Introduction
This walk is designed to acquaint you with some of the sites a little closer to home—specifically Holland Park and Kensington High Street. Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park are wonderful, but Holland Park is a very different kind of park, and one that you may use when you are in a mood just to get away, and experience the “lungs of London.” You will find Holland Park more rustic and less crowded, because the Holland Park tube station is outside zone one of the tube system, and many people are not prone to explore London outside that boundary. Unfortunately, I have found in the past that many of our students have never discovered this jewel within walking distance of the BYU Centre.In this park, you are likely to see more wildlife such as peacocks and rabbits, as well as the traditional park fare of pigeons and squirrels. Unlike many of the Royal Parks, it also contains many recreational areas, including two children’s playgrounds, tennis and netball courts, a football (please, not soccer) field, which doubles as a cricket field. There is a golf bunker as well. Also available are a cafeteria and a beautiful flower garden, woodlands, and grass areas—not to mention two Japanese gardens. One of London’s youth hostels also occupies part of the area where Holland House, once one of London’s most stately estates, was located. An outdoor theater, operative in the summer, has also been constructed from part of the original manor house on the estate. Holland Park is also one of the newer parks, having been opened to the public in 1952.The stately manor of Holland House that once stood on these grounds goes back to the time of the early Stuarts, when it was created in 1607 as Cope Castle for Sir Walter Cope, one of the wealthiest men in the kingdom. Later, through marriage, it became the home of Henry Rich, first Earl of Holland, who was among those who rebelled against Charles I. Although Rich was beheaded in the Civil War, the family was allowed to keep the home. For a time, it was occupied by two of the parliamentary generals, but it was later restored to Lord Holland’s widow. In 1689, William III and Mary II lived temporarily in the structure. In 1763, it was sold to Henry Fox, who was created the third Baron Holland. Under the patronage of his wife, the house became a favorite gathering place of Whig politicians and their literary friends: “the favorite resort of wits and beauties, painters and poets, scholars, philosophers, and statesmen.” During the Victorian age, under the stimulus of the Princep family, Little Holland House, a structure not nearly so grand, but adjacent to the larger mansion, became an equally famous gathering place for the same type of audience.In September of 1940, the manor was destroyed by German bombing. The east wing of the mansion was restored as the King George VI Memorial Youth Hostel, and the remainder of the structure still standing forms the backdrop for an outdoor theatre. The vast grounds of Holland House became what is now Holland Park. In 1991, to commemorate the centennial of the Japanese Society in London, the famed Kyoto Garden, one of the real highlights of the park was created—a wonderful example of a Japanese garden.
#1 Start: Notting Hill Gate to Farmer Street
This walk starts at the BYU Centre. Go to Notting Hill Gate Road/Bayswater, and turn right. Cross the road somewhere between Palace Court and the Gate Cinema on Farmer’s Street. Turn left onto Farmer Street.The houses in the Farmer Street area were built as low-cost housing after World War I during the 1920s. Currently they are some of the most coveted properties in London, the cheapest of which sell for hundreds of thousands of pounds, the most expensive for multi-millions.
#2 Hillgate Place
Follow Farmer’s Street until it ends in a “T.” Turn right onto Hillgate Place.Keep in mind that you are only two blocks from one of London’s busy thoroughfares. Despite that fact, note how quiet the Hillgate Place neighborhood is. This is one of the things that makes the area so popular.
#3 Aubrey Walk
Turn left onto Hillgate Street and then right onto Kensington Place. When you reach the end of Kensington Place, cross Campden Hill Road, and find Aubrey Walk (just a little left of straight across—look for the sign on the railing that goes around the building). Go along Aubrey Walk until it terminates.The church to your right as you move along Aubrey Walk is St. George’s, Campden Hill. Because of heavy bombing in this area during World War II, and because of the clay soil upon which it is constructed, it was in danger of collapsing until just recently. It has undergone renovation, as has much of the area. Notice especially the properties to your left. These Georgian homes sell for multi-millions of pounds.During the summer, beautifully landscaped gardens are seen in front of most of the homes on Aubrey Walk. Brits take great pride in grooming their gardens. In Britain, the term “yard” is used only for a blacktopped area; lawns, etc., are properly referred to as gardens. Never insult a Brit by saying that they have a beautiful “yard.” The term doesn’t transfer from the States. The structure to your left, when you get to the end of Aubrey Walk has been built on the site of Kensington Wells, an early eighteenth-century spa. You might be interested in the material recorded on the blue plaque.
#4 Holland Park Mews
Turn right onto Aubrey Road until it terminates at Holland Park Avenue (the next extension onto Bayswater Road/Notting Hill Gate). Turn left and walk until you come to the statue of St. Volodymyr, constructed by the Ukrainians. This will be to your left, on the corner of Holland Park Road and Holland Park Avenue. Cross to the other side of Holland Park Road and turn left along Holland Park Road, with the road on your left, until you see Holland Park Mews. Turn right through the mews.A mews in London signifies a place where horses were kept and servants housed for the mansion they served. At one time London’s horse population almost equaled its people. And we think all “pollution” is modern! Almost every block or section of middle and upper class homes had its inner court of mews. Over time, stables gave way to garages. A two-bedroom home in Holland Park Mews recently (2018) listed for £108,333 pcm (per calendar month, and as a leaseholder, i.e. tenant). Translated into US dollars, that would be about $145,500 per month. Some of these mews throughout London are now the trendy places to live, as evidenced by the autos you see parked along the road. Holland Park Mews is an excellent example.
#5 Abbotsbury Road to Abbotsbury Gate
When you exit the mews, you are on Abbotsbury Road. Turn left and proceed with the street at your right (see Mini-walk: Lord Leighton House under the heading "Other Places to Visit Nearby When You Have Time" at the end of this walk). As you make your way along Abbotsbury Road, you will come to an entrance on your left that announces Abbotsbury Gate. Turn left and enter Holland Park (this is the third entrance to the park off of Abbotsbury—the Abbotsbury Road Entrance). Go past the tennis courts and look for a sign indicating the location of the Kyoto Garden. Proceed in the direction indicated by the sign, walking beyond the rose garden. When the paths diverge in three directions, stay on the left path. To your right there is a statue of a man strolling along a walk. At the next division of paths, take the path to your left, leading to the beautiful garden.As any of you who are schooled in Asian landscape gardening are aware, the Kyoto Garden is filled with symbolism. This symbolism is explained by signs along the path and will be of help in understanding what you are seeing. The garden is an excellent place to sit and meditate or read when you need a moment of reflection.
#6 Kyoto Garden to Walking Man Statue
When you leave the Kyoto Garden, turn left. When you come back to the statue of the walking man, stay to the left and walk the path by the fence.This is the area where you should see most of the wildlife, including the peacocks and rabbits.
#7 Flower Gardens
When you come to the end of this path, you should see some directional signs to your left, indicating the ecology center, adventure playground, etc. Turn to the right and you will come to the formal flower gardens.During the flower season, these beds are extremely colorful and their French-style symmetry provides a striking contrast with the English-style country gardens in the rest of the park.
#8 Holland House Mural
Turn right just as you get to the gardens and move forward with the gardens on your left. When you arrive at the bottom of the gardens, and before you come to the first of three hedge rows, turn left and follow that path. Go past the sundial and fountain, and head for the building you see in the distance.The sundial's triangle, created to match the park's latitude, is, with the addition of the tortoises, a great depiction of the slow passage of time and shadow playing out across the face of the sundial. Take a look at it before you pass by on your way to your destination. On the east side of the building remains there is a full-size mural showing what life was like at Holland House in the 1870s. This should aid you in conjuring up your own vision of what you might have experienced, had you been here then.
#9 Refreshment Stand
Go left along the mural until you come to the refreshment stand.If it's open, you may want to take some time here for a rest and snack. You still have a fairly good walk in front of you.
#10 Kensington High Street
Walk along the path that places the playing fields to your right and the buildings (what remains of the original Holland House) to your left. Continue on this path until it terminates (by another dog toilet). Turn right at the dog toilet and follow this path with the playing field to your right until you arrive at Kensington High Street.You will notice from the advertisements that this area is now an open air theatre in the summer—and close enough that you might be tempted to sneak over for a performance or two.To your right is what remains of the Commonwealth Institute, once hailed as a 20th century "post-war masterpiece," due to its stunning architecture. Originally this was filled with major exhibits from each of the former Commonwealth countries. The building currently houses the Design Museum; although its original exterior was preserved, it has lost its 20th century interior features and is considered by many to be a lost treasure.
#11 Kensington High Street to Kensington Church Street
Turn left onto Kensington High Street and make your way back to the BYU Centre, via Kensington Church Street.The walk is relatively long, so if you are tired, there are two other alternatives to consider. 1) You might look for a bus (#27 or #28) that goes up Kensington Church Street on this (the left) side of the road and take that back to Notting Hill Gate road, or 2) you may catch the High Street Kensington tube, on the right side of the road and unfortunately a good distance away—Circle and District Lines.However, my recommendation is that you walk Kensington High Street and become familiar with this part of the “neighborhood” as well. This will afford you a good chance to do some window shopping and find what is in this area, such as a Safeway store, if you want a taste of American shopping. You will also notice to your right, across the road from the Commonwealth Institute building, one of London’s nicer cinema complexes, in case you have an urge for a “flick” (British slang for “cinema”—probably from “flickers,” a reference to the quivering quality of early movies). As you are doing your window shopping, note the grand structures that have been covered up with all of the little shops of today. In the second half of the last century, Kensington High Street exploded from a population of seventy to that of 120,000, and fashionable shops crowded the road even as they do today.You might want to take a diversion and visit the Linley Sambourne House, 18 Stafford Terrace (off Phillimore Gardens to your left) for a fun and informative (sometimes costumed) guided tour. It is full of artistic memorabilia evoking the names of many of the artists in Victorian London. Sambourne himself was a cartoonist who worked for Punch, a famous British magazine with roots in the Victorian age.
#12 The End: Return to the BYU Centre
When you arrive at Kensington Church Street, turn left and make your way back to Notting Hill Gate.From the top of Kensington Church Street, you should be able to find your way (right) back to Palace Court.St. Mary Abbots Church at the corner of Kensington Church Street and Kensington High Street is a famous old church, dating back to the late seventeenth century. It was Queen Victoria’s parish church during the time that she lived in Kensington Palace, and became a famous landmark during the time that Victoria was having her Diamond Jubilee in 1897. The film taken of the Jubilee shows her stopping at the church, which has one of the highest towers of all the London churches. Those of you who love antiques will find a veritable paradise on Kensington Church Street.
#13 Other Places to Visit Nearby When You Have Time
Mini-walk: Lord Leighton HouseIf you were to go to the bottom of Abbotsbury Road and make your way to the right you would come to the Leighton House museum and art gallery, one of the most intriguing little museums in London. I couldn’t recommend any of the smaller galleries in London more highly. Lord Frederick Leighton was in the center of the art world of Victorian England, being the President of the Royal Academy of Arts and London’s most prestigious painter. He is the only painter in British art history to be created a baron.His home was also his own museum and contains many of the most prized of Victorian paintings, including his and others. In the entrance to the museum is an Arab Hall, complete with ceramic tiles from Egypt and Greece and a small Islamic-inspired pool, fed by a fountain. Victorian paintings are placed throughout the rooms of the gallery, and a small stage that was used for performances during his lifetime is still used on occasion for exhibitions and concerts.Unfortunately, there is no convenient way to get to Leighton House. You have two riding options: 1) take the tube to High Street Kensington, and make your way to the left (as you come out of the station) along Kensington High Street until you come to the Commonwealth Institute (across the road); or 2) catch a #27 or #28 bus on the top of Kensington Church Street and exit the bus near the Commonwealth Institute (be sure to catch the bus on the side of Kensington Church Street nearer to the BYU Centre). Go beyond it to the next intersection, Melbury Road. Turn right onto Melbury and watch for Holland Park Road, which comes up immediately on your left. Turn left onto this road and look for Leighton House at #12. There is a charge for admission.
