Knightsbridge
Encyclopedia
Knightsbridge is a road which gives its name to an exclusive district lying to the west of central London
. The road runs along the south side of Hyde Park
, west from Hyde Park Corner
, spanning the City of Westminster
and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
. Up to Brompton Road
, it is a part of the A4 arterial road, while the remainder is part of the A315 road.
The eponymous district comprises the area south of Hyde Park
, east of the South Kensington
museums area and west of Sloane Street
. Beauchamp Place
and the western section of Pont Street
serve roughly as its southern border though adjacent gardens and squares such as Lennox Gardens and Cadogan Square
can be considered parts of Knightsbridge. South of this area, the district fades into Brompton and Chelsea
while Belgravia
lies to the East.
Knightsbridge is notable as an ultra-expensive residential area, and for the density of its upmarket retail outlets. It is identified in the London Plan
as one of two "international centres" in London, alongside the West End
.
, between the villages of Chelsea
(Chelsey), Kensington
(Kensing town) and Charing. In the time of Edward I
, the manor of Knightsbridge appertained to the abbey of Westminster. It was named after a crossing of the River Westbourne
, which is now an underground river
. It is recorded that the citizens of London met Matilda of England at the Knight's Bridge in 1141.
From 1885 to 1887, as a result of the opening of trade between Britain and the Far East
, Humphreys' Hall in Knightsbridge hosted an exhibition of Japanese culture
in a setting built to resemble a traditional Japanese village. The exhibition was very popular, with over 250,000 visitors during its early months. Japanese artisans illustrated "the manners, customs, and art-industries of their country, attired in their national and picturesque costumes. Magnificently decorated and illuminated Buddhist temple. Five o’clock tea in the Japanese tea-house. Japanese Musical and other Entertainments. Every-day Life as in Japan". W.S. Gilbert and his wife attended the exhibition, which is said to have inspired him to write The Mikado
.
and Harvey Nichols
, and flagship stores of many British and international fashion houses, including those of London-based shoe designers Jimmy Choo
and Manolo Blahnik
, and two Prada
stores. The district also has banks that cater for rich individuals (including Coutts
, bankers to the Queen
), some of London's most renowned restaurants are here, many exclusive hair and beauty salons, antiques and antiquities dealers, and chic bars and clubs.
, and has some of the highest property prices in the world. In 2006, a four bedroomed apartment in Knightsbridge sold for over £25,000,000, and on street car parking spaces 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 was bought by a Qatar
i Prince. The development is valued in excess of £4,000 per square foot (£43,000 per square metre). Fourteen of Britain's two hundred most expensive streets are in the district.
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 from swimming pools to private nightclubs.
The principal landowners in the area are the Duke of Westminster
and Earl Cadogan
. The two areas of aristocratic landholdings can be distinguished: 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
.
The district is adjacent to Inner London's largest public park, Hyde Park.
However, the area has often 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 on live television. In 1983, three Christmas shoppers and three Metropolitan Police
officers, evacuating Harrods, were killed by an IRA
car-bomb placed outside the store
. In 1987, the Knightsbridge Security Deposit centre was the target of a robbery
and the thieves left with a hoard worth £60 million. In 2005, 22-year-old beautician Clare Bernal was gunned down by her stalker and ex-boyfriend Michal Pech on the shopfloor of Harvey Nichols in front of colleagues and shoppers, before Pech fatally turned the gun on himself.
Many residential buildings are heavily covered by CCTV and are staffed by security guards, while railings or bars on lower floor windows are commonplace.
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.
on the Piccadilly line
. (The former Brompton Road tube station
closed in 1934.)
Central London
Central London is the innermost part of London, England. There is no official or commonly accepted definition of its area, but its characteristics are understood to include a high density built environment, high land values, an elevated daytime population and a concentration of regionally,...
. The road runs along the south side of Hyde Park
Hyde Park, London
Hyde Park is one of the largest parks in central London, United Kingdom, and one of the Royal Parks of London, famous for its Speakers' Corner.The park is divided in two by the Serpentine...
, west from Hyde Park Corner
Hyde Park Corner
Hyde Park Corner is a place in London, at the south-east corner of Hyde Park. It is a major intersection where Park Lane, Knightsbridge, Piccadilly, Grosvenor Place and Constitution Hill converge...
, spanning the City of Westminster
City of Westminster
The City of Westminster is a London borough occupying much of the central area of London, England, including most of the West End. It is located to the west of and adjoining the ancient City of London, directly to the east of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, and its southern boundary...
and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea is a central London borough of Royal borough status. After the City of Westminster, it is the wealthiest borough in England....
. Up to Brompton Road
Brompton Road
Brompton Road is a street in Knightsbridge, London, in The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea .It starts from Knightsbridge tube station and runs south-west through an extremely wealthy residential area until it reaches Egerton Gardens and the area to the east of South Kensington tube station...
, it is a part of the A4 arterial road, while the remainder is part of the A315 road.
The eponymous district comprises the area south of Hyde Park
Hyde Park, London
Hyde Park is one of the largest parks in central London, United Kingdom, and one of the Royal Parks of London, famous for its Speakers' Corner.The park is divided in two by the Serpentine...
, east of the South Kensington
South Kensington
South Kensington is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London. It is a built-up area located 2.4 miles west south-west of Charing Cross....
museums area and west of Sloane Street
Sloane Street
Sloane Street is a major London street which runs north to south, from Knightsbridge to Sloane Square, crossing Pont Street about half way along, entirely in The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Sloane Street takes its name from Sir Hans Sloane, who purchased the surrounding area in 1712...
. Beauchamp Place
Beauchamp Place
Beauchamp Place is a fashionable shopping street in the Knightsbridge district of London. It was known as Grove Place until 1885.Beauchamp Place was also a 16th century mansion of the Seymour family, whose titles included Viscount Beauchamp. It belonged to Edward Symour, Viscount Beauchamp who...
and the western section of Pont Street
Pont Street
Pont Street is a fashionable street in Knightsbridge and Belgravia, central London, England, not far from the Knightsbridge department store Harrods to the north-west. The street crosses Sloane Street in the middle, with Beauchamp Place to the west and Cadogan Place, and Chesham Place, to the east,...
serve roughly as its southern border though adjacent gardens and squares such as Lennox Gardens and Cadogan Square
Cadogan Square
Cadogan Square is a square in Knightsbridge named after Earl Cadogan .It is one of the most desirable residential addresses in London. It is formed of a garden surrounded by red-brick houses, the majority of which have now been converted into apartments. Cadogan Square is south of Pont Street, east...
can be considered parts of Knightsbridge. South of this area, the district fades into Brompton and Chelsea
Chelsea, London
Chelsea is an area of West London, England, bounded to the south by the River Thames, where its frontage runs from Chelsea Bridge along the Chelsea Embankment, Cheyne Walk, Lots Road and Chelsea Harbour. Its eastern boundary was once defined by the River Westbourne, which is now in a pipe above...
while Belgravia
Belgravia
Belgravia is a district of central London in the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Noted for its immensely expensive residential properties, it is one of the wealthiest districts in the world...
lies to the East.
Knightsbridge is notable as an ultra-expensive residential area, and for the density of its upmarket retail outlets. It is identified in the London Plan
London Plan
The London Plan is a planning document written by the Mayor of London, England in the United Kingdom and published by the Greater London Authority. The plan was first published in final form on 10 February 2004 and has since been amended. The current version was published in February 2008...
as one of two "international centres" in London, alongside the West End
West End of London
The West End of London is an area of central London, containing many of the city's major tourist attractions, shops, businesses, government buildings, and entertainment . Use of the term began in the early 19th century to describe fashionable areas to the west of Charing Cross...
.
History
Knightsbridge was originally a small hamlet or locality outside the City of LondonCity of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
, between the villages of Chelsea
Chelsea, London
Chelsea is an area of West London, England, bounded to the south by the River Thames, where its frontage runs from Chelsea Bridge along the Chelsea Embankment, Cheyne Walk, Lots Road and Chelsea Harbour. Its eastern boundary was once defined by the River Westbourne, which is now in a pipe above...
(Chelsey), Kensington
Kensington
Kensington is a district of west and central London, England within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. An affluent and densely-populated area, its commercial heart is Kensington High Street, and it contains the well-known museum district of South Kensington.To the north, Kensington is...
(Kensing town) and Charing. In the time of Edward I
Edward I of England
Edward I , also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English barons...
, the manor of Knightsbridge appertained to the abbey of Westminster. It was named after a crossing of the River Westbourne
River Westbourne
The River Westbourne is a river in London, England. It flows from Hampstead down through Hyde Park to Sloane Square and into the River Thames at Chelsea...
, which is now an underground river
Subterranean river
A subterranean river is a river that runs wholly or partly beneath the ground surface – one where the riverbed does not represent the surface of the Earth ....
. It is recorded that the citizens of London met Matilda of England at the Knight's Bridge in 1141.
From 1885 to 1887, as a result of the opening of trade between Britain and the Far East
Far East
The Far East is an English term mostly describing East Asia and Southeast Asia, with South Asia sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons.The term came into use in European geopolitical discourse in the 19th century,...
, Humphreys' Hall in Knightsbridge hosted an exhibition of Japanese culture
Japanese Village, Knightsbridge
The Japanese Village in Knightsbridge, London, was a late Victorian era exhibition of Japanese culture located in Humphreys' Hall, which took place from January 1885 until June 1887.-Description:...
in a setting built to resemble a traditional Japanese village. The exhibition was very popular, with over 250,000 visitors during its early months. Japanese artisans illustrated "the manners, customs, and art-industries of their country, attired in their national and picturesque costumes. Magnificently decorated and illuminated Buddhist temple. Five o’clock tea in the Japanese tea-house. Japanese Musical and other Entertainments. Every-day Life as in Japan". W.S. Gilbert and his wife attended the exhibition, which is said to have inspired him to write The Mikado
The Mikado
The Mikado; or, The Town of Titipu is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert, their ninth of fourteen operatic collaborations...
.
Economy
Knightsbridge is home to many expensive shops, including the department stores HarrodsHarrods
Harrods is an upmarket department store located in Brompton Road in Brompton, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London. The Harrods brand also applies to other enterprises undertaken by the Harrods group of companies including Harrods Bank, Harrods Estates, Harrods Aviation and Air...
and Harvey Nichols
Harvey Nichols
Harvey Nichols, founded in 1813, is an upmarket department store chain. Its original store is in London. Founded in 1813 as a linen shop, it sells many international brands of clothing for women and men, fashion accessories, beauty products, wine and food...
, and flagship stores of many British and international fashion houses, including those of London-based shoe designers Jimmy Choo
Jimmy Choo
Dato' Jimmy Choo, OBE, born Choo Yeang Keat, is a Malaysian fashion designer based in London, United Kingdom. He is best known for founding Jimmy Choo Ltd that became known for its handmade women's shoes....
and Manolo Blahnik
Manolo Blahnik
Manuel "Manolo" Blahnik Rodríguez CBE, , is a Spanish fashion designer and founder of the self-named, high-end shoe brand.-Biography:Born to a Czech father and a Spanish mother and born and raised in the Canary Islands , Blahnik graduated from the University of Geneva in 1965 and studied art in Paris...
, and two Prada
Prada
Prada S.p.A. is an Italian fashion label specializing in luxury goods for men and women , founded by Mario Prada.-Foundations:...
stores. The district also has banks that cater for rich individuals (including Coutts
Coutts
Coutts & Co. is one of the UK's private banking houses, now wholly owned by the Royal Bank of Scotland . RBS acquired Coutts and all of its overseas subsidiaries when it bought NatWest. On 1 January 2008, Coutts' international businesses were renamed RBS Coutts, aligning them more closely with...
, bankers to the Queen
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
), some of London's most renowned restaurants are here, many exclusive hair and beauty salons, antiques and antiquities dealers, and chic bars and clubs.
Property
The district is leafy, especially considering its location at the heart of London. It is home to many of the world's richest peopleBillionaire
A billionaire, in countries that use the short scale number naming system, is a person who has a net worth of at least one billion units of a given currency, usually the United States dollar, Euro, or Pound sterling. Forbes magazine updates a complete list of U.S. dollar billionaires around the...
, and has some of the highest property prices in the world. In 2006, a four bedroomed apartment in Knightsbridge sold for over £25,000,000, and on street car parking spaces sell for £300,000 on a 94 year lease. In February 2007, the world's most expensive apartment at One Hyde Park
One Hyde Park
One Hyde Park is a major residential and retail complex located in London, United Kingdom. The development includes three retail units totalling and 86 residential properties marketed with prices starting at around £20 million...
, sold off plan for £100,000,000, and was bought by a Qatar
Qatar
Qatar , also known as the State of Qatar or locally Dawlat Qaṭar, is a sovereign Arab state, located in the Middle East, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the much larger Arabian Peninsula. Its sole land border is with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its...
i Prince. The development is valued in excess of £4,000 per square foot (£43,000 per square metre). Fourteen of Britain's two hundred most expensive streets are in the district.
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 from swimming pools to private nightclubs.
The principal landowners in the area are the Duke of Westminster
Duke of Westminster
The title Duke of Westminster was created by Queen Victoria in 1874 and bestowed upon Hugh Grosvenor, 3rd Marquess of Westminster. The current holder of the title is Gerald Grosvenor, 6th Duke of Westminster....
and Earl Cadogan
Earl Cadogan
Earl Cadogan is a title that has been created twice in the Peerage of Great Britain. The Cadogan family descends from Major William Cadogan, a cavalry officer in Oliver Cromwell's army. His son Henry Cadogan was a barrister in Dublin. His eldest son William Cadogan was a noted soldier, politician...
. The two areas of aristocratic landholdings can be distinguished: red-brick Queen Anne Revival
Queen Anne Style architecture
The Queen Anne Style in Britain means either the English Baroque architectural style roughly of the reign of Queen Anne , or a revived form that was popular in the last quarter of the 19th century and the early decades of the 20th century...
buildings are mostly to be found on the Cadogan Estates
Cadogan Estates
Cadogan Estates Ltd is a property company owned by the Earl Cadogan, one of the richest families in the United Kingdom. It is the main landlord in the central London districts of Chelsea and Knightsbridge, and is now the second largest of the surviving aristocratic freehold estates in central...
, whereas white stucco-fronted houses are mostly found on the Grosvenor Estate, built by Thomas Cubitt
Thomas Cubitt
Thomas Cubitt , born Buxton, Norfolk, was the leading master builder in London in the second quarter of the 19th century, and also carried out several projects in other parts of England.-Background:...
.
The district is adjacent to Inner London's largest public park, Hyde Park.
Crime and terrorism
For centuries the area was renowned as the haunt of highwaymen, robbers and cutthroats targeting travellers on the western route out of London, but its fortunes were transformed in the 19th century.However, the area has often been a target for high-profile crime. In 1980, the Iranian Embassy siege
Iranian Embassy Siege
The Iranian Embassy siege took place from 30 April to 5 May 1980, after a group of six armed men stormed the Iranian embassy in South Kensington, London. The gunmen took 26 people hostage—mostly embassy staff, but several visitors and a police officer, who had been guarding the embassy, were also...
took place in Knightsbridge, lasting several days. It ended when the Special Air Service
Special Air Service
Special Air Service or SAS is a corps of the British Army constituted on 31 May 1950. They are part of the United Kingdom Special Forces and have served as a model for the special forces of many other countries all over the world...
stormed the building on live television. In 1983, three Christmas shoppers and three Metropolitan Police
Metropolitan Police Service
The Metropolitan Police Service is the territorial police force responsible for Greater London, excluding the "square mile" of the City of London which is the responsibility of the City of London Police...
officers, evacuating Harrods, were killed by an IRA
Provisional Irish Republican Army
The Provisional Irish Republican Army is an Irish republican paramilitary organisation whose aim was to remove Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and bring about a socialist republic within a united Ireland by force of arms and political persuasion...
car-bomb placed outside the store
Harrods bombing
The Harrods bombing was a car bombing that occurred at Harrods department store in London on 17 December 1983. The bomb had been planted by members of the Provisional IRA, although the IRA Army Council claimed that it had not authorised the attack. The IRA members had sent a warning 37 minutes...
. In 1987, the Knightsbridge Security Deposit centre was the target of a robbery
Knightsbridge Security Deposit robbery
The Knightsbridge Security Deposit robbery took place on 12 July 1987 in Knightsbridge, England, part of the City of Westminster in London. This robbery, the Banco Central burglary at Fortaleza, and the $900 million stolen from the Central Bank of Iraq in 2003 are said to be the largest bank...
and the thieves left with a hoard worth £60 million. In 2005, 22-year-old beautician Clare Bernal was gunned down by her stalker and ex-boyfriend Michal Pech on the shopfloor of Harvey Nichols in front of colleagues and shoppers, before Pech fatally turned the gun on himself.
Many residential buildings are heavily covered by CCTV and are staffed by security guards, while railings or bars on lower floor windows are commonplace.
Buildings
To the north of the area, is the Hyde Park BarracksHyde Park Barracks, London
The Hyde Park Barracks are located in Knightsbridge in central London, U.K. on the southern edge of Hyde Park. Historically they were often known as Knightsbridge Barracks and this name is still sometimes used informally...
of the Household Cavalry
Household Cavalry
The term Household Cavalry is used across the Commonwealth to describe the cavalry of the Household Divisions, a country’s most elite or historically senior military groupings or those military groupings that provide functions associated directly with the Head of state.Canada's Governor General's...
, with a distinctive 33 storey tower by Sir Basil Spence
Basil Spence
Sir Basil Urwin Spence, OM, OBE, RA was a Scottish architect, most notably associated with Coventry Cathedral in England and the Beehive in New Zealand, but also responsible for numerous other buildings in the Modernist/Brutalist style.-Training:Spence was born in Bombay, India, the son of Urwin...
. The Royalty and Diplomatic Protection Department is based in Walton Street.
Nearest places
- Brompton
- BelgraviaBelgraviaBelgravia is a district of central London in the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Noted for its immensely expensive residential properties, it is one of the wealthiest districts in the world...
- ChelseaChelsea, LondonChelsea is an area of West London, England, bounded to the south by the River Thames, where its frontage runs from Chelsea Bridge along the Chelsea Embankment, Cheyne Walk, Lots Road and Chelsea Harbour. Its eastern boundary was once defined by the River Westbourne, which is now in a pipe above...
- South KensingtonSouth KensingtonSouth Kensington is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London. It is a built-up area located 2.4 miles west south-west of Charing Cross....
- MayfairMayfairMayfair is an area of central London, within the City of Westminster.-History:Mayfair is named after the annual fortnight-long May Fair that took place on the site that is Shepherd Market today...
- Hyde ParkHyde Park, LondonHyde Park is one of the largest parks in central London, United Kingdom, and one of the Royal Parks of London, famous for its Speakers' Corner.The park is divided in two by the Serpentine...
Nearest tube stations
The nearest London Underground station is KnightsbridgeKnightsbridge tube station
Knightsbridge tube station is a London Underground station in Knightsbridge , The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is on the Piccadilly Line between South Kensington and Hyde Park Corner, and is in Travelcard Zone 1.-History:...
on the Piccadilly line
Piccadilly Line
The Piccadilly line is a line of the London Underground, coloured dark blue on the Tube map. It is the fifth busiest line on the Underground network judged by the number of passengers transported per year. It is mainly a deep-level line, running from the north to the west of London via Zone 1, with...
. (The former Brompton Road tube station
Brompton Road tube station
Brompton Road tube station is a disused station on the Piccadilly Line of the London Underground. It is located between Knightsbridge and South Kensington.-History:...
closed in 1934.)
See also
- Royal Thames Yacht ClubRoyal Thames Yacht ClubThe Royal Thames Yacht Club is the oldest sailing club in the United Kingdom. Its headquarters are located at 60 Knightsbridge, London, England, overlooking Hyde Park....
, 60 Knightsbridge - St Columba's Church of ScotlandSt Columba's Church, LondonSt Columba's Church is one of the two London congregations of the Church of Scotland. The church building is located in Pont Street, Knightsbridge, near Harrod's department store....
, Pont Street - Caledonian ClubCaledonian ClubThe Caledonian Club is a members' club in central London, for Scots in London and their guests.- History :The club was founded in 1891 as a proprietary club, based in Chares II street, London SW1...