Front Cover: ‘AddisonAvenue-LateAutumnSun’paintedbyCliveWilson.FindoutmoreaboutKensington’slocalartistonpage57

Editor: EmmaJuhasz(emma.juhasz@ekit.com)

Designer: NickoDalton(www.nickodalton.net)

Printed by: KelsoGraphicsLLP,TheKnowes,KelsoTD57BH

The objects of the Society are to preserve and improve the

amenitiesofKensingtonforthepublicbenefitbystimulating

interestinitshistoryandrecords,promotinggoodarchitecture

and planning in its future development, and by protecting,

preservingandimprovingitsbuildings,openspacesandother

featuresofbeautyorhistoricinterest.

RegisteredCharityNo.267778

23 St James’s Gardens, London W11 4RE

www.kensingtonsociety.org

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

CHAIRMAN:AmandaFrame

VICECHAIRMAN:RobinPrice

HON.SECRETARY:LovedayWaymouth

HON.TREASURER&LICENSING:AnthonyLee

PLANNINGCHAIRMAN,ENVIRONMENT&TRANSPORT:MichaelBach

MEMBERSHIPSECRETARY:AngelaDarwinJP

EVENTS:GillFoley

GAMBLINGPOLICY:CharlesLutyens

K&CPARTNERSHIP:CeliaRees-Jenkins,OBE

GeorgeWightman

DianneGabitass

PATRON

HisRoyalHighnessTheDukeofGloucester,KG,GCVO

PRESIDENT

SirRonaldArculusKCMG,KCVO

VICE-PRESIDENTS

TheRt.Hon.TheEarlofSnowdon,GCVO

GeneralTheLordRamsbothamofKensingtonGCB,CBE

BarnabusBrunner

PeterDeVereHunt

SusanLockhart

RobertMartin

RobertMeadows

MichaelMiddleton,CBE

HenryMorgan

GeorgePole

TheHon.LauraPonsonby

ArthurFarrandRadley,MBE

MartinStarkie

SirAngusStirling

MichaelWinner

COUNCIL

CONTENTS

FromthePresident................................................................. Page 4

AGM2008............................................................................. Page 7

Chairman’sReport.................................................................. Page 10

Obituaries............................................................................... Page 14

RestorationofLeightonHouseMuseumFEATURE................ Page 18

Planningin2008.................................................................... Page 24

HowNottingHillgotofftoaRacingStartFEATURE............. Page 30

NorthKensingtonEnvironmentProject.................................... Page 36

EnvironmentAwardScheme2008.......................................... Page 38

Kensington&ChelseaPartnership.......................................... Page 40

KensingtonSocietyPrize......................................................... Page 41

LegendsoftheBoroughFEATURE........................................ Page 42

ReportsfromLocalSocieties.................................................... Page 47

PortraitofaLocalArtistFEATURE........................................ Page 57

Events..................................................................................... Page 60

Licensingin2008.................................................................... Page 62

Casinosin2008...................................................................... Page 63

Accounts&Constitution......................................................... Page 64

Advertisements....................................................................... Page 66

BoundaryMap........................................................................ Page 76

� 5

FROMTHEPRESIDENT

UNFINIShED BUSINESS

The Council recently asked what kind of Kensington residents wanted to see

develop in future.Theyhavealsobeenconsulting

onsomespecificpolicyareas,namelyairquality,

noise, subterranean development, tall buildings

and the future of the Commonwealth Institute,

whichisaGradeII*listedbuilding.

It is easier to say what we do not want, than

to formulate wishes or expectations about the

future.ObviouslywewanttokeeptheKensington

of terraces, villas, squares andparks as intact as

possible, especially in our extensive conservation

areas and to steer new development and

refurbishmentinanacceptabledirection.

Thereare lessons tobedrawnfromtheexperienceofothers.Mywifeand Ihave

been lucky enough to live in some outstanding countries and cities which have

some interestingandrelevantaspects.Forexample, in Italymosttownsandmany

villageshavedefined‘historiccentres’,mainlytraffic-free.Inthesezonesalmostno

developmentisallowed,onlymaintenanceofwhatisthere.

Francehassomegoodexamplesofpedestrianisation.InParisitself,heightandother

restrictionshavepreserved thegrandsystemofwideboulevardsandurbanvistas,

andconfinedtallbuildingslargelytotheclusteratLaDéfense.IntheUnitedStates,

Washington D.C., a planned city layout, has height and other stylistic restrictions

whichpreservethehistoricareasandimportantnationalbuildings.InNewYork,old-

styleskyscrapersareinaclusterinLowerMidtownManhattan,thenglassbuildings

together in Midtown and now post-modern buildings beyond. Attractive rows of

brownstone houses have survived, as have parks. In Rome the historic centre is

preservedandpedestrianisedandnearly all traffic excluded. In this country a few

notable places have retained much of their character, at least in the centre, e.g.

Oxford,Cambridge,Bath,York,ChesterandCheltenham.

TurningnowtoourKensington,wedonotwantconspicuouslytallbuildings,norones

thatdonotfitinandclashwithlocalstyles(e.g.glasshousesorconcretefortresses).

Weresistexcessivedevelopmentwhichdoesnotrespecttheneighbourhood,orthe

neighbours themselves.

We want restriction

of nuisances, such as

excessive noise and

dust, damage to other

properties, prolonged

disruptionofourfootpaths

andstreets,obstructionby

skipsblockingparkingfor

longperiods.Themodern

tendency is to make

radicalalterationstoflats

or houses on change of

ownership.Itisnolonger

a case of just repainting

and minor changes. It is

noteasytoobtaincompensationfordamagescausedbydevelopers.Wesimplydo

notknowyettowhatextentdeepexcavationisharmfultowaterflowsanddrainage,

thoughthereisanecdotalevidenceofparchedorfloodedgardensasthecasemay

be,ofcrackingmasonryanddyingtrees.

Wearealsonot freeof traffic congestiondespitebeing in theWesternExtension

of the Congestion Charge Zone, though this is going to be changed in 2010, it

appears.InparticularwedonotwanttoseeourHighStreetwitherawaybecauseof

competitionfromthehugenewshoppingcentreattheoldWhiteCitysiteinaddition

tothegeneralrecession.Wewantourresidentialstreetsfreefromrowdyismdueto

street-drinkingwhichhasbeenencouragedbythenon-smokingrules.

Sir Ronald Arculus

Kensington high Street‘…wewanttokeeptheKensington

ofterraces,villas,squaresandparks

asintactaspossible…’

Phot

ogra

ph c

ourt

esy

of J

W R

oger

s

6 7

The foregoing are general considerations but there are many individual problems

outstandingattheyearend.SomeexamplesareHollandParkSchoolredevelopment,

plansforExhibitionRoad,SouthKensingtonStation,futureoftheCommonwealth

Institutebuilding,futureofthecongestionzone,errantcyclists,fastfoodeateninthe

street,chewinggum,consequencesoftheVicarageGatefailure,recyclingproblems,

undesirablechangesofuseofbuildingsandsoon…

AmandaFrameandherteamwillcertainlyhavetheirhandsfulldealingwithallthe

newproblemsthatwillarisein’09.TheygetthroughagreatdealofworkandIam

gratefultothemall.

Iwrite thisnecessarily at theendof the year coveredbyourAnnualReport.One

cannotforetellhoweventsmayevolveonthenationalandinternationalscene,and

whatnewproblemsmaycomeourway.Perhapssomeofthemoreambitiousandleast

desirableofdevelopmentswillneedtobepostponedorevencancelled!Meanwhile

letusallbethankfulforthemeritsandpleasuresoflifeinKensingtonandcontinue

todoourbittohelpmakeitliveable.

ANewYearwish…

thatarchitects,plannersanddeveloperswouldcomeforwardwithdesignsfor

modernbuildingswhichmanagetoembellishourtownratherthandefaceit.

Sir ronald arculuS

ANNUALGENERALMEETING2008

The 55th Annual General Meeting of The Kensington Society was held at the Kensington Close hotel on 9 April 2008.TheMayor,CllrAndrewDalton,opened

proceedings with rousing words in praise of the Society. He was followed by our

President,SirRonaldArculus,whowelcomedeveryone-theguests,membersand

therepresentativesofouraffiliatedlocalsocieties.

SirRonaldthenpresentedTheKensingtonSocietySchoolPrizes.Theentriesthisyear

fromYear10pupilsweresoevenlymatchedinexcellencethatthejudgeshaddecided

tosplitboththefirstprizeandthesecondprize.Thefirstprizewassharedbetween

CelesteCourtenayandAmilMeckinoftheLycéeFrançaisCharlesdeGaulle,whilethe

secondprizewassharedbetweenJuliaSidonoftheLycée,andElshadaiEjereofthe

SionManningSchool.RobinPricereportedthatsincetheExecutiveCommitteefelt

thatapauseisneededtodecideonthefuturedirectionofthecompetition,noprizes

wouldbeofferedfor2009.Thejudgeswerewarmlythankedfortheirwork.

The guest speaker was David Prout, Executive Director of Planning and Borough

Development.HistopicswereindeedplanningandBoroughdevelopment,subjects

ofintenseinteresttoourmembers,judgingbytheimpressivenumbersattendingthe

meetingandthekeenresponseandeagerquestioningafterhistalk.

‘�…wedonotwantconspicuouslytall

buildings,noronesthatdonotfitin

andclashwithlocalstyles…’

The Mayor: Cllr Andrew Dalton, Sir Ronald Arculus, Robin Price

All

pict

ures

cou

rtes

y of

J W

Rog

ers

8 9

MrProutbeganbysettingouttheCouncil’s

overarching aims: namely, to preserve the

best buildings in the Borough, to protect

andpromoteanappropriatemixofuses,to

create a legacy of top quality architecture

and to promote regeneration in the north

of the Borough. He briefly described his

teamandthescopeoftheiroperations,and

thenmovedontopresentandfuturepolicy

developments. He made his subject come

alivebyillustratingitwithexamplesof issues

andbuildingswithwhichmanyofusarefamiliar.Hispresentationwasfollowedby

questionsfrommembers,whoclearlywelcomedthechancetomeetMrProutandquiz

himclosely.SirRonaldthenthankedMrProutonbehalfofusall.Theaudiencewas

thoroughlyengagedbytheseissues,soimportanttoallwholiveintheBorough.

SirRonald,asPresident,presidedovertherestofthebusinessofthemeeting.The

minutesof theAGM2007were confirmedand theAnnual Report andAccounts

secondedandadopted.TheresignationofMrsCarolynStarren(EditoroftheAnnual

Report)wasreportedandregretted.AlltheotherexistingmembersoftheExecutive

Committeewerere-electedunopposed.

Robin Price, as Chairman, reported on

the highlights of the Society’s work

duringtheyear.Hespokebrieflyabout

the Royal Borough’s Commission on

Retail Conservation, the future of the

Commonwealth Institute, Exhibition

Road and the traffic gyratory system

around South Kensington Station,

Heathrow expansion, the Mayor of

London’s powers, Notting Hill Gate

refurbishment,theStCharles’sHospital

site,andtheVicarageGateCareHome.

All these issues would continue to be

addressedbytheSociety.

Amanda Frame, Chairman of the Planning

Committee, followed with an analysis of

the potential threats that stem from the

Government’s intentiontochangeplanning

lawsand theSociety’s current andplanned

actions to mitigate or prevent any adverse

effectonKensington.

GillFoley,EventsSecretary,outlinedtheevents

planned for the coming year. She thanked

everyonewhohadjoinedtheSocietyinthe

pastandencouragedallmemberstobringa

friendalongtooneofthefutureevents.

AnthonyLeereportedonlicensingissues.Heoutlinedthemainpracticaleffectsof

the2003Actandwhatresidentscandotocounternoiseandnuisancefromlicensed

premises.Hestressedthatresidentsarenotpowerlessandthataconcertedeffortby

neighbourslivingwithin100metrescanbringbeneficialchange.

ThemeetingwasclosedbySirRonaldArculusat8.30pm.

loVEdaY WaYMouTH

Amanda Frame, Chairman of the Planning Committee

Mr Prout, Guest Speaker

Robin Price, Chairman

10 11

CHAIRMAN’SREPORT

i write this report for the first time as Chairman.IntheMayExecutiveCommittee

meetingRobinPriceretiredasChairmanafter

seven fantastic years of leadership. Robin

was subsequently elected Vice-Chairman

and,fortunatelyforme,continuestooffer

his advice and guidance in all matters.

Michael Bach became the Chairman of

Planning whilst continuing his role with

environmentalandtransportissues.Icannot

expresshowfortunatetheSocietyistohave

someonesoknowledgeableandprofessional

toaddress themassivelycomplexplanning

issuesbeforeus.

Within thisReport isRobinPrice’sobituaryofEthneRudd.Wemisshergreatly in

theExecutiveCommitteemeetingsandwewereallshockedandsaddenedbyher

unexpecteddeath.

GillFoley,asEventsSecretary,organisedseveralwonderfultoursin2008,includinga

memorablevisittotheGovernment’sArtCollection.ThetourofDavidLinley’sstudio

inmid-Marchissold-out;however,thereisstillavailabilityontripstoEtonCollege

andSavillGardeninMayandFulhamPalaceinJuly.Thefullprogrammeiswithinthe

Report.Wedohopeyoucanjoinusononeofthesefunandinformativetrips.

MichaelBach’sreportoutlinesthemanyissueswehavefacedontheplanningfront.

Therehavebeenover3,500planningapplicationsthisyearinKensingtonandChelsea,

with the lion’s share in Kensington. Applications for subterranean developments

continueandtheyconcernusall.Thechangeofuseofcommercialofficesandflats

tolargesingle-familyhousespromisesafutureofaluxurybedroomcommunity.The

quantityofmajorplanningapplicationshasincreased.Ontopofallthistherehave

beenthemultipleconsultationsondraftSupplementaryPlanningDocumentsandthe

LocalDevelopmentFramework(LDF).

YourSocietyhas commentedon the consultationdocument“Heathrow–Adding

Capacity” in February. We sent out an email alert to all members whose email

addresswehave,askingforyourparticipation.Wehavealsoactivelylobbiedthenew

MayorofLondonandourMPagainstthisunnecessary,unacceptableandpotentially

environmentally-damaginganddangerousexpansion.

The Council’s Commission on Retail Conservation reported in May 2007: of its

5� recommendations, all but nine were supported by the Council. Many will be

incorporated into the LDF and its supporting documents. The Council has finally

appointed its Town Centre Initiatives Manager. Robin Price, as one of the Retail

Commissioners,alongwithMichaelBach,continuestomeetwithCouncilofficersto

ensurethattheCommission’srecommendationsarefullydischarged.Theretention

andenhancementofretailmixremainsanimportantitemonTheSociety’sagenda,

particularlyinrelationtovulnerableareassuchasPortobelloRoad,GolborneRoad,

KensingtonHighStreetandBromptonRoad.

We were delighted to be invited to comment on the draft design proposals for

Kensington Palace. The proposal is to modify the east front in order therefore to

makeitmorevisibleandaccessibletothegeneralpublic.Thisalsohasthefortunate

Amanda Frame

The Society is actively lobbying against heathrow’s expansion

12 13

doublepurposeofreturningthePalacetowardsitsoriginalappearance.Wehopeto

beinvolvedinthecontinuingconsultationprocess.

On12December thePlanning Inspector - followingseveralpublic inquiriesbefore

PlanningInspectorsandtogetherwithCourtaction-finallyruledontheappealbythe

luxuryhousingdeveloper,Northacre,forthechangeofuseofVicarageGateHome,

inVicarageGateHouse, to luxuryhousing.Theappealagainst refusalofplanning

consentwasallowed.TheSocietyhasconsistentlysupportedtheCouncilandlocal

residents in their view that the site should be retained for social and community

use (i.e. for care home use). Councillor Christopher Buckmaster (withRobin Price

representingtheSociety)ledtheoppositiontogetherwiththeCouncil’sQC.Intheend

theInspectorruledthattheUDPdidnotsupporttherefusalandthattheprovisionof

tenaffordablehousingunits,alongwiththepaymentof£2millionbythedevelopers,

wouldoffset the lossof thecarehome.However, the judgementbythe Inspector

raisedsomekey issueswhichcalled intoquestionfundamentalclausesoftheUDP

andtheCouncilhasdecidedtorefertheInspector’srulingtotheHighCourt.Thusthe

issueremainsopen.

Ihopethatallofyoureceivedournewlyformattednewsletter inOctober.Weare

pleasedwiththepositiveresponse.EmmaJuhaszhassteppedinasourneweditorof

theAnnualReport.Iamsureallofyouwillagreethattheupdatedlookonrecycled

paperisfantastic.

EveryyeartheChairman’sreportendswiththepleafornewmembers.Ourmembership

hasincreasedovertheyearasmoreresidentshavebecomeawareofthesupportwe

canofferonplanningmatters.However,at theJulyExecutiveCommitteemeeting

anincreaseto£15fortheindividualmembershipwasagreed.Thesubscriptionhad

notchangedinover20yearsandwiththerisingcostofprintingandstamps,and

ourincreasingactivity,thishadbecomenecessary.Aseparatenotificationwithinthe

newsletteraskedmemberstochangetheirBanker’sOrdertotheSociety,orbetter

still,takeoutaDirectDebit.Mayweaskmemberstobesurethattheydoso.

I wish to end my first Chairman’s report with a note of thanks to the Executive

Committee.Thebi-monthlymeetingsarealwayswellattendedandlively.Wemove

intothechallengesof2009ingoodspirit.

aManda FraME Chairman

‘�…Therehavebeenover3,500planning

applicationsthisyearinKensington

andChelsea,withthelion’ssharein

Kensington.…’

Portobello Market: Retail mix remains an important issue for The Society

Pict

ure

cour

tesy

of

RBK

C P

ress

Off

ice

1� 15

OBITUARIES

All through 2008 her many friends and neighbours hoped Belinda would make her century and when she did so, it was amid general rejoicing. Properly known

asMrsEdwardNormanButler,shewasBelindatoallofus.

WewereallgreatlysaddenedbyherdeathonBoxingDay,

but she would, I am sure, want us to remember her for

her achievements and to follow her example in actively

supportingsomanygoodcauses.

Herownlistofchairmanshipsandcommitteeswaslengthy,

but like many high achievers she somehow found the

time for them all. She was proud of being Thackeray’s

great-granddaughter and of her other family connections

intheworldofculture.Onhermother’sside,shewasset

anexamplebyCharlesBoothof theBoothShippingLine,

whousedhiswealthinthealleviationofpovertyandshewroteofthisinherbook

Victorian Aspirations.Shehadaverystrongsocialconscience.

Belindahadavariedtimeinherearlyyears,livinginChelsea,WareandBrusselsand,

aftermarriage,Kensington.ShefirstmetEdwardatCambridge,thenagaininHenley

andtheyweremarriedin1931atStMartin-in-the-Fields,London.WhenEdwardwentoff

totheWar,BelindamovedtoCambridgewhereherdaughter,Catherine,wasborn.

It was after the War that Belinda spotted the house on St Alban’s Grove in a

dilapidatedstate.ShejoinedEdwardinbelongingtotheGeorgianGroupandbecame

anearlymemberofTheKensingtonSociety;shejoinedinthestrugglesindefenceof

KensingtonSquareandHollandHouse.

In1958,shehelpedFrankPakenhamsetuptheNewBridge,anorganisationtohelp

ex-prisonersfindwork.

Sadlyin1963Edwarddied,agedonly56.Belindaplungedintomanyactivitiestohelp

herovercometheshockofherearlyloss.ShesucceededEdwardintheKensington

Housing Trust and in the Nightingale Trust (nurses). She was an active member

of Campden charities; she became a governor of several schools and of the Arts

EducationalTrust.ShewasalsooneoftheselectorsofcandidatesfortheVoluntary

ServiceOverseas(VSO).

Ihaveleftmusicuntilthelastbecauseitwasalife-longinterest,andperhapsherbest

andmost lastingachievement.Hernanny introducedher tomusicatanearlyage

and,alongwithhertwosisters,shesanginthechoirofStMartin-in-the-Fields.Then

sheattendedandstudiedmusicatMrsIronside’sSchool,afterwhichshewenttothe

ConservatoireinBrusselsandin1920totheRoyalCollegeofMusic(RCM),where

shestudiedpianoandviola-oneofhertutorswasRalphVaughanWilliams.Later

shesangformanyyearsintheBachChoir.ShealsobecameagovernorofthePurcell

SchoolofMusicandorganisedconcerts. In1969, shebeganhermajorprojectof

settingupmusicscholarshipsintheEnglishSpeakingUnion(ESU).Thiswaslaunched

at Tanglewood Music Centre in Massachusetts, the summer school of the Boston

SymphonyOrchestra,andin1975NigelKennedywasthefirstpersontobeselected

forthescholarship.

IhadsomeexperienceofherworkwhenIattendedmeetingstoorganiseamajor

fundraising event to benefit the ESU scheme. Belinda was a persuasive chairman

andcarriedothersalongwithherthroughherownenthusiasm,ratherthanbymore

forcefulbutlesseffectivetactics;sheachievedresults.Shealwaysnourishedherlove

ofmusicandremainedclosetotheRCMandthePurcellSchool.Inlateryears,she

wasa familiarfigure in theaudienceat localmusicalevents, includingconcertsat

Christ’sChurch,VictoriaRoadwhereshewasaregularworshipper.

OurmostabidingmemoryofBelindawillperhapsbeofherlastoccasionwhenwe

calledonherforteaathome.Shetookusintothediningroomandshowedusthe

variousitemsofThackeraymemorabiliathatshehadcarefullypreservedandtoldus

whereeachonewouldeventuallygoinordertoensuretheirsurvivalinappropriate

places.Overtea,welookedoutoverthegardenwhichshehadlovinglycreatedand

hadshownofftovisitorswhentheflowerswereattheirbest.

We all have our own ways of remembering her lively personality and varied

achievements.TheKensingtonSocietywasparticularlygratefultoherforhersupport

overtheyearsandforsharingherin-depthknowledgeofKensington.Ireferredin

arecentAnnualReportofhergreatsenseofhistoryandphenomenalmemory.On

behalfofallourmembers,Iexpressourdeepsympathytothefamilyintheirlossofa

trulyremarkablemotherandgrandmother;andourmostsinceregratitudeforallshe

didfortheKensingtonsheloved.Personally,Iwouldliketoaddthanksforthefine

exampleshegaveusofhowtogrowoldgracefully.

Sir ronald arculuS

BELINDA NORMAN BUTLER (1908–2008)

16 17

privateministerialmeetingwithChrisSmith,thethenSecretaryofState-thetidewas

eventually turned. TheGovernment tacitly acknowledged itsmistake, by diverting

themainproject toHyde Park. The existing children’s playground to thenorthof

thePalacewasenhancedandenlargedandaDianamemorialwalkwaywascreated.

Throughout,TheKensingtonSocietyhadinsistedthatitsoppositionwastothesite,

not toamemorial inprinciple.ThroughEthne’senergyanddetermination,Robert

Vigar’s able chairmanship of the public meetings, and the skilful and diplomatic

representationbySirRonaldArculus,anacceptablebalancehadbeenreached.

Ethnewasenormousfuntoworkwith.Ifsometimesunpredictable,butthatwaspart

oftheadventureofknowingher,anditwascertainlypartofhercreativity.Shewas

warm,cheerful,friendlyandpractical,withasplendidsenseofhumour;andinher

own inimitable,generousandcheerfullydeterminedway, a tremendous successor

totheformidableGayChristiansen.Aboveall,EthnewasprofoundlyChristianand

indeedashininglighttousall.Shewasunique.Wesharedinherenergy.Weareall

gratefultohaveknownher.Wemissherhugely.

robin PricE

The Kensington Society regrets to announce the deaths of the following members during the last year:

Mrs h C Gilbert HerhusbandwasaLifemembersince1972andshetookoverhismembershipwhenhedied.

Miss M Turner Amembersince1999

R Wurtzburg Esq Amembersince1991andhiswidowhastakenoverhismembership.

Dr A Dornhorst, FRCP Alifemembersince1983

Miss E F Penelope hawkes Amembersince1970

James T N MacNair Amembersince198�

h M Coutts-Trotter AlifemembersincetheSocietywasfoundedin195�

OBITUARIES

Ethne Rudd, honorary Secretary of the Society 1995-2007, died peacefully on 6 July 2008, surrounded by her family.

BorninKensington,thethirdoffivegirls,

EthnewaseducatedatQueen’sGate in

Kensington,CheltenhamLadies’College

andStAnne’sCollegeOxford-whereshe

met her future husband, Anthony. For

25 years she was a London magistrate

-where shewaschairman in theAdult

and Family Courts, and of the Betting

andGamingTribunal.Shewasanactive

memberofStMaryAbbotsandaleading

memberof itsparochialchurchcouncil.

Along with her husband, she edited,

re-organisedandenlarged theexcellent

parishmagazine.Trulya‘Kensingtonian’,

sheevenhadadogcalledKensington-

‘Kensie’forshort–whoalmostbecame

theSociety’smascot.Sheevenensured,

withcharacteristicdeterminationthathermuch-lovedfamilyoffourchildrenand12

grandchildren,endeduplivingwithinhalfamileofeachotherinKensington.

Asourever-cheerful,ebullientandactiveHonorarySecretaryfor13years,shewas

very much the public face of The Kensington Society - a role which she created,

fulfilled,andhugelyenjoyed.

Shewasagiver,andinherowndescription,adoer.Memberswillespeciallyrecallher

relentlesscampaignagainsttheGovernment’smisguidedproposalsin1997tocover

themuch-usedandmuch-lovedgreenspaces,facingthesouthfrontofKensington

Palacewitha£10million,27acregarden inmemoryofDiana,PrincessofWales.

Respondingtothealarmofresidents,Ethneorganised,whatbecameanoverflowing

andemphatic,publicmeetinginKensingtonTownHall–over1,000peopleattended

themeetinginJune1998,undeterredbytorrentialrainandatubestrike.Byfurther

campaigningandbyenlistingtheaidofKensington’sMP,AlanClark-whoarrangeda

EThNE RUDD (1929–2008)

Ethne and Kensie

Cou

rtes

y of

Tim

es N

ewsp

aper

Ltd

18 19

Frederic Leighton (1830-1896) was the only person to live in the house that he built on holland Park Road. He was involved at every

stage of its construction and it was completed

in the late 1860s, but the house continued to

evolve throughout the thirtyyears thatLeighton

was in residence. At the time of his death in

1896,his ‘PrivatePalaceofArt’wasoneof the

mostextraordinaryhouses in London,notonly for its architectural anddecorative

character,butalsofortherangeandqualityofthefineanddecorativeartcollections

thatfilledit.Thegreattragedyofthehouseremainsthesaleanddisbursementof

thesecontentsatChristie’sinthesummerfollowingLeighton’sdeath.Inanumber

of instances, thehousehadbeen specificallydesigned todisplay certainworksof

art, thecollectionandhousefusingtogethertoformanaestheticwhole.The loss

ofthecontentsresultedinthelossofthisconnection.Leighton’soriginaldecorative

schemesgraduallyerodedandweretotallyremovedduringrepairsandredecorations

madeinthe1950s,followingsubstantialbombdamageinWWII.Onlysincetheearly

1980shasthereinstatementofLeighton’soriginaldecorationgatheredpaceandthe

characteroftheinteriorsre-established.

However,researchcompletedforanewguidebooktothehousein2005,confirmed

thatinmanyareasthecurrentpresentationwasreallyonlyanapproximationofhow

theinteriorshadoriginallybeenpresented.Muchcouldbedonetorecreatethehouse’s

formerspectacularappearance.Originalreportsinspecialistarchitecturaljournalsand

the general press of the time have been an invaluable source. Their articles were

almostakintothefeatureswemightreadtodayinHellomagazine,astheywould

At the end of October 2008, Leighton house Museum closed for a period of 12 months restoration and refurbishment.Theprojectistheresultofasurveyofthebuildingcarriedoutin2006,whichrecognisedthattheelectricalwiringthroughoutthehousewasinneedofrenewal,aswerethefireandintruderdetectionsystems.Theantiquatedheatingsystemwasalsoidentifiedascreatinganunsuitableenvironmentforpaintings.Whilethesepracticalconsiderationswilltakeupthebulkoftheproject’scostsandcomplexities,thereisalsoauniqueopportunitytoreturnthehousetoanewlevelofauthenticity.

THERESTORATIONOFLEIGHTONHOUSEMUSEUM

FEATURE

‘�Atthetimeofhisdeathin1896,his

‘PrivatePalaceofArt’wasoneofthe

mostextraordinaryhousesinLondon…’

All

pict

ures

Cou

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y of

Lei

ghto

n H

ouse

Mus

eum

20 21

The result has been to confirm that the decoration in the house was even more

extraordinary.Accordingtocontemporaryarticles,thefloorboardsinthediningroom

anddrawingroomwerepaintedredandbluerespectively.Noobvioustracesurvived

butwhensomeoftheboardswereliftedineachroom,pigmentwasstillvisiblewhere

ithadrundownthesides.Severalotherdescriptionsdrewparticularattentiontothe

domeof theArabHall.Themostspectacular interior in thehouse, thedomewas

coveredoriginally ingold leaf,whichwas illuminatedby sunlight coming through

themanycolouredglasswindowssetintoit.Post-warre-paintingcoveredoverthe

gilding,losingthisstunningeffect.Someofthegildinghasbeenrediscovered,but

inaverypoorcondition,sothedomewillnowbere-gildedasthecentrepieceofthe

restorationproject.

includealightinterviewwiththe

owner of the house, together

withdetaileddescriptionsoftheir

home, supported by carefully

posedphotographs.While these

articlesoftenprovidesurprisingly

detailed information on each

roomand itsdecor,theproblem

is in how they describe colour.

At thebestof times, colour is a

notoriouslysubjectivecommodity

andthepassageoftimedoesn’thelpinhowweinterpretandcharacteriseitnow.For

example,thecolourofthelargescreeninLeighton’sstudioisdescribedinjustasingle

source,asbeinga ‘peculiarblue’–nota reference likely toappearonastandard

colour-chart!Thesilkroomwaslinedin‘awarm,fadedleaf-greensilk’,thedining

roomin‘cigar-tintedcloth’.Whiletheseprovidecruciallyimportantinformation,itis

farfromdefinitiveandeachcouldbeinterpretedtoachieveverydifferentresults.The

manyphotographsoftheinteriors

are,ofcourse,allinblackandwhite

anddonothelpclarifymatters.

Inordertotakeourunderstanding

further,therefore,we’veemployed

anarchitecturalpaintspecialist.The

scienceandsophisticationofpaint

analysis has grown enormously,

even since the early 1980s when

therestorationofthehousebegan.

Whereoncepaintworkmighthave

beenscratchedatandthe‘original’

colour identified beneath; today

samples are taken, then analysed

microscopicallytoworkoutthecomplexitiesofthevarious layersofprimingcoats

andfinishesbeneath.Manyareasofthehousehavebeensampledinordertotest

someoftheroomdescriptionsandinsomeinstancestore-visitsomeofthedecisions

madeinthe1980srestorations.

‘��…whenLeightonHousereopenstothe

publicattheendof2009,itwilllookcloser

tohowLeightonhimselfleftitthanatany

pointinthelasthundredyears…’

Arab hall, 1890

Silk Room, 1890

The dome in the Arab hall

22 23

Whiletheoriginalfurnishingsforthehousewereallsoldanddispersed.Someselective

re-furnishingofthehousewillalsobeundertaken.Inaddition,theinteriorsarealso

goingtobeenhancedbytheintroductionofnewsoftfurnishingsthroughout.Based

ondetailedanalysisoftheoriginalphotographs,inmanyinstancesthetypeoftextiles

andeventhepatternedfabricscanbeidentified.Allthiswillgoalongwaytosoftening

thepresentationofthehouseasamuseumandenhancingitsdomesticcharacter.

Ifallgoestoplan,whenLeightonHousereopenstothepublicattheendof2009,it

willlookclosertohowLeightonhimselfleftit,thanatanypointinthelasthundred

years-oncemorebecomingoneofthemostspectacularinteriorsinLondon.

daniEl robbinS SeniorCurator,LeightonHouseMuseum

Leighton’slibraryonthegroundfloor,builtaspartoftheextensionof1877-1880,

wasthelastoftheinteriorstoberestoredinthelate1980s:reinstatingaterracotta

schemewithayellowceiling.Revisitingtheanalysisofthisroom,hasrevealedthat

predating the terracotta was a sage-green. An article on the house, published in

theAustraliandailynewspaper,The Argus in1883,confirmedthatthe libraryhad

beena‘sobersage-green’.Intheabsenceofanyindicationofthisbeingchangedin

Leighton’slifetime,thisistheschemethatwillbereintroduced.Inthediningroom,the

largeredceilingbeamswereredecoratedintheearly1980s.Newarchitecturalpaint

analysishasconfirmedthatthecurrentcolour isaperfectmatchtotheundercoat

colouroftheoriginalschemeandnotthefinishcolour!

The servants’ staircase has always been in use by the museum staff, but not the

public.Wehopetochangethis,astheyarepartoftheoriginalhistoricfabricofthe

buildingandhelpusunderstandhowitfunctioned.Notonlyweretheyfrequentedby

servants,butbythemodelswhoposedforLeightoninhisstudio.Ratherthanbeing

paintedinadullpracticalbrown,analysishasfoundthatthestaircasewaspaintedin

astrikingPrussianblue.

Plans and drawings of Leighton house extension, Building News, 1880

‘��Newarchitecturalpaintanalysishas

confirmedthatthecurrentcolour

isaperfectmatchtotheundercoat

colouroftheoriginalschemeand

notthefinishcolour!’

2� 25

TheissueofsubterraneandevelopmenthasbeenaconcernoftheSocietyforthelast

twoyears.WeweredisappointedbytheArupreport,largelybecausetheycouldonly

adviseonengineeringandgeologicalissuesanddidnotdealwiththewiderplanning

considerations.TheCouncil’sdraftSPDdoescoverwiderissues,butthewholeissue

hasbeenobfuscatedby theuncertaintycreatedby theGovernmentwidening the

rangeofdevelopmentsthatdonotrequireplanningconsent.Whereaspreviouslyall

undergrounddevelopment, includingextensions,requiredconsent,somemaynow

notneedconsent.Ratherthanmakethingssimpler,theissueisnowmorecomplex.

London Plan: Following the election of a new Mayor of London, Boris Johnson,

inMay,hehasconsultedonproposalstorevisetheLondonPlan.Issuesthataffect

Kensington include affordable housing, density and tall buildings, which we will

monitorclosely.

This has been a very busy year.Notonlyhasthetherebeenaverylargenumberof

planningapplicationstoreview,buttherehavebeenanumberofmajorconsultations,

majorapplicationsandsignificantissuesthatwehavehadtoaddress.

CONSULTATIONS Local Development Framework (LDF):TheCouncilhasbeenpreparing itsnew-

styledevelopmentplanandhashadtwomajorconsultationexercisesduringtheyear:

anInterimIssuesandOptionsreportinFebruaryandinJulyontheCoreStrategyand

NorthKensingtonPlan.Thisamountstoarethinkingabouthowwewantthingsto

developandwherewewanttogettooverthenexttenyears.TheSocietymadeafull

responsetobothofthesedocuments.WhilewelcomingtheCouncilspellingoutthe

visionandstrategyforplanningforthefuture,wewereconcernedaboutthescaleof

changeproposedinNorthKensington.

Supplementary Planning Documents:TosupporttheexistingUDPandtheemerging

LDF, the Council has produced a number of supplementary planning documents

(SPDs)onTransport,SubterraneanDevelopment,TallBuildings,theCommonwealth

Institute,NoiseandAirQuality.Wehavecommentedonallofthese.

The Society is concerned about the

SPD on tall buildings because, even

though much of the Borough would

be protected from them because they

wouldberesistedinconservationareas,

there appears to be some enthusiasm

for creating ‘landmark’buildings at all

the ‘gateways’ to the Borough along

thewesternboundary.Thiswouldseem

to include not only the ‘Tesco Tower’,

but tallbuildings (watchtowers?)atall

theother‘gateways’.Thereseemstobe

apresumptionthatalandmarkbuilding

isneeded,andthatitneedstobetall.

PLANNINGIN2008

Underground work at The Boltons with loss of pedestrian access to the pavement

View of the holiday Inn from Victoria Road

26 27

expressedconcernshavebeenmade:thatthe

scheme should be conservation-led, that it

shouldretainthebuildingsinThurloeTerrace,

not includebuildingsthatwouldexceedthe

generalheightoftheareaandincludestep-

free access to the platforms, as an integral

partofthescheme,buttheyseemreluctant

to constrain their consultants’ ideas for the

site.Theysay,however,theyarelistening.

Natural history Museum: There has been

growingconcernabouttheincreaseduseof

thelawnsinfrontofthe(Grade-Ilisted)Natural

History Museum for erecting structures for

housing events. Few are directly associated

withtheMuseumandoftennotopentothe

public.LastyeartheEastLawnwasoccupied

fornearly90%oftheyearbystructuresbeing

erected,inuseorbeingbrokendown.Though

theSocietyunderstandstheMuseum’sdesire

toraisemoney,weandotherlocalgroupsare

concerned that these temporary uses have

become excessive and are damaging to the

settingoftheMuseum.

ISSUES:Flooding:FollowingthefloodinginJuly2007,wehavebecomeveryawareoftherisk

offlooding,notsomuchfromtheThames,butfromstormsewersthatcannotcope

withrapidrun-off.TheCounter’sCreeksewerthatrunsdownthewesternboundary

oftheBorough,causedparticularproblems,withmanypropertiesintheHollandand

Norlandwardshavingtheirbasementsflooded.SincethenThamesWaterhavebeen

unabletocommitthemselvesto increasingthecapacityofthestormsewerwithin

thenext15years,whichmeansthatthereisariskofflooding.Wehavesupported

localresidentsintheireffortstogetactionfromtheCounciland,throughourMP,Sir

MalcolmRifkind,tocompelThamesWatertotakeremedialaction.

MAJOR APPLICATIONS:Warwick Road sites:Atthebeginningof2008theCouncilissuedanewplanning

brief for fourof themajordevelopment sites alongWarwickRoadnorthofWest

CromwellRoad.Thebriefsoughttosecureacomprehensivedevelopment,including

openspaceandcommunityfacilities,aprimaryschool,andimprovementstoWarwick

Roaditself.However,thebriefencouragesveryhigh-densityschemes–higherthan

theirlocationwouldjustify–asthedevelopershavesoughttosqueezethemaximum

amountonthesites.Thebriefhassucceededingettingthedeveloperstoaddresssome

oftheissues,butonlyoneoftheschemessubmittedtodatehavebeenapproved.

100 West Cromwell Road (aka Tesco Tower):AfterbeingrejectedbytheCouncil

inJuly2007,hasbeenthesubjectofafurtherunsatisfactoryproposal.TheCouncil

hassoughttobreakthelogjambypreparingaplanningbriefforthissite.TheSociety

welcomesthisinitiative,butisconcernedthattheCouncilisstillproposingtoallow

the samedensityofdevelopmentas thepreviously rejected scheme, even though

itwouldbebuiltontopoftheexistingstructure–itwillstartfivefloorsupinthe

air.TheoptionsbeingofferedbytheCouncil

include the choice of towers 60m (197ft),

90m(295ft)or120m(39�ft)high–whenthe

lastschemethatwasrefusedwas93m(305ft)

high. The Society considers that the density

andheightshouldbereduced.

holland Park School:TheCouncil’sproposal

for a redevelopment involvingamuch taller

schoolbuildingandthedevelopmentof the

southern part of the site for high-income

markethousingwasapprovedbytheCouncil,

despite considerable local opposition. The

scheme may, however, experience problems

duetouncertaintyinthehousingmarket.

South Kensington Station:TransportforLondonhasrevivedthe ideaofamajor

newdevelopmentaboveSouthKensingtonStation.Anumberofthestationbuildings

have recently been listed, which should ensure a more sensitive development.

TfL have held several consultation meetings with residents, where some strongly-

View from the portico of the Natural history Museum

Existing holland Park School

South Kensington Station

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WeareconcernedthattheCouncilisdeciding

thesecontrarytotheirownpolicy.

Social and Community Uses: The Society

hasbeenveryconcernedalsoabouttheloss

ofbuildingsandsitesinhealthandeducation

usestomarkethousing,whentherearestill

unmetneeds for theseandothersocialand

communityuses.TheBoroughhaslostmany

suchsitesandbuildingsoverthelast20years,

which makes further losses very worrying.

WewerepleasedtoseethattheCouncilhas

developedanewapproachtothedisposalof

such sites, requiringowners todemonstrate

thatthepotentialforsocialandcommunityuseshasbeenexhaustedbeforetheyare

“lost”tohousing.ThisapproachwastakenintheplanningbriefforPrincessLouise

Hospital,butwehaveyettoseetheresult.

houses in Multiple Occupation:Bedsitshavetraditionallyprovidedoneofthefew

formsofaffordablehousingintheBorough,especiallyforpeopleworkinginsome

of the lower-paid sectors. Over the last few years the remaining stock has come

under pressure for conversion to large flats or single-family houses. Apart from a

significantlossofaffordablehousing,thelossoftheseunitshastobemadegoodby

buildingmorehousing.Weareconcernedthatthepressuresinthehousingmarket

areeliminatingthisusefulsourceofaffordablehousing.

Permitted Development: Finally, the Government, in an attempt to reduce the

amount of development requiring planning consent, has sought to “simplify”

planning:itnolongerrequiresapplicationsforcertaintypesofproposals,particularly

extensionstohouses.However,manyexistingcontrolswillremainforlistedbuildings

andthoseinconservationareas. Ifanything,thechangeshavecreateduncertainty

andamorecomplicatedratherthanasimplersystem.WehaveaskedtheCouncilto

providesomeguidancethatexplainshowthenewsystemwillworkinKensington.

MicHaEl bacH Chairman,Planning

South Kensington and Exhibition Road:The Council has redesigned the one-way

system around South Kensington Station,

which will remove the circuitous route for

drivers,redesignthespacetothesouthofthe

stationandgivepedestrianpriorityinThurloe

Place and the southern part of Exhibition

Road.Thisschemewillbecompletedbythe

endof2009.Inaddition,inpartnershipwith

WestminsterCityCouncilandtheMuseums,

the Council is promoting an innovative

streetscape scheme for Exhibition Road

whichwouldmakeExhibitionRoadnorthof

CromwellRoadasharedspace–aredesignedspacesharedbycarsandpedestrians.

TheSocietywelcomesboth theseprojectswhichwill createamuchmorecivilised

environmentforbothresidentsandthemillionsofvisitors.

Retail Commission: Kensington high Street v Westfield London:Followingthe

reportoftheCouncil’sRetailCommissionin2007,theSocietyhasmaintainedanactive

interestintheCouncil’seffortstotrytomanagethefutureofourshoppingcentres.

WeareparticularlypleasedthattheCouncilhascreatedanewposttopromotetown

centreinitiatives–oneofthekeyrecommendationsoftheCommission.Thisistimely,

giventheopeningofWestfieldLondonatWhiteCityattheendofOctober,whichis

expectedtotake10-15%ofKensingtonHighStreet’strade.

PCT healthcare in London:During2008NHSLondonconsultedonhowPrimary

Health Care could be delivered more efficiently, floating the idea of centralising

doctors in Polyclinics. In Kensington and Chelsea, St Charles Hospital has already

become the location for a Polyclinic; however it seems likely that this centralised

modelwillnotbeappropriatefortherestoftheBorough,wherehealthcentresare

beingconsideredasalesscentralisedsolution.

Small offices/large offices:TheSocietyisveryconcernedthatabout28,000sqm(over

300,000sqft)ofsmallofficeshavebeenconvertedtohousingsince2000,amounting

to the lossofabout2,500 jobs. Thehousingboomhas clearedawaymany small

offices.Meanwhile,theCouncilhasallowedlarge-scaleofficedevelopmentsinparts

oftheBoroughwithlowpublictransportaccessibility,suchastheFrestonRoadarea.

New design for Exhibition Road Large scale developments

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In 1933, E. Norman Butler, writing for Country Life, said that there were ‘few places of London as historically uninteresting as Notting hill’.Hegoesontodescribeitas,‘adingystreetofsecond-rateshopswhichcausesanirritatingbottle-neckonthewaytotheGreatWest’.NormanButlerdoesconcedethoughthatfrom1837to18�1,theareadidundergoaninterestingtransformation.Infact,thisperiodwasfundamentaltothearchitecturaldevelopmentoftheareaandevenheraldedoneoftheearliestexamplesofGardenTownPlanning.

WhenyouconsiderNottingHill’s imposinghousesand largegardens, it ishard to

believethattheyowetheirexistencetohorses.Intheearly19thCentury,NottingHill

used tobeapeacefulhamlet set in thecountryside,but in1837Mr JohnWhyte

ofBraceCottage,NottingHillacquired200acresofmeadowlandfromtheground

landlord,MrLadbroke,withtheintentionofbuildingaracecoursethatwasgrander

thanAscotorEpsom.Onthelandheconstructedanoval-shapedcourseoftwoand

aquartermiles,witha steeplechasecourseon theoutsideof the racecourse.The

landwastoppedbyNottingHill-onwhichnowstandsStJohn’sChurch,knownfor

alongtimeafterasTheHippodromeChurch–wherethepublicgatheredforviews

acrosstheracecourse.

HOWNOTTINGHILLGOTOFFTOARACINGSTART

All

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Sec

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HiPPodroME

(1837-1841)

It is recorded that only 13 meetings were staged with a total of 23 days’ racing

FEATURE

‘�WhenyouconsiderNottingHill’s

imposinghousesandlargegardens,

itishardtobelievethattheyowe

theirexistencetohorses.’

32 33

If local animosity was not enough to contend with, Whyte was also fighting the

elements. The racecourse’s foundationswere strong, clay soil andwhenever there

was heavy rain, the course turned into a bog. The publics’ carriages got stuck in

themudandtheracecoursebecametoodangerousforthehorsestoberiddenon.

Disgruntledpublicsworethey’dneverreturn,whileownersandjockeysalikerefused

torace.ItbecamealogisticalnightmareforWhytetoholdmeetingsandthroughout

TheHippodrome’sshorthistory(1837-18�1).Itisrecordedashavingstagedonly13

meetingswithatotalof23days’racing.

Theracecourseopenedon3June1837,withanattendanceofover13,000people

anditwasconsideredagreatsuccess-Sporting Magazinereportedatthetimethatit

was‘themostperfectracecourse’.However,allwasnotwell.Localshadvociferously

objected to the construction of the racecourse and in particular to it closing a

public footpath,whichwentover the topofNottingHill towardsPaddington.On

theopeningday,acrowdofangrylocalsarmedwithhatchetsandsawstoredown

thefenceswhichblockedthepathwayandstormedtheracecourse–providingfree

accesstothousands.

Whyteattemptedtopreservethedisputedpathwayforhisracecourseandheeven

resorted to putting up iron railings in place of the wooden fencing. However, he

couldnotignorethegrowingopposition.TheKensingtonparishioners,inparticular,

wereknownfortheirfierceresistance.Theycontinuallybrokeintothecourseandon

oneoccasiontheygottothetopofNottingHill,wheretheygavearallyingcryfor

theircause-threeresoundingcheersfortheParishofKensington!By1839,Whyte’s

acquisitionofthisdisputedlandwasbeingdebatedattheCourtoftheKing’sBench

andinParliament,sohegaveitupandenclosedothergroundinstead.

‘In and Out ‘, Engraving of the last steeplechase at The hippodrome by henry Alken

‘The First hurdle‘, Engraving of the last steeplechase at The hippodrome by henry Alken

‘��…thecoursewastactfullyrenamed

theVictoriaParkHippodrometo

complimentthenew,youngqueen.’

3� 35

Whytedideverythinghecouldtoplacatethegrowingdisquietabouttheracecourse.

He offered his dissenting local public free admission on Sundays, with a reduced

rateof2donsomeholidays.Howeverhisactionsonlywentfurther tohorrify the

locals, who were disgusted by his liberal desecration of the Sabbath. Opposition

was also growing in other areas, as concern was mounting about the increasing

numberofgamblinghouses,beer-housesandgin-shops intheareaandmanyfelt

thatTheHippodromewasresponsibleforbringing‘thescumandoffalofLondon…to

thepeacefulhamletofNottingHill’(Brownings Papers).Theodds,itseemed,were

stackingupagainstWhyte.

Thecoursehoweverdidbegintotriumph,as itbegantoattractelitemembersof

society. In 1839, various members of royalty attended the races: including Prince

FrederickoftheNetherlands,theDukeofCambridge,theMarquessofAngleseyand

theMarquessofWorcester.TheywereprobablyenticedtoattendaftertheGrand

DukeofRussiapresentedtheGoldCupatoneoftheraces,but inanyevent,the

course’s reputationdidseemtobegrowing.Thismusthavebeenagreat relief to

Whyte,asKingWilliamIVhaddiedsuddenlyjustafortnightafterthecourseopened

in1837andhehadfearedthatpeople,inparticularthenobility,wouldfeelitwas

inappropriatetogototheracesatthistimeofmourning.Thisdidnotseemtobe

thecase,buttoensuregoodwillwiththepublic,thecoursewastactfullyrenamed

VictoriaParkHippodrome,tocomplimentthenew,youngqueen.

In18�0 though, itwasapparent that therewerefinancialdifficulties. Ithadbeen

announcedatthebeginningofthatyear,that‘ProduceStakesof50sovereigns,with

1000 sovereignsby theproprietor’wouldbe run triennially.Withina year,Whyte

announcedhecouldn’taffordtodothisandkeepthelowadmissionprices–whichhe

subsequentlyraised.In18�1,asuccessfulsteeplechasewasrunon2June,famously

commemoratedinfourpaintingsbyHenryAlken(allpictured).

However, inMaythefollowingyearWhyteannouncedthatduetoheavyfinancial

lossesitwasimpossibletoruntheracesthathadbeenadvertisedfortheyear.Itwas

thefinalhurdleforTheHippodromeandthelandwasswiftlysoldtobuilders.Plans

forKensingtonParkEstatewerequicklydrawnup–theyincludedaround15common

gardensandvarioushomeswithprivategardens.Whilepartofthecoursewaskept

openforhorse-exerciseuntil1852,TheHippodromeRacecoursehadrunitscourse.

EMMa JuHaSz

‘The Brook‘, Engraving of the last steeplechase at The hippodrome by henry Alken ‘The Last Fence‘, Engraving of the last steeplechase at The hippodrome by henry Alken

36 37

New projects on the horizon include upgrading Hurstway Walk beside Latimer

Roadstation,wherethereispoor lightingandpaving,andageingstreetfurniture.

TheWalkhas severalownersand is agoodcandidate forapartnershipapproach

to the environmental improvements. Golborne Road Railway Bridge also falls into

thiscategoryanddiscussionsarebeingheldwithNetworkRailaboutimprovingits

appearance.Beneathpeelingpaintisafinemetalstructureandthebridgehasthe

potentialtobeanimpressiveandattractiveentrancetoGolborneRoadMarket.

CELIA REES-JENKINS

NORTHKENSINGTONENVIRONMENTPROJECT

In a Borough where many residents have no gardens, attractive parks and other open spaces are especially important.LedbytheCouncil’sNorthKensington

Environment Manager, Terry Oliver, The Project’s programme of environmental

improvementscontinues,backedbyinitiativestoencouragetheinvolvementofthe

community,particularlyinmaintenance.

FollowingthesuccessofthevegetablegardenatthePupilReferralUnit,unusedsites

inthenorthoftheBorougharebeingsoughtforcommunitykitchengardens.Apilot

schemeforcreatinggreenroofshasalsobegun,tenpossibilitieshavebeenidentified

andthreeshouldbesoonbeunderway.TheSunbeamGardensconsultationshowed

theywerenotbeingusedbymanyresidentsbecauseofconcernoversafetyandthe

lackoffacilitiesforyoungchildren.Asaresult there is tobeanewplayareaand

extensive landscapingof thegrounds. In the lightof residents’priorities,plans for

nearbyLittleWormwoodScrubs,nowmanagedbytheCouncil,includeanadventure

playground,akick-aboutareaandapreservedhabitatforwildlife.

Before and after the creation of Elkstone Road Sensory Garden

A new planter to prevent fly tipping in Munro Mews

The Ladbroke Grove Canal Entrance before and after new planting

38 39

ENVIRONMENTAWARDSCHEME2008

The Council’s Award Scheme attracted eight nominations in Kensington, three of which received an Award.Theschemeaimstorecognisedesignworkofmerit

which,thoughoftensmallinscale,hasabeneficialimpactontheappearanceofthe

Borough’sstreetsandopenspaces.

37 PoTTErY lanE

Areplacementbuildingat37 Pottery Lanewasrecognisedasadistinctivemodernbuildingwhichlooksgoodwithoutover-strivingtobeexciting.Itisaninstanceofmodernandcontemporarydetailsworkingwellevenwhennoneoftheconventionalcharacteristicsofmews,suchassecond-handstockbrickworkseennearby,isincorporated.Theprojectwascommended.

WaSHboard HouSE

Anewbuildingofsimilarsize,The Washboard house, Simon Close, Portobello Road, wasjudged to be a well-detailed and intriguingresponse to its particular mews context. ThedisciplinedachievementofagrandscalewithoutanyincreaseinsizeoverneighbouringdwellingswasadmiredanddeemedworthyofanAward.ItwasdesignedbyStudioBednarski.

PORTOBELLO DOCK

Portobello Dock, new offices and a converted andextended older building, was the largest project. Theoffice building is striking when entering the RoyalBorough along LadbrokeGrove andwas judged tobeparticularly impressive, with its juxtaposition of bronzecolouredwindowframeswithwhiterender,creatingwhattheassessors felt tobeagentledignitynotdiscordantwith other smaller buildings nearby. It was considereddeservingoftheAwardforcommercialdevelopment.ItwasdesignedbyStiff&TrevillionArchitects.

courTFiEld gardEnS WEST

Two impressive garden square railings reinstatement projectswere nominated. Pembridge Square is the grander of these,buttheassessors felt thenewrailingsatCourtfield Gardens West was thebetterprojectandmadeanAward to it andaCommendation to Pembridge Square. The award-winningscheme was designed by the Garden Committee with thehelpoftheircontractorsandthePembridgeSquareprojectbySusanWalker.

LADBROKE GROVE TUBE STATION BRIDGE

Enhancements to the bridge outside Ladbroke Grove tube stationincludeaprofiledsurface to the covering of theabutment walls which reducesfly posting. The white soffitof the bridge adds to thebrighteningupofthearea,andthoughthereweresomedoubtsaboutthequalityoftheartworkonthebridgeitselfthoseassessorsfamiliarwiththeareaafterdarkwereinnodoubtthatwhathasbeendonerepresentsaverygreatimprovement.Theworks,designedbyUrbanEye/WestwayProject,wereawardedacommendation.

ALL

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Pupils in our secondary schools were asked to write about someone who lived in Kensington, whom they felt should have a memorial dedicated to them.

Theyhadtoexplainwhytheychosethisperson,whatthememorialshouldbeand

whereinKensingtonitshouldbeplaced.

TherewereentriesfromYear7-8pupils,andsincetheentriesformYear10(ages1�-

15)weresocloseinquality,theJudgesdecidedtosplittheFirstandSecondPrizes.

TheFirstPrize thereforewent toCelesteCourtenayandAmilMeckin (bothof the

Lycée)whoeach received£100.TheSecondPrizewent to JuliaSidon (Lycée)and

ElshadaiEjere(Sion-Manning),whoeach

received£50.

A breathing space is now needed to

enabletheExecutiveCommitteetotake

stockanddecide inwhichdirection the

competitioncouldgo.Therewilltherefore

benocompetitionfor2009.Futuresuch

competitions will be for the Executive

Committeetodiscussanddecide.

We thank all those, particularly the

Judges:DianaHall(RBKCIsaacNewtonCentre),ShirleyNicholson(ofthisSociety),Dave

Walker(RBKCLocalStudiesLibrarian)whohaveallsogenerouslyandenthusiastically

takenpartforthe lastfiveyears.Webelieve ithasbeen,andmayyetbeagain,a

usefulexerciseforallconcerned.

robin PricE

THEKENSINGTONSOCIETYSCHOOLPRIZESFOR2008

EDITOR’S NOTEAllthewinningentriesarepublishedonourwebsite,

pleasevisit:www.kensingtonsociety.org

NEWSFROMTHEKENSINGTON&CHELSEAPARTNERSHIP

The Royal Borough’s third community strategy, ‘The Future of Our Community 2008-2018’, updates its predecessor, incorporates new objectives and emphasises the importance of developing a sustainable community. It also setsoutgoals formembersof thePartnership towork

towards,astheyendeavourtoimprovethequalityoflifeforthoselivingand

workingintheBorough.

Manyoftheaimsinthestrategyareconnectedandtheselinksareshownina

diagramattheendofeachchapter.ItalsocrossreferencespoliciesintheLocal

DevelopmentFramework,whichhasamajorroleinsupportingthestrategy.

In the chapteronEnvironment andTransport, anew sectionhighlights the

importanceoftacklingthecausesofclimatechangeintheBoroughandhow

toadapttosomeofitsunavoidableeffects.Indicatorswillbeusedtomonitor

howtheaimsandobjectivesofthestrategyaremet,especiallythoseconcerned

with reducing carbon dioxide emissions arising from the Council’s own

operationsandincreasingtheamountofrecycledandcompostedhousehold

waste.Aplanisbeingdevelopedtocoverthese,aswellaslocallydetermined

targets,andafterdiscussionswiththeGovernment,itwillformthenewLocal

Area Agreement for Kensington and Chelsea (due to be published in April

2009).

CopiesoftheCommunityStrategyanditssupportingdocumentsshouldbe

availablefromtheBorough’sPublicLibrariesandfromtheTownHall.

cElia rEES-JEnKinS

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AGAThA ChRISTIE (1890-1976) 58 Sheffield Terrace, W8

The hugely successful crime writer lived here

from193�-19�1withher secondhusband,Max

Mallowan.Shewasattheheightofherfameat

thistime.TheinimitableBelgiandetective,Hercule

PoirothadbeenintroducedtoreadersinChristie’s

début novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles in

1920,andtheinquisitiveelderlyspinster,MissJane

Marple,madeherfirstenquiriesinTheMurder at

the Vicarage,1930.

Christie’s career began during WWI. While she

waited for her fighter pilot husband, Archie

Christie, to return from the war, she nursed at

thelocalhospital.Itwasherethatshegainedher

experiencesinpoisons,asshestudiedforexamsfortheSocietyofApothecaries,which

subsequentlybecamepartofher inspiration towritecrimenovels. In factChristie

receivedpraiseforherfirstnovelfromThe Pharmaceutical Journalfor,“.....dealing

withpoisonsinaknowledgeablewayandnotwiththenonsenseaboutuntraceable

substancesthatsooftenhappens.MissAgathaChristieknowsherjob”.

Christie later divorced Archie and went on to marry Max Mallowan in 1930, an

archaeologist,whomshemetinMesopotamia- justoneofhermanyadventurous

trips to theEast.Shewrote foroverhalfacentury,producingover80novelsand

shortstorycollections.Herfinalpublishedworkwasherautobiographyin1976.It

wasinherethatsherevealedwhereshehadlivedinKensington.However,beingthe

masterofsuspense,sheleftheraudiencewithonefinalmysterytosolve.Shewrote

thatshelivedatNo�8SheffieldTerrace,andforalongtimethiswasassumedtobe

hercorrectresidence.However,asplanswentaheadforherplaquetobeerected,

theclueswereintheElectoralRegisteranditwasdiscoveredthatChristiehadinfact

livedatNo.58instead.

Kensington’s residents, past and present, are a veritable who’s who list.Whiletoday’spopularfiguresguardtheirprivacy,greathistoricalfiguresareeasilyfoundthankstoBluePlaquesontheirprevioushomes.

TheBluePlaquesschemewassetupin1867bytheRoyalSocietyofArtstohonour

eminentLondoners.ThefirstplaquewasawardedtotheRomanticpoet,LordByron–

hishomehassubsequentlybeendemolished–andwasfollowedin1875byEmperor

NapoleonIII(KingStreet,StJames)andthepoet,JohnDryden(GerrardStreet,West

End),whoseplaquessurvivetoday.

TheschemeisnowrunbytheEnglishHeritageandthereareover800plaquesacross

London. While Kensington may not have the oldest ones, it has an extraordinary

collectionofhonouredtalent.SonexttimeyoustrollthroughtheBorough’selegant

streets,remembertolookup,asyoumaybepassingaformerresident’scastle.Toentice

youtostartlooking,herearejustafewoftheBorough’sillustriouspastresidents.

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WILLIAM MAKEPEACE ThACKERAY (1811-1863) 2 Palace Green, W8

The author of Vanity Fair briefly lived at this prestigious address from 1861 until

hisuntimelydeath in1863,at theageof52.Thehouse,which isnowthe Israeli

Embassy, standsononeof thegrandest andmost expensive streets in theworld,

situatedoppositeKensingtonPalace.

The successofVanity Fair andThackeray’s subsequentother largenovels, suchas

Pendennis, The Newcomes and The History of Henry Esmond, saw his fortunes

changefrombeinganimpoverishedwriterandgambler,toasuccessfulbusinessman

andinvestor.Thehouseat2PalaceGreenwasinapoorstatein1860andThackeray

offeredtotakeitonwitharepairinglease.Somefeltthatitshouldrebuilt,butQueen

Victoriawouldnotallowanynewbuildingopposite thePalace, soThackerayhad

to satisfyhimselfwith redesigning thebuilding instead.Hewent togreat lengths

torestore itand it is thoughttobemodelledonthestyleofMarlboroughHouse.

Hepaidahighpriceforhisprestigiousaddressthough,heoriginallyagreedtopay

around£1,600fortherepairs,butthedilapidatedhouserequiredmoreworkthan

he’dthoughtandthefinalbillwas£8,000.

Hisdeath,fromastroke,wasahugeshocktohisfamilyandpublic.Itisestimated

thatover7,000peopleattendedhisfuneralinKensingtonGardensandhewasburied

inKensalGreenCemetery.

SIR WINSTON ChURChILL (1874-1965) 28 hyde Park Gate, SW7

ThiswasChurchill’sLondonresidenceafterhewasdefeatedinthepostwarelectionsin

19�5.HeacquiredNo.28in19�5,thenlaterboughtNo.27forofficeaccommodation

and knocked the two houses together. He briefly returned to 10Downing Street

(1951-55)forafurthertermasPrimeMinister,buthereturnedtoHydeParkGate

afterheresignedin1955.ChurchillcontinuedtoactasanMPuntilshortlybeforehis

deathat28HydeParkGateon2�January1965.

Widely considered as Britain’s greatest political figure of 20th Century, Churchill’s

extraordinary leadershipduringWWIIwas just oneof hismany achievements.He

was a statesman, historian and biographer. His extensive literary works included

biographiesofhisfather,LordRandolphChurchillandhisancestorLordMarlborough;

ahistoryofWWIandhismemoirsofWWII.Hisinspirationaloratoryalsosurvivesin

variousvolumes.

HewasawardedtheNobelPrizeforLiteraturein1953,‘forhismasteryofhistorical

and biographical description, as well as for brilliant oratory for defending exalted

human values’. In the same year he was knighted and in the following year, the

QueenandParliamentdeclaredhimas‘thegreatestlivingBriton’.

AsoneofKensington’smost esteemed residents,he received the Freedomof the

Boroughin19�9–heisseeninthephotographbelowwiththeMayor,J.H.(Joseph

Harold)HuxleyandtheTownClerkattheceremony.

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Sketch by William Railton of Thackeray outside 2 Palace Green

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ROBERT BADEN-POWELL (1857-1941) 9 hyde Park Gate & 32 Princes Gate, SW7

The legendaryLieutenant–GeneraloftheBritish

Army,writerandfounderoftheScoutMovement

had many associations in the Borough. Not only

didheliveatvariousaddresses,theheadquarters

fortheScoutsisstillfoundatBadenPowellHouse

onQueen’sGate.

Baden-Powellwasbornin6StanhopeTerrace(now

No.11) in1857.Afterhis fatherdied in1860his

familymovedtoHydeParkGate,wherehespent

mostofhischildhood.Hegainedascholarshipto

Charterhouse School in 1870, where he had his

first introduction toScouting - ashe stalkedand

cooked game in an out-of-bounds forest near

theschool,whiletryingtoavoidbeingcaughtby

teachers.ThenhefailedtogetintoOxfordUniversity,sohetookexamsforthearmy

andwonaplaceintheCavalry,the13thHussarsandwaspostedtoIndia.

Baden-PowellwasanHonoraryColonelforthe13thHussarsfor30years.Hetravelled

aroundtheworldestablishinghimselfasanextraordinarysoldier.Afterthedefence

ofthetownMafekinginSouthAfricain1899,hebecameaMajor-Generalagedonly

�3. Itwasduringthis217daysiegethatheestablishedthebasisforScouting.He

realisedthatyoungboysrespondedwelltochallengesandresponsibility,andhisbook

Aids to Scouting(amilitarytrainingmanual)waspublishedduringthistime.

WhenhereturnedtoEnglandin1903(hemovedinto32PrincesGate),hediscovered

thathisbookwasbeingwidelyusedbeyond thearmy, includingby teachersand

youth leaders.Hewassoonpersuadedtoprovideaschemefortrainingboysand,

afterherananexperimentalcamponBrownseaIsland,Poole,Dorsetin1907,the

Scoutswereborn.

EMMa JuHaSz

lexham gardens residents association

FroM THE cHairMan

Many thanks to all of you who have contributed this year. The Society has worked with many of the local societies on specific issues in their areas and we hope that they continue in these efforts. These reports are an invaluable insight into the hard work that is undertaken to help maintain Kensington’s unique character.

LexhamGardensResidentsAssociationandGardenCommitteehashadaverybusy

andsuccessful2008.Wewereproudtowintwoawardsforourgardensquarefrom

theBrighterKensingtonGardensandtheLondonGardenSquarescompetitions.

We held a very successful garden party on 7 June to which 300 people came,

includingourguestsofhonourtheMayor,CllrJoannaGardnerandourlocalMP,Sir

MalcolmRifkind.

KensingtonSocietymembersarecordially invitedtoattendour2009gardenparty

whichwillbeheldonSaturday13June2009at3-5pm.

Finally,weareverypleasedthattheLeaderoftheRoyalBoroughCouncil,CllrMerrick

Cockell, has confirmed in writing the Council’s total opposition to the proposal

reported in the Evening Standard that private garden squares should be open to

thepublic.

Sir cYril TaYlor, gbE Chairman

REPORTSFROMLOCALSOCIETIES2008

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TheRoyalBorough’sproposalstorebuildHollandParkSchooladjacenttotheparkis

notsomethingwecouldcommentonintermsoftheunderlyingpolicyitself-indeed

ourConstitutiondoesnotpermitustotakesuchaposition.However,wecouldand

didobjectstronglytothethreatenedlossoftheplaygroundsite,theopenspaceto

thesouthoftheschoolandthedetrimentalimpactoftheproposedluxuryresidential

developmentplannedinitsplace.Weremainhopefulthatiftheschoolisrebuilt,the

bulk,designanddetailingoftheresidentialblockwillbeimprovedtoreduceitseffect

onthepark.

Morerecently,thesecurity,tranquillityandintegrityoftheparkhavebeenshownto

beatriskfromitsowner,TheRoyalBorough.Theirdraftplanningbriefforthesiteof

theformerCommonwealthInstitute,requiresthedevelopersto“unitethe‘tent’with

HollandPark”,improving(theirword)thevisualandphysicallinksbetweenthesite

andthepark.Thereisnoadvantagetotheparkoritsusersinmakingsuchchanges,

onlyanexceptionalbenefittotheoccupiersofthenewresidentialblocks-oneof

which will rise above the height of the ‘tent’, spoiling the skyline view from the

park.Anythoughtofmovingtheparkentranceuptothenorthernboundaryofthe

CommonwealthInstitutesitemustbefirmlyopposed.

nicHolaS HoPKinS Chairman

WesubmittedanapplicationtoEnglishHeritageforthelistingoffivebuildingsinthe

HansTownConservationArea.Theyare39/�1BromptonRoad:LincolnHouse,Basil

Street:theFireStationandremainingpartsoftheUndergroundstationinBasilStreet

and�a/5SloaneStreet.

WecontinuetoopposetheoveruseofthetwolawnsoftheNaturalHistoryMuseum

forcommercialpurposes,especiallyLondonFashionWeekand, inassociationwith

otheramenitysocieties,arepressingforalow-key,conservation-ledschemeforthe

developmentofSouthKensingtonStation.

Exhibition Road is a cross border project, which still lacks the active support of

WestminsterCityCouncil.WefearthattheanticipatedreductionintrafficinExhibition

Road,willleadtoincreasedthroughtrafficinresidentialareastotheeastandthat

theproposedclosureofExhibitionRoadforstreetentertainmentwillresultinserious

disruptionforresidents.

InthelatesummertheopeningofanoutdoorextensiontoHarrods’LaduréeCafé

ontheHansRoad/BasilStreetjunction,ledtochaotictrafficconditionsandlatenight

noise.Thejustifiedreactionofresidentswassuchthatwardcouncillorsorganiseda

meetingattheTownHalltodiscusstheproblemandseeksolutions.

SubterraneandevelopmentisaLondonwideproblem.Wewelcometheinitiativeof

theRoyalBoroughinappointingAruptoprepareaScopingStudy,followedbythe

issue (in October) of a draft Supplementary Planning Document on Subterranean

Development.

MicHaEl WrigHT ViceChairman,ChairmanofPlanningandConservationCommittee

The Friends of Holland Park Knightsbridge association

REPORTSFROMLOCALSOCIETIES2008

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50 51

Theunauthoriseddemolitionthissummerof18TregunterRoadcausedafurore.The

buildingwasastrikingdetachedVictorianItalianatevillaintheBoltonsConservation

Area.Ithadbeenemptyforanumberofyearsandhadbeenbecomingsteadilymore

derelict.Theownerhadappliedforplanningpermissiontodemolishthebuildingand

replace itwitha replicaone, togetherwithunderground swimmingpooletc. The

BoltonsAssociationhadapproachedEnglishHeritageaboutlistedstatus,buttono

avail.TheCouncilputthebuildingonitsatriskregister,refusedplanningpermission

to demolish but granted permission for various other works. The owner left the

premisestodeteriorateandthendemolishedthebuildingonthegroundsthatithad

becomeunstableanddangerous.

TheCounciltookCounsel’sadviceanddecidedthattherewasinsufficientevidence

toprosecutetheowner.Anewplanningapplicationisawaited,forareplicabuilding

andundergroundpool.Soitlooksasiftheownerwillgetexactlywhathewantedall

alongandtheCouncilhasbeenmadetolookratherweakandfoolish.TheCouncil

haslaunchedaninternalinquirytoseewhatlessonscanbelearnedforthefuture.

TheBoltonsAssociationhasaskedwhetheritcangiveevidencetotheinquiryonthe

extensivestepstakenbyresidentstopreservethebuilding.Watchthisspaceonwhat

happensinthislongrunningsaga.

calVin JacKSon

TheCouncil’sproposedplanstodemolishandrebuildHollandParkSchoolhaveagain

dominatedoutactivitiesfor2008.

Despite receiving nearly 200 letters of opposition from residents, on the 26 June

RBKC’sMajorPlanningCommitteegrantedplanningpermissionfortherevisedplans

– including moving the affordable housing off-site. Despite Mayor Boris Johnson

publiclystatinghewouldnotallowthesaleofschoolplayingfields,hechosenotto

opposethesaleatHollandParkSchool.

Thecostoftheschool(currently£72.6million),plusaffordablehousing,continuesto

increaseandcouldeasilyreach£100million.However,sellingoffthesouthernsite

playingfieldsforluxuryhousingwillcoverthecostofthisproject,butthisisproving

difficult in thispresentfinancial climate.There isalsoconcern thatRBKCwill face

legalchallenges,havingnotcompliedwithalltheGovernment’sconditionsforselling

theplayingfield.

IfRBKChadtakenmorecareoveritsrushedoriginalplan,thenewschoolcouldnow

havebeenbuiltandopen.Instead,theCouncilhasspent£7millionofyourmoney

(todate)andhavenothingtoshowforit.Inthecurrentfinancialcircumstances,‘The

AlternativeVision’torebuild/refurbishtheschool,thatwesupport,makesevenmore

sense,particularlywhenthere isGovernment fundingavailableunder theBuilding

SchoolsfortheFutureprogram.ThereisnowawindowofopportunityfortheCouncil

tocarryoutacomprehensivereview,asunanimouslyrecommendedbytheOSCon

Family&Children’sServicesattheirmeetinginJune2007.

daVid WHiTE Chairman

The boltons association camden Hill residents’ association

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SouthKensingtonhasbeenbracingitselfforthearrivaloftheroadmakersfromRBKC

toputintoeffectthefirststageoftheExhibitionRoadandSouthKensingtontraffic

plan-theunravellingoftheonewaysystemaroundthestation.Thisplanhasbeen

devised after a lengthy process of consultation, although some people gained the

impressionthattheplanarrivedasafait accompli.Ithasbeenhopedbymanythatthis

improvementatSouthKensingtonmightencourageLULtolookseriouslyatthemany

problemsthatbesetthestation.However, thenewMayorofLondoncancelledthe

proposaltoinstallstepfreeaccessatthestation,aplanputforwardbyhispredecessor.

Thisassociation,amongstothers,wrotetoprotest,inwhichweweresupportedbyour

MP,byourlocalcouncillorsandbydirectorsofthethreemuseumsofAlbertopolis.It

ishopedthatthenewthroughroutefortrafficwillrelievepressureonThurloeStreet,

enablingpassengersandpedestrianstoboardbusesmorefreelyandinlessdanger.

ThiswillinvolveashortwalktothecornerofThurloePlace.

The neglect of South Kensington Station is

utterlyshameful,giventhatitisthestationof

choice for three famous museums, Imperial

College and three major hospitals and is

busy throughout theday,week inweekout.

RequeststotheCEOofTfLtovisittheareaand

seeforhimselftheextentoftheproblemshave

beenducked.Asaresultofnegotiationwith

theCouncilitishopedthatresidentsparking

hoursmaybeextendedintopartsofSunday

inviewofthelargenumberofvisitorstotheareaonthatday.Equally,wehopethatan

extendedbanonstreetdrinkinginthispartoftheBorough,mayresolvethepersistent

problemofstreetdrinkerscongregatingonthetrafficislandsoutsidethestation.

rogEr barESEl Chairman

The opposing flows of passengers on the main staircase at South Kensington station remain as dangerous as ever.

onslow neighbourhood association

REPORTSFROMLOCALSOCIETIES2008

In November following representations by the Association and many others, the

originalproposal tobuildninethree-storeyhousesontheoldelectricityboardsite

inVictoriaGardenswaswithdrawn.Itislikelythatanewproposaltobuildsmaller

houseson the sitewill appear soon.This is a victoryof sorts,but theAssociation

remainsoftheview–notsharedunfortunatelybyRBKC-thatnothingshouldbebuilt

onthesiteuntilthefutureofthenorthsideofNottingHillGateisdecided.

2008 has been a year of consultations: the 228 Bus, closure of Punjani’s Post

OfficeinLadbrokeGrove,theNorthKensingtonActionPlanandmore.Thisbrings

twoproblems. Firstly, thatonedoes feel toooften thata consultation ismerelya

presentationalprocesstobeenduredbythoseinauthority.Secondly,findingthetime

torespondisaveryrealproblemfortheAssociation.

Onceagain thenumberofplanningapplications inourarea tobeconsideredhas

increasedandthetimescaleforresponsehasshortened,sothatinsomecasesthe

consultationperiodisshorterthanthetimebetweenmonthlymeetings.Wearealso

concerned that theRBKCPlanningDepartment seemtohaveproblems indealing

expeditiouslywiththeloadofplanningapplications.

Our project for putting histories of every street in the Conservation Area on our

website:www.ladbrokeassociation.org.ukcontinues.Weareinvitingmembersofthe

publictosenduscontributionsforthesestreethistories.

daVid corSElliS Chairman

ladbroke association

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Thecreditcrunchstartedtobite in2008.Thefirstsignofchangewasthesaleby

CandyandCandyoftheDeVereGardensdevelopmentfor£320milliontoaMiddle

Easterndeveloper.Thereissomeuncertaintyastowhatwillhappen,butthebuilding

isbeingguttedinreadinessforitsfutureuse.

Theamountof subterraneandevelopmentgranted in the last twoyearshasbeen

worrying.However,notallofthishasbeenbuiltyet,and,inthecurrenteconomic

climatetheymaynotbeimplemented.

ThebiggestcasethisyearwastheproposaltoexpandThomas’Schoolbychanging

theuseof21StAlban’sGrove(formerlyLeith’sCookerySchool)toeducationaluse

and expanding the school to �00 pupils. VRARA opposed this expansion in the

numberofpupils,buttheCouncilgrantedconsent;subjecttoaSchoolTravelPlan

andaTrafficandAccessManagementPlan,whichwouldseektoreducethenumber

ofpupilscomingbycar.WearenowworkingcloselywithThomas’Schooltoensure

thatthisagreementreducestheimpactoftheschoolonourneighbourhood.

Progress on our Pilot Ward Initiative to improve Gloucester Road North has been

slower than expected. We managed to secure an excellent refurbishment of the

GloucesterArms,butwe stillneed toget theagreement to improve someof the

shopfronts.Wehopethatthiswillleadtoastreetscapeschemeinvolvingrepaving

andnewlighting.

PETEr dixon Chairman

Victoria road area residents’ association

Someapplicantsnevergiveup.TransportforLondon(TfL)isyetagainattemptingto

advanceredevelopmentatSouthKensingtontubestation.Redevelopmentproposals

forthissitegobacktothedarkdaysofthe1960swhenwholeswathesofhistoric

townsandcitieswere sweptaway in thenameofcomprehensive redevelopment.

ThismindsetlivesonatthePropertyDepartmentofTfL,eventhoughtheplanning

contexthassignificantlychangedwiththelistingofthestationin200�.

Both RBKC and English Heritage have made it clear to TfL the potential for

redevelopmentisnowsignificantlyrestricted.Bothbodieshavealsoindicatedthat

the Thurloe Street terrace – home to Dacquise and the Medici shop – should be

retainedbecauseitmakesapositivecontributiontotheConservationArea.

Nonetheless,TfLwantsto‘testtheboundaries’andhasissuedaplanningbrieffora

‘massingstudy’toestablishaquantumofnewdevelopment(presumablyburyingthe

listedstationunderseveralstoriesofdevelopment).Despitealmostuniversalcriticism

ofthebrief,TfLispressingaheadandhasnowappointedarchitectsJohnMcAslan&

Partners.Inthecurrenteconomicclimateaspirationsforsubstantialredevelopment

seemwhollyunrealistic.

TfL’sannouncementinNovemberthattheplannedstep-freeaccessschemewasshelved

duetobudgetaryconstraintswasablow.Wewillcontinuetopressforthisasapriority.

ThisdecisionseemsparticularlyunfortunategiventheBoroughisnowimprovingthe

publicrealmaroundthestation,aschemethisAssociationhaslongencouraged.

Another dogged organisation is the Natural History Museum, which continues to

promoteastreamofapplicationsfortemporaryplanningpermissionsforstructures

onitseastlawn.TheseblightthesettingofoneofthefinestVictorianbuildingsin

thecountryanddenythepublicaccesstoanattractivegreenspace. It is timethe

Councilstoppedallowingthesetemporarypermissions.Equally,themuseumshould

recogniseitsresponsibilitytoprotectandenhancethemuseum’ssettingasSirAlfred

Waterhouseoriginallyintended.

SoPHiE andrEaE

brompton association

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REPORTSFROMLOCALSOCIETIES

norland conservation Society

REPORTSFROMLOCALSOCIETIES2008 PORTRAITOFALOCALARTIST

The following article was written by Clive’s wife, Catherine.

Residents of Norland and Kensington may have seen Clive standing at his portable easel, painting the local scene near our home in St James’s Gardens – at Clarendon Cross, Addison Avenue (the subject of this year’s AGM Report front cover) or Queensdale Road.Clive’slife-timeloveandpracticeofwatercolour

began when his mother advised him to take his paint-box to France on a French

exchange.WhilePhilippe, theFrenchboy,wasendlesslyoccupiedwithhisholiday

‘devoirs’,Clivepaintedthelandscaperoundabout.Hecontinuedpaintingatschool,

underthetuitionofWilfredBluntandencouragingcriticismofOliverVanOss(his

housemaster),andthenatuniversity.

EmployedfirstbyCourtauldsandthenasamanagementconsultantwhilehisfamily

were growing up, Clive was a Sunday and holiday painter. But from 199� Clive

wasabletoworkforhimselfasaconsultant:thisgavehimmoretimetodevoteto

painting.HetookcoursesattheSladeSummerSchool,theRoyalWatercolourSociety

andLifeclasseswiththeNewEnglishArtClubattheRoyalAcademySchools.

Since then he has become a very accomplished watercolourist, emphasising the

subtletyandluminosityofpurewatercolour-tomanypeoplethemostbeautifuland

expressiveofpaintingmedia.Hisworkmakesthemostofthetranslucencyofpure

watercolour:thesubtlebuild-upofdepthofcolour,throughsuccessfulapplicationof

repeatedwashes,lightpassingthroughpigmentandreflectingbackfromthepaper,

eachaddingalittlemorerichnesstothetone.

EdiTor’S inTroducTion

While we all know that Kensington has a rich heritage. The Society felt that it should also recognise some of the Borough’s present artistic talent. This is a new regular feature for the AGM Report, where we will profile local talent. In this issue, we focus on the watercolourist Clive Wilson. �

2008hasbeenayearofpositiveprogress.

Positive developments have been the notable successes in contesting unsuitable

planning applications by making our case in person to the Planning Applications

Committee. Hard-pressed planning officers sometime negotiate with applicants,

andindoingsomakeconcessions,inconflictwithUDPpolicies.Thankfully,weare

findingthatthePlanningApplicationsCommitteeoftenagreeswithourobjections

andrejectstheofficers’recommendations.

Inparticular,wearefightinguglyglassboxesattachedtobeautifulGradeIIhouses,

andmodernisticdevelopmentswhichsimplydonotfitin.Wehavenoobjectionto

extensionsofmoderndesign,butweareinsistingthattheyshouldbeofexcellent

design,appropriatetotheirsurroundings.

We are heartened by the Council’s Draft SPD on subterranean development. The

proposal is to resist subterranean development under listed buildings. However,

concernsremain.

New threats include the 316-bus route down St Ann’s Villas and Royal Crescent;

WestfieldshopperstakingadvantageoffreeparkinginNorland;theThirdRunway,

whichwouldmakelifeanoisymiseryforthewholeofNorthKensington:fartoobig

anissueforus,butoneonwhichwesupporttheobjectors.

Inallourefforts,weareextremelygratefultoourWardCouncillorsJulieMillsand

DavidLindsayfortheirsupport.

TheNorlandConservationSocietyannual lecturewilltakeplaceonWednesday25

Marchat7.30pminStJamesNorlandsChurch,StJames’sGardens,onthesubject

of“ThedevelopmentoftheLondonMews”.AllmembersofTheKensingtonSociety

welcome.Tickets£8onthedoor.

cliVE WilSon Chairman

58 59

Manycontemporarypaintershavelostthisuniquequalityofwatercolourandhave

beenseducedbytheboldercoveringqualityofacrylicsandgouache.Purewatercolour

-lettingthepaintsurprise-ismoreinterestingtoClive:ashesays“wedon’tallhave

totrytoimitateoilpainting...”

Heisaboveallapainterofatmosphere,temperatureandlight.Purewatercolourgives

theabilitytocapturethefleetingqualitiesoflightandatmosphere,andhisjewel-like

coloursshinethroughhispaintings.

Hischarming(andsometimeshumorous)subjectswiththeirlivelyfigures,hisstreet

scenes, architectural views, as well as landscapes have made Clive’s work much

appreciatedandcollected.Asaconservationistandco-founder(withGordonMichell)

oftheNorlandConservationSociety�0yearsago,hedelightsinarchitectureandhis

senseoftheurban-scape,whichisreflectedinhispaintings.

‘�Purewatercolourgivestheabilityto

capturethefleetingqualitiesoflight

andatmosphere,andhisjewel-like

coloursshinethroughhispaintings.’On Clive’s painting trips he often

has to cope with the crowds of

onlookers - monks in Cambodia

gather round to watch him at

work,whilechildren liketoswing

on his easel in India, Sri Lanka

and Morocco. One little German

girl inVenice,seeinghimpainting

byacanal,decidedhemustbea

starvingartistandcameuptogave

himtwentylira(thesewerethedaysbeforetheEuro).WhenClivesaidthathewas

‘quite all right, thank you verymuch’, the littlegirlwasunconvincedand insisted

“doch,doch” (you must take it).People’s reactions totheartistathiseasel in the

streetvary:onegrand,veryupper-classEnglish lady,walkingpastCliveatwork in

frontoftheGrittiPalaceHotelinVenice,turnedtoherhusbandandsaid“OhArthur,

doyouseetheeaselthatmanisusing?Shallweaskhimwherehegotit?Itwould

bejustrightforCharles.”ShethenapproachedCliveandsaidveryloudlyandslowly,

enunciating clearly so that a native could understand: “Could…you…tell…me…

where…you…found…that…easel?”Cliverepliedswiftly,“GreeneandStoneonthe

King’sRoadectually”,astonishingthecouple,whowerenotexpectingtohearsucha

familiaraccentcomingfromarathershabby-lookingartist.Heisunbotheredbythis

kindofattention,butbeingsurroundedbyfivearmedguardswithmachineguns,

cockedandreadyforactioninEgypt,wasnotinspirational!

Clive’sworkappearsincollectionsnotonlyinthiscountry,butintheUSA,France,

Sweden, Holland and Portugal. He often exhibits in London: including his many

one-manexhibitionsat theEburyGalleriesandaone-man showat Frost&Reed.

Hisworkfigures regularly in themixedexhibitions in aidofVenice in Peril and in

galleries outside London. He has had many private commissions: visit his website

www.clive-wilson.comforfurtherinformation.

All

pict

ures

cou

rtes

y of

Cliv

e W

ilson

60 61

EVENTSHIGHLIGHT2008

WhileCliveWilsonrepresents justsomeof theartistic talent thatcanbefound in

Kensingtontoday,TheSocietydiscoveredanotherlocaltalentfromtheVictorianera

onaneventsoutingtotheGovernmentArtCollectionlastyear.Thepainter,William

PowellFrith(1819-1909)wasborninYorkshirebutlivedinLondon–andforatime

atChepstowVillas,whereitissaidthathelivedwithhisfamily,whilehismistressand

otherchildrenlivedaroundthecorner.

TheGovernmentArtCollectionownThe Crossing Sweeper(1893),whichshowsa

youngboyoffering to sweep the roadahead forayoung,well-dressed lady. Frith

repaintedthispopularimagethroughouthiscareer,changingthefashionofthelady’s

dresstokeepupthetimes,asheknewitwouldsell.LikehisfriendCharlesDickens,

Frithwasinterestedinsocialinequality,apreviouslyunexploredthemeinartandone

thathadonlybeenseeninpublicationssuchasPunch.Hisworkfeaturedthedaily

livesofnotjusttheelitebutpeoplefromallsocialclasses.

He was an incredibly popular artist and on further investigation The Society has

discoveredhisworkatSphinxFineArtonKensingtonChurchStreet.Thegalleryhas

variouspaintingsby Frith, includingPoverty and Wealth (1888) -pictured -which

showsaLondonstreetscenecrowdedwithfigures,richandpoor,whomFrithdraws

vividparallelsbetween,fromonesidetotheother.

TheSocietyhopes touncover further localgemsat itseventsplanned for2009–

sosignupnow!

Pict

ure

cour

tesy

Sph

inx

Fine

Art William Frith,

Poverty and Wealth (1888)

UPCOMINGEVENTSFOR2009

EtonCollege&SavillGarden,Windsor Wednesday 13 May 2009

EtonwasfoundedbyHenryV1in1��0.TherewillbeatourofthehistoricbuildingsincludingSchoolYard,LowerandUpperSchools,CollegeHall,CloistersandMuseumofEtonLife.

Followed by a visit to the Savill Garden for lunch at the Garden Cafe (at own expense) and aguidedtourofthefinewoodlandandornamentalgarden;ariotofcolour,frommagnoliasazaleas,rhododendronsandcamellias,plusformalgardensoflongherbaceousborders.

Depart by coach 9.45am from Kensington Square: £37 per person

FulhamPalace,Bishop’sAvenueSW6Tuesday 7 July 2009

ThiswastheresidenceoftheBishopsofLondonfromc700-1973.

Weshallvisitthe13acregroundsandGrade1listedbuildingwithamixofarchitecturalstyles-Tudor,GeorgianandVictorianrecentlyrestoredtoitsoldgrandeur.Thevisittothemuseumwillbefollowedbyteaandbiscuits.

Meet at the above address at 2.15pm: £15 per person

rESErVaTionS

To reserve a place, please send cheques for each event to:

The Kensington Society, c/o Mrs g Foley, 34 Kelso Place, london W8 5QP

Cheques are to be payable to The Kensington Society. Please enclose a self addressed envelope and give your contact telephone number.

Tickets will be sent giving full instructions. Guests are always welcome at any of these events.

AdmiraltyHouse

Thursday 8 october 2009

Wewillwalkround26Whitehall,behindtheAdamScreen.TheformerHeadquartersoftheAdmiraltyandhometomanyfinepaintingsandobjectsfromtheMinistryofDefenceArtCollection-normallyhiddenfrompublicview.ThetourwillbeledbytheMODArtCollectionsCurator,whowillplacetheobjectsintheirarchitectural,navalandpersonalcontext.

Meet at the above address at 5pm: £15 per person including wine

62 63

LICENSINGREPORT2008

The unfortunate combination of extended hours under the new licensing laws and the smoking ban continues to cause problems for local residents when noisy patrons congregate outside pubs, bars and restaurants late into the evening and on into the early hours.

However,theCouncilhasbeentakingsignificantstepstocombattheproblem.The

Licensing Team has had some notable successes in persuading licence holders to

agreetovoluntaryconditionstolimitnoiselevels(e.g.outsidespaceisseatingroom

only)ontheunderstandingthatifthemeasuresareeffective,thelicenseholderwill

subsequentlyapplytovarythelicenseandputthevoluntaryconditionsonaformal

footing.

Alternatively,a licencecanbecalled in for review(egbyCouncil’sNoiseNuisance

Teamorresidentsthemselves)inwhichcasetoughconditionsmaybeimposedbythe

LicensingCommittee(e.g.toprecludealcoholfrombeingdrunkoutsideafter,say,

10pm).ItshouldbenotedthatthereisarightofappealtotheMagistratesCourt.

Oneofthebiggestchallengesgoingforwardwillbedealingwiththenoisewhich

iscreatedbypatronswhostepoutsideforalatenightsmoke,eveniftheyarenot

allowedtohaveadrinkin-hand.Unlessmeasuresaretakentocontrolnumbersand

noise levels (e.g.byproactivedoorstaff), localresidentswill,sadly,continuetobe

disturbed.

anTHonY lEE

If residents experience problems, complaints can be made to the: Council’s Licensing Team: 0207 341 5152 – or – Council’s Noise Nuisance Team: 0207 361 3484 (out of hours)

NB. Diaries noting times, dates and responses by both the Council and the publican

should also be kept; so that they can be referred to if evidence is required.

CASINOREPORT2008

Two proposals for new casinos in the Royal Borough, each opposed by The Kensington Society, will not now be developed.

Planstobuilda£20millioncasinoat theEarlsCourtExhibitionCentrehavebeen

rejectedforthesecondtime.PlanninginspectorRogerBrownturneddownanappeal

fromtheEarlsCourtandOlympiaGroup,whichwantedtobuildanextensiontothe

currentexhibitioncentre tohousethecasino,saying itwoulddisrupt life for local

peopleandthatthetrafficcausedbythecasinocouldhavecaused“unacceptable

noiseanddisturbanceforneighbours”.

In September 2008 the developers of 99-121 Kensington High Street withdrew

theirapplicationforaChangeofUseofthefifthfloorfromanoffice,toagaming

facilitywith restaurantandbar -withassociated internalandexternalalterations.

Thedevelopment,knownasDerryandTom’s,hadbeenopposedbytheKensington

SquareResidentsAssociationandTheKensingtonSocietysincetheapplicationwas

firstregisteredin2006.

cHarlES luTYEnS

6� 65

TheKensingtonSocietyAccounts

Receipts and payments for the year Ended 31 December 2008

1. GeneralCoreFund

2008 2007

£ £

Receipts

VoluntarySources

Subscriptions 6,302.10 �,967.10 Donations 1,�60.00 380.00 GiftAid 0.00 �0�.70 Receiptsfromcurrentyearvisits 1,2�8.00 160.00 Advertisinginannualreport 300.00 �50.00 Interest 1972.86 2,112.�5

Total receipt 11,282.96 8,474.25

Payments

DirectCharitableExpenditure

CharitableActivities 300.00 552.97 Campaigning 0.00 2,000.00 Visits 681.95 1�0.00 Depositsfor2008activities 0.00 1,875.00 981.95 4,567.97

OtherExpenditure

Annualreport 5,970.85 �,818.50 Stationery/printing 923.18 1,370.06 Postage/telephones 0.00 508.52 Typing&Admin. 76.00 175.00 Meetingroomhire 100.00 121.25 Subscriptions 20.00 1�2.00 Catering 568.9� 876.93 Accounts �75.00 �75.00 Bankcharges 0.00 206.19 Insurance2008 0.00 288.75 Insurance2009 0.00 288.75 Advertising 180.00 180.00 8,313.97 9,450.95

Total payments 9,295.92 14,018.92

Net receipts for the year 1,987.04 (5,544.67)

Bank balances B/F 45,098.34 50,643.01

Bank balances C/F 47,085.38 45,098.34

TheKensingtonSocietyAccounts

Statement of assets & liabilities at 31 December 2008

£ £ £ £

Monetary Assets

Highinterestdepositaccount 0.00 2.32 2.32 2.32

NationalSavingsAccount 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

CurrentAccountGeneralCoreFund 0.00 �,286.65 �,286.65 �,272.�7

CAFCashAccount 2,370.41 40,426.00 42,796.65 40,823.55

2,370.41 44,714.97 47,085.38 45,098.34

Princess Alice Memorial Fund

General Core Fund

2008 Total

2007 Total

TREASURER’S REPORTThe Society came through 2008 with improved cash reserves at £�7,085.38.

Subscription revenue was up on 2007,as was the revenue from the events

which Gill Foley organised throughout the year. We also received a number of

generousdonations.

Inordertokeepupwithourcosts,whichhavebeenincreasingsteadilyyearonyear,

wetookthedecisiontoincreaseourannualsubscriptionfrom£10to£15.Wewould

thereforebegratefulifexistingmemberswouldensurethatthattheyareup-to-date

withtheir2009subscription.

anTHonY lEE

CONSTITUTION TheconstitutionappearsontheSociety’swebsite:

www.kensingtonsociety.org

Alternativelycopiescanbeobtainedfrom:

The hon Secretary, 12 Princedale Road, London W11 4NJ

76

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KENSINGTON & ChELSEA BOUNDARY MAPTheRoyalBoroughofKensingtonandChelsea

wascreatedin1965fromtheamalgamation

of the Royal Borough of Kensington and

the Metropolitan Borough of Chelsea. Each

formerBoroughhaditsowncivicsociety.The

KensingtonSocietycoversalloftheBorough

northofFulhamRoad/WaltonStreet.