Abbotsbury Road Explained

Abbotsbury Road
Image Alt:View along Abbotsbury Road
Map Type:Greater London
Namesake:Abbotsbury, Dorset
Type:Street
Area:Holland Park
Location:Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England
Postal Code:W14
Metro:Holland Park tube station
Coordinates:51.5012°N -0.2058°W
Direction A:North
Terminus A:Holland Park
Direction B:South
Terminus B:Melbury Road
Junction:Ilchester Place, Oakwood Court, Oakwood Lane, Abbotsbury Close
North:Holland Park (street)
East:Holland Park (park)
South:Melbury Road
West:Abbotsbury Close
Main Contractor:Wates Limited (1950s/1960s)
Commissioning Date:1905
Construction Start Date:c.1924 (houses)
Completion Date:1960s
Designer:Stone, Toms and Partners (1950s/1960s)
Known For:Holland Park, Tortoises with Triangle and Time

Abbotsbury Road is a residential road in the Holland Parkarea of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, West London, England.[1]

The road links the street Holland Park to the north with Melbury Road to the south, known for the Holland Park Circle of artists. There is a junction with Ilchester Place to the east. The parkland of Holland Park itself runs along the east side of the street for much of its length, with three entrances to the park.

Abbortsbury Road has existed since 1905. The southern part of Abbotsbury Road, named after a Dorset estate belonging to the Earl of Ilchester, was created at the same time as Oakwood Court.[2] Only a few houses were built before World War II (odd Nos 3–9 in c.1924; even Nos 8–10 and 24–28 in the 1930s). During the 1950s and 1960s, there was extensive building in the street. All the houses and flats on the west side of Abbotsbury Road to the north of Oakwood Court (odd Nos 17–137), in the adjoining Abbotsbury Close (Nos 1–66), and Abbotsbury House (a 10-storey block of flats), were built during this period by Wates Limited, designed by Stone, Toms and Partners.

The Maharishi Mahesh Yogi Meditation Centre was located in Abbotsbury Road and The Beatles visited in 1967.[3]

At the northern end in the park, installed in 2000, is the outdoor sculpture Tortoises with Triangle and Time by Wendy Taylor, commissioned by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea for the Millennium.[4]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Abbotsbury Road, W14 . The Underground Map . 7 September 2023 .
  2. Book: Survey of London . The Holland estate: Since 1874 . 126–150 . 37, Northern Kensington . London County Council / British History Online . London . 1973 . 31 August 2023 .
  3. News: Sorry You Missed the Sixties at The Playboy Club . . UK . 3 April 2012 .
  4. Web site: Tortoises with Triangle and Time . . 7 September 2023 .