number of high profile people were raised in the area including Princess Diana, Sienna Miller, Amanda de Cadenet, and Ian Fleming, creator of James Bond.

Transport and locale

Nearest places

★ Belgravia

★ Chelsea

★ South Kensington

★ Mayfair

★ Hyde Park

Nearest tube stations

★ Knightsbridge tube station

★ Hyde Park Corner tube station

★ and formerly Brompton Road tube station(closed)

Others

★ Royal Thames Yacht Club, 60 Knightsbridge

★ St Columba's Church of Scotland, Pont Street

★ Caledonian Club

References

1. ''Bomb unauthorised says IRA'' The Guardian 19 December 1983
2. ''Sheikh shells out £100m for London’s most expensive flat'' ''The Times'' March 28, 2007 accessed 11 June 2007
3. ''Settlement and building: From 1865 to 1900'', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 12: Chelsea (2004), pp. 66-78 accessed: 11 June 2007
4. [1] ''Irish Examiner'' 22 April 2005, accessed 11 Jun 2007

External links

★ The Knightsbridge Association