(This excerpt previously appeared in my 17 May guest post on Anglotopia.net, a brilliant, comprehensive resource on all things UK that I highly recommend to all Anglophiles!)
Continuing from my previous post on where Americans tend to gravitate in London, today I bring you:
South Kensington
Central to London is the neighborhood of South Kensington, an affluent postcode that is home to a substantial American population. The area bears a similar aesthetic to trendy U.S. neighbourhoods like Lincoln Park in Chicago or New York’s SoHo or Upper West Side and, like Notting Hill, is a cornucopia of shopping and dining.
Gloucester Road is among many venue-lined roads and is home to one particular grocery store that has become a guilty pleasure (if not a staple) for many-an American expat: Partridges. For as many American brands (or decent-enough equivalents) that can be found in UK stores, there are many good ol’ standbys that are rare in these here parts, so it’s key to have an oasis of American goods to satisfy that occasional craving for pancakes and Kraft Macaroni & Cheese! And for more upscale shopping, South Kensington is only a few minutes’ walk from its opulent and pricier neighbor, Knightsbridge, which houses the likes of Harrods.
With the Victoria & Albert and Natural History museums, as well as concerts at the Royal Albert Hall, South Kensington also provides a convenient dosage of British history and culture to immerse expats in their new country.
Stemming off of a previous circuit I recommended (the “Kensington Gardens Gallivant“), we’ll be heading west of South Kensington today for a nice neighborhoody stroll that won’t bog us down with too many big attractions. Instead, we’ll pass by and through points of interests and just soak up the atmosphere of a nice London neighborhood on a hopefully nice day outside.
If you’re in the vicinity of South Kensington station, start heading west on Brompton Road and stay on it as it becomes Old Brompton Road. You’ll pass by a string of shops and restaurants that you can pop into to your heart’s content. One cute one along the way is Bumpkin, which would make for a nice brunch stop. My husband also likes to ogle the Ferrari dealership further down on the left-hand side. If you’re more keen on a pub breakfast or lunch, two great options just across the street from each other are the Duke of Clarence (for higher grade gastropub fare) or the Drayton Arms (your more laidback variety with classic pub grub and a great English breakfast). Otherwise, around this same intersection you’ll see a variety of ethnic cuisines like Indian and Vietnamese.
Keeping on Old Brompton, on your left you’ll eventually see a long brick wall with a blue plaque signifying it as the site of the former home of Beatrix Potter, author of the treasured Peter Rabbit books. A primary school now stands on the site, but you can take a stroll around this neighborhood, called The Boltons, to get a taste for the affluent residences that have stood there since Beatrix’s time.
As you approach the intersection with Earls Court Road, to your left is the building where Lady Diana lived when she was courting Prince Charles, Colherne Court. Turning right onto Earls Court Road here will take you along a corridor highly populated with cafes and pubs, as well as Earls Court tube station if you’re needing to catch the District or Piccadilly lines.
Otherwise, if you’re a film buff, if you stay on Old Brompton, walk past Earls Court Road and turn left at the next street, 64 Colherne Road is the site of the famous metamorphosis scene in the cult-classic An American Werewolf in London—it’s Nurse Alex’s flat! The scene of a more recent film, Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law, is just a block further west on Old Brompton Road at the Brompton Cemetery. This graveyard is one of the Magnificent Seven located all over London that came into being during the Victorian era to solve the issue of overcrowding in individual churchyards. Almost 40 acres in size, it makes for an atmospheric and peaceful walk and/or sit, and is free, as opposed to its Highgate sister from yesterday’s London Bundle.
Across the street from the cemetery, you can’t help but notice the enormous Earls Court convention center that houses major fairs like the London Book Fair and Great British Beer Festival, as well as the prestigious music award show, the BRIT Awards. And, actually, if you’re willing to back-track a bit, on Old Brompton Road just between Colherne Road and the cemetery is a great coffee shop/restaurant named The Troubadour. Established in the 1950s, its music venue downstairs has hosted performances by legends like Bob Dylan (it was the first place he ever performed in London, in fact), Jimi Hendrix, Paul Simon, and Joni Mitchell.
With all this celebrity exposure, you could continue the trend by staying on Old Brompton (which turns into Lillie Road eventually) and hang a left on Fulham Road to catch a flick at the Fulham Broadway Cinema. This positions you perfectly if you’re looking for dinner—there is plenty to choose from within the mall at the cinema or outside in the general Fulham Broadway area—or ready to head back to the comforts of the fabulous London flat where London Relocation Ltd. has placed you after your move to London …this being because the cinema is located directly above the Fulham Broadway tube station. Ta da!
Today is the first of my London Bundles that ventures out into the neighborhoods outside the City, yet still considered fairly “central London” (i.e., Zone 1).
Let’s start our journey at South Kensington Tube station (which services the District, Circle, and Piccadilly lines). As soon as you ascend the Underground station’s steps into the light, you’ll find yourself at quite the center of action. Surrounding the station are endless choices of restaurants and shops, so you can dip into a cafe here if you didn’t grab breakfast at your hotel or flat (you know, the perfect abode where London Relocation Ltd. just successfully placed you). Might I recommend the darling Cafe Creperie just Northwest of the station and along the way to where your area tour will continue (make sure you bring cash, though, for those crepes…last time I was there, they didn’t accept credit or debit).
Continuing North on Exhibition Road, you will soon enough see the Victoria & Albert Museum to your right and the Natural History Museum to your left—take your pick (I am, however, partial to the V&A for its artifacts, artwork, and antique furnishings and textiles on exhibit, as well as the special Grace Kelly exhibition currently on display!) Best part of either museum is that they’re FREE.
All right then, mosey onward further North on Exhibition Road, past Imperial College, and hang a left at Kensington Road. You will see that Kensington Gardens is just across the street. You can enter the park if you stay on Exhibition Road, but by walking along Kensington Road, you can go past the famous Royal Albert Hall (the acoustically brilliant concert that hosts the annual Proms) and see the exotic Albert Memorial (that Queen Victoria commissioned in honor of her dearly departed husband in 1875) just across the way inside the park. Once you reach the Southwest corner of the park, enter onto a walkway that will lead you directly to Kensington Palace, where Queen Victoria was born and pronounced Queen and where Lady Diana lived the rest of her years (if you recall the footage of the masses of bouquets mourners piled up outside palace gates, this is the place where those vigils took place). The palace recently kicked off its Enchanted Palace exhibit to offer a bit of avant-garde eye candy while the building undergoes extensive renovation. Venturing inside does come at a price, but just touring the grounds for free is worthwhile—the blooms decking out the Sunken Garden and swans preening on the Round Pond being visual delights.
Enjoy a pleasant stroll on the main walkway (The Broad Walk) between the pond and palace as you continue North and exit outside the Northwest corner of the park. The main road you encounter here is just where Bayswater Road becomes Notting Hill Gate, so hang a left and continue into the well-known neighborhood. Just past the Tube station, you can jog over onto Pembridge Road for a couple blocks until you see the entrance to Portobello Road. Wandering the length of this road will take you past the antique, clothing, and produce stalls that give this area its character (and, yes, you’ll see sites from the movie, including the storefront of the travel bookshop in the film as well as the original shop on which it was based).
Notting Hill is an ideal neighborhood in which to close out your day, with no end to the pubs, cafes, and restaurants to grab your late lunch or dinner, or cinemas to enjoy some seated, passive time to yourself (try the Electric on Portobello for an ultra-cozy recliner as a seat or the Coronet on Notting Hill Gate for its history). From here, you can catch the Tube at the Notting Hill Gate station (District, Circle, and Central lines), or, first, pop down onto Kensington Church Street for more dinner options, including the Churchill Arms pub if you’re thirsty. Cheers!
Direct: 
…this being because the cinema is located directly above the Fulham Broadway tube station. Ta da!
