The site of the Civic Centre for the newly created Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, as seen from the roof of the Central Library building. In 1965, under the re-organisation of London Boroughs, Kensington was united with Chelsea. It was decided to replace the two Town Halls with a joint Civic Centre. Finding a site large enough in the centre of the Borough proved to be difficult. The area chosen is located just north of Kensington High Street between Hornton Street and Campden Hill Road. Locals decried the lost of the last piece of green space in the area. Trees around the site were shored up during excavation work to allay the protestors.
The Royal Borough of Kensington had purchased the site earlier for £90,000. Some of the buildings were already in use as municipal offices. Nidry Lodge, built in 1831, is shown on the right and was used by a linguist club. Hornton Cottage can be seen on the far right.
The largest house, in the centre of the photograph, is the Red House. Take note of the distinctive façade and go to the next screen.
Copyright: the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Libraries (RBKC Libraries)
Location of original: Local Studies vf
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Virtual Museum – The History of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
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