| Kensington Church Street | |
| Alternate Name: | A4204 |
| Former Names: | Church Lane, Silver Street |
| Metro System: | Tube |
| Location: | Kensington, London |
| Map Type: | United Kingdom London Westminster |
| Direction A: | North |
| Terminus A: | Notting Hill Gate |
| Direction B: | South |
| Terminus B: | Kensington High Street |
| Known For: | Shopping, fine art and antique sellers. |
Kensington Church Street is a shopping street in Kensington, London, England, designated the A4204, and traditionally known for its art and antiques shops.
Buildings at the southern end date back to the early 1700s.[1] It is named after Kensington's original church of St Mary Abbots. The south part was formerly called Church Lane, and the north part, Silver Street. Until 1864 there was a toll gate at Campden Street.[2]
The street runs north to south from Notting Hill Gate to Kensington High Street. There are several Grade II listed Georgian and Victorian buildings.[3]
Time Out calls it "eccentrically posh".[4]
On the night of the 29 August 1975, Joseph O'Connell and Eddie Butler, members of the IRA's Balcombe Street Gang placed a bomb in the doorway of a shoe shop. A warning was phoned to the Daily Mail at 9:35pm. The bomb exploded at 10:12pm, killing Roger Goad, a Metropolitan Police explosives officer who was attempting to defuse it.[5] [6] [7]
Until it moved in 1973, Barbara Hulanicki's influential fashion shop Biba was located in Kensington Church Street.[8]
The composer Muzio Clementi lived at Number 128 from 1820 to 1823, and is commemorated with a blue plaque.[9] [10] [11]
The street is mentioned several times in The Napoleon of Notting Hill by G. K. Chesterton.