KNIGHTSBRIDGE description, info, attractions, tips, events
DESCRIPTION
A recent visitor to London said: "I quite liked staying in the Knightsbridge area, it was handy to shopping and transport."
Knightsbridge is perhaps the most sophisticated area in London. Its air of refinement has to do with its many exclusive designer clothes shops, top boutiques, antique dealers, jewellery shops, museums and auction houses.
It's a neighbourhood partly in the city of Westminster, and partly in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Located south of Hyde Park and northwest of Belgravia, in London's West End, it is the site of stately houses and clubs and of the famous department store Harrods.
It was a village in the Middle Ages, and was recorded as Cnihtebricge ("Bridge of the Young Men") in the mid-11th century. From the 17th century the area was known for its taverns, including the Swan, the World's End, and the Fox and Bull.
HOW TO GET THERE
Knightsbridge Underground Station is 3 stops from Piccadilly Circus on the Piccadilly Line.
ATTRACTIONS IN THE AREA
ROYAL ALBERT HALL & ALBERT MEMORIAL
Address: Kensington Gore Phone: +44 (0)20 7589 8212
It's one of Britain's most important concert halls and major landmarks, located south of the Albert Memorial and north of the Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine. Designated a memorial to Prince Albert, the consort of Queen Victoria, the immense oval structure was built in 1867-71.
The Royal Albert Hall and the buildings around it were inspired by Prince Albert, and were made possible by the profits from the Great Exhibition of 1851, an event Prince Albert instigated. He wished to create a place where various branches of arts and industry could flourish in one location. When Prince Albert died in 1861, the public helped donate funds for both his memorial and the central building of the estate, named Royal Albert Hall by Queen Victoria herself.
The Albert Memorial is in Kensington Gardens, near the southern boundary of the park, at the site of the Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of all Nations.
The Royal Albert Hall is located across the street. Since opening, the Hall has hosted cultural performances of every sort, including the famous annual Henry Wood Promenade Concerts, known commonly as the Proms, held every year between July and September.
Nearest Tube: South Kensington
VICTORIA & ALBERT MUSEUM
Address: Cromwell Road, SW7
Phone: +44 (0)20 7942 2000
Hours: 10am-5.45pm daily 10am-10pm Wednesday & last Friday of the month (except December) Closed 24, 25, 26 December
Admission to the V&A is free. Some exhibitions and events carry a separate charge. There are free guided tours.
The V&A is a few minutes' walk of South Kensington tube station, on the corner of Cromwell Road and Exhibition Road. It contains what is generally regarded as the world's most extensive collection of applied and decorative arts, displayed in beautiful surroundings. Decorative arts are the design and decoration of objects that are useful as well as beautiful: ceramics, glassware, basketry, pottery, jewelry, metalware, furniture, textiles, clothing, and similar are the main examples.
There are collections dating from 3000 BC, including paintings, sculpture, silver, books, prints photographs, carpets. A few hours exploring the Victoria and Albert Museum and you’ll find treasures from all over the world.
The museum was founded in 1852 but did not move to its current location until 1857, although it was then known as the South Kensington Museum. It was renamed the Victoria and Albert Museum in 1899, when Queen Victoria laid the cornerstone for the present building, designed by Sir Aston Webb. Both the premises and the collection have extended since that time.
Among its most interesting galleries are the British Galleries 1500-1900, 15 state-of-the-art galleries with interactive exhibits, audio-visual displays and objects to handle, outlining the history of British art and design from the Tudor age to the Victorian era. The museum contains a remarkable collection of reproductions in the Cast Courts. While not "real" objects, these reproductions are often in better condition than the originals and comprise one of the few remaining collections of such objects. The Nehru Gallery of Indian Art is also impressive and contains one of the highlights of the museum: Tippoo’s Tiger. This model of a tiger devouring a man was brought to London in 1799 and contains an organ that simulates the tiger’s growls and the man’s shrieks. The Dress Gallery houses a collection of clothing. The most recent galleries opened to the public are the recently restored Whiteley Silver Galleries.
There are several places to eat and shop within the museum. Pick up a map before exploring, or a guidebook covering the highlights of the collections.
The V&A is open late every Wednesday, with lectures, live jazz, talks and tours, and on the last Friday of every month, featuring live performances, guest DJs, debates, music and guest speakers. Throughout the year, the V&A offers a wide choice of special events, exhibitions and activities.
Nearest Underground: South Kensington (Piccadilly, District and Circle lines).
Buses: C1, 14 and 74 stop outside the Cromwell Road entrance.
See also Docklands & Canary Wharf luxury hotels | City & South Bank hotels | City & Barbican luxury hotels
Docklands budget hotels | Greenwich hotels | Bloomsbury & Holborn hotels
Mayfair hotels | Bloomsbury luxury hotels | Victoria luxury hotels