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K e l l y ’ s G U ID E TO LONDON— KENSIN GTON D IS T R IC T .

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KENSINGTON DISTRICT.

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H I S d istric t w as lo n g fa m ilia rly k n o w n as the “ O ld C o u rt S u b u rb ,” and w as
fo r very m an y years one o f the favou rite resid en tial quarters o f the W est

E n d , b ut la tte rly it h as becom e less fash io n ab le.

I t h as recen tly been a b le to boast

o f on e o f th e finest h o tels in L o n d o n — the R o y a l P alace H o te l.

KENSINGTON PALACE,

an o ld roya l resid en ce, is a red b ric k b u ild in g

o f a p la in cK aratter, th e greater part o f w h ich w as b u ilt about tw o cen turies
ago .

Its h isto rica l associations are d ee p ly in terestin g, as it w as th e scene o f the

d eaths o f W illia m I I I . , and Q u een M ary, and o f Q u een A n n e , and G eorg e I I I .
I t w as here, too, that Q u een V ic to r ia w as born on M a y 24, 18 19 , and that she
receiv ed the new s o f her accession to th e throne on Ju n e 2 1, 1837.

T h e State

R o o m s h ave recen tly been throw n open to th e p u b lic.

HOLLAND HOUSE, w h ic h is situ ate abou t h a lf a m ile to the w est o f
K e n sin g to n P a la c e , is a h isto ric m an sio n in the l u d o r sty le , w h ich w as b u ilt in
1607 on the site o f th e o ld m anor house o f A b b o t’ s, K e n sin gto n . A d d iso n , on
h is m a r r ia g e w ith the w id o w o f the first L o rd H o lla n d , liv e d h ere up to the date
o f h is d eath , and C h a rle s Jam es F o x , th e second so n o f L o rd H o lla n d , passed h is
e a r ly years here.'

D u rin g the life o f the secon d L o rd H o lla n d , H o lla n d H ou se

w as the m ost b rillia n t lite ra ry and p o litic a l centre w h ich L o n d on h as e ve r kno w n ,
an d becam e celeb rated as the m eetin g p lace o f the m ost illu strio u s ■E n g lish
statesm en, artists, and m en o f letters.

THE ALBERT MEMORIAL, the m ost b eau tifu l and elaborate o f Lond on
m onum ents, w as erected abou t fo rty years a go at a cost o f £ 1 20,000. T h e in scrip ­
tion is as f o l lo w s :— “ Q u een V ic to ria and h er p eople to th e m em ory o f A lb e rt
P rin ce C onsort, as a trib u te o f th eir gratitu d e fo r a life ^devoted to the p u b lic
g o o d .”

T h e d esign is based on that o f an E le an o r cross, and the sum m it o f the

spire is 150 ft. in h eigh t.

O n a platform , reached on a ll fou r sides b y fine flights

o f gra n ite steps, is a p ed estal, around w h ich are reliev o s in m arble represen tin g
the poets, m usician s, painters, arch itects, and scu lptors o f a ll ages and countries.
T h e se figures num ber n e arly 200, and the sculptures h ave d ese rve d ly a lw a y s been
m uch adm ired .

A t the a n g les o f the steps are fou r n ob le groups o f sculpture—

a lle g o ric a l representations' of. the great d ivisio n s o f th e w o rld , w h ilst a t e ach '
a n g le o f the m assive pedestal there are m arb le groups represen tin g A g ricu ltu re ,
In d u stry, C om m erce, and A rc h ite ctu re .

The

m em orial statue represents the

P rin c e C o n sort seated and w e arin g th e dress o f a K n ig h t o f the G arter, and over
th is is a G o th ic canopy, term in atin g in a cross, som e 18 0 ft. above the ground.