Kensington
Kensington Square
Kensington Square is one of the oldest squares in Kensington and is just south of Kensington High Street. It surrounds a private, central communal garden which contains many mature trees. There is a Summer house, designed with columns resembling the front of a Greek temple.
The houses are mainly four or five storeys high but the actual height of the roofs all vary. The facades are mainly natural brick, although on the south side quite a few of them are painted. Some of the houses are extremely large. They all have small front gardens and some of them are very old. There are numerous ‘blue plaques’ in the square. Despite being one minute’s walk away from Kensington High Street, the square is remarkably quiet.
The south west corner has the Maria Assumpta Centre. This contains a convent as well as some very beautiful gardens which are occasionally opened to the public. Next to the square is the chapel of the Convent of the Assumption with an ornate circular window on the façade.
On the south east corner there is Thackeray Street which has some good quality, small, local shops including a French patisserie and two well-known art galleries. There is also a rather charming Italian delicatessen called Otto E Mezzo (Eight and a half). It is very like walking into someone’s private kitchen in a village in Italy! It has a small dining area next door.
