Figures released today by property website, Mouseprice.com, reveal that The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea is responsible for over half of the top 100 most expensive streets in London, with Kensington Square being the most expensive street in the country. Taking over from Earl’s Terrace as last years most expensive street in London, Kensington Square, W8, tops the Mouseprice.com Street Rankings 2007 as the most expensive street in London, with an average price of £5,534,480.
However, Kensington Square has not always been so prosperous. After acquiring the land in 1685, Thomas Young, the founder of the square and former woodcarver from St. Martin in the fields, fell into debt and was eventually imprisoned for bankruptcy. The architecture of Kensington Square documents the square’s history of mixed economic fortune, resulting in a variety of period styles, including houses dating from the early eighteenth century. When it was built, the square was located so far from the centre of London, it was initially thought to be doomed. It was the establishment of the court at Kensington Palace which then brought life to the square. However, the square took a second downturn after the court departure in 1750 and fell into a period of decline.
It was the nineteenth century that brought Kensington Square much better fortune, as it became popular amongst the artistic community. Blue plaques now commemorate residents such as Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones, British artist, (41 Kensington Square), John Stuart Mill, Philosopher (18 Kensington Square), Sir Charles Hubert Parry, Musician, (17 Kensington Square), Sir John Simon, Pioneer of public health (40 Kensington Square), and William Makepeace Thackery is also reputed to have lived at number 16, Kensington Square.
Unsurprisingly, W8 Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea accounts for a high proportion of the streets of the Mouseprice.com London property rich list, with a fifth of the top 100 streets being located here. The Pimlico area, demarcated by the Chelsea Embankment (SW3), also accounts for a large proportion of the most expensive areas in the capital, whilst SW7, including Knightsbridge, accounts for a similarly significant proportion.
Rank |
Street Name |
Postcode District |
Average Value |
1 |
Kensington Square |
W8 |
£5,534,480 |
2 |
Chelsea Square |
SW3 |
£5,098,047 |
3 |
Carlyle Square |
SW3 |
£4,727,542 |
4 | Thornwood Gardens |
W8 |
£4,696,139 |
5 |
Cottesmore Gardens | W8 |
£4,662,633 |
6 |
Gilston Road |
SW10 | £4,582,113 |
7 |
The Vale |
SW3 |
£4,488,764 |
8 |
Carlton Gardens |
SW1Y |
£4,354,313 |
9 |
Ingram Avenue |
NW11 |
£4,323,591 |
10 |
Eldon Road |
W8 |
£4,254,850 |
11 | Albert Place |
W8 |
£4,216,660 |
12 |
Victoria Road | W8 |
£4,216,500 |
13 |
Mulberry Walk |
SW3 | £3,975,900 |
14 |
Winnington Road |
N2 |
£3,805,664 |
15 |
Campden Hill Square |
W8 |
£3,796,243 |
16 |
Douro Place |
W8 |
£3,792,433 |
17 |
Neville Street |
SW7 |
£3,758,067 |
18 | Egerton Crescent |
SW3 |
£3,614,762 |
19 |
St Albans Grove | W8 |
£3,576,717 |
20 |
Chester Terrace |
NW1 | £3,481,783 |