Kensington

A-D | E-O | P-Z | Earl's Terrace Edge Street Edwardes Square Eldon Road Essex Villas Farm Place Farmer Street Gloucester Walk Gordon Place Hillgate Place Hillgate Street Hillsleigh Road Holland Street Inverness Gardens Iverna Court Iverna Gardens Jameson Street Kelso Place Kensington Court Kensington Court Mews Kensington Court Place Kensington Place Kensington Square Kingsley Mews Kynance Mews Kynance Place Launceston Place Observatory Gardens

Gordon Place

Gordon Place is a small street, on a slope, running south from Campden Grove to Holland Street.

It contains mainly three and four-storey stucco houses with small front yards. Halfway down the street there is a lovely view of the spire of Kensington Parish Church. There is an enormous mature tree on the corner with Pitt Street which must be one of the oldest trees in the area.

At the southern end of the street is a very attractive neighbourhood pub called the Elephant and Castle, which in the Summer has a profusion of flowers and plants, with several seats outside which is a real sun spot. It is well worth a visit on a Spring or Summer day.

Gordon Place was part of the Pitt Estate.

William Eales, a timber merchant, and Jeremiah Little, a builder, both from St Marylebone had the building lease to develop most of the Pitt Estate, granted by Steven Pitt in 1844. (The terms are dealt with in the history of the Pitt Estate.)

They sub-contracted the work to John Salmon of Wiple Place, Kensington Church Street. He built Nos. 2-18 (even) Gordon Place. Thomas Casey of Kensington built Nos. 19-31 (odd) Gordon Place and Gordon Cottages on precisely the same basis. Gordon Place was called Vicarage Street at the time.

The cul-de-sac at the southern end was built in 1846 by Charles and Frederick Sewell of Paddington. It was originally called Orchard Street.

The houses on the west side between Pitt Street and Holland Street were demolished for construction of the District and Metropolitan Railway. Once the tunnels had been built and covered over again, the railway company sold the land on to Charles Hall, a barrister in 1872, and he used a local builder, Thomas Hussey to build a terrace of nine houses Nos. 20-38 (even) Gordon Place. Nos. 40-44 (even) on the same side of the street were built in 1871 by William Cooke of Paddington. Nos. 1-17 (odd) were erected in 1872-3. They were all built by Samuel Sawyer of Paddington except for No 1 which was built by William Cooke. Nos. 7,9 and 11 were re-built after the Second World War.

 

To see where it is, click Map