Kensington Living
Kensington houses
Click one of these topics relating to Kensington houses.
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How Kensington houses have changedMany of Kensington houses today were originally stables. This is the case with all original mews houses which were built in streets behind the real Kensington houses. The Victorians would recognise the facades of Kensington houses today, but be amazed by the change in use behind, since most original Kensington houses have now been converted into flats. |
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Growth in size of Kensington housesThe Georgians built relatively small Kensington houses. These have generally remained in use as family houses today. Throughout the Victorian period Kensington houses became ever larger, to accommodate large families and the necessary servants. Frequently Kensington houses might contain a family with 9 children and 10 or more servants. Many Kensington houses have been converted to use as embassies. When you go to an embassy and consider the number of people working there, it is amazing to think that it was considered the right size as a Kensington house for just one family in Victorian times. |
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Social reasons for house designKensington houses were built for discrimination. Kensington houses were often built with 2 staircases: one grand staircase at the front for the family and a smaller one at the rear for servants to reach their quarters at the top of the house. Equally the main entrance to Kensington houses was up steps to a grand main door. The servants and tradesmen had to use the steps down to a semi-basement door leading to the kitchen.
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Different ground levelsIn most streets the Kensington houses are at different ground levels at front and back. When the area was developed, many streets were built up above ground level at the front of Kensington houses with steps running down from street level to a semi-basement level. But the semi-basements of Kensington houses are at genuine ground level – you walk straight out of the back into the gardens. |
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Brick faced buildingsKensington houses in Georgian times usually had brick facades. The compulsory use of bricks instead of wood was introduced after the Great Fire of London. Bricks for Kensington houses were generally made on site. Even when Kensington houses are faced in plaster and painted - as with many squares - the structure behind is made of brick, but of a cheaper quality.
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Stucco and painted facadesInfluenced by the Italian style, the Victorians started covering their Kensington houses with stucco, which they then painted. The use of white or cream in Kensington houses which you see all over Central London, was a much later tradition. They scored the plaster or rusticated it, to make it look like painted blocks of stone. Most of the ornamental carving above doors and windows and on the cornices of Kensington houses is, in fact, moulded from forms of stone plaster. |
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Building regulations for Kensington housesThere were rigorous rules about how far wood frames had to be recessed in the brickwork of Kensington houses and the use and size of balconies. Generally there had to be metal balconies outside first floor windows as an escape for fire purposes. This, as much as architectural taste, created the look of Kensington houses. |
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Kensington houses todayThere are three general categories of Kensington houses today. Most mews have been converted to Kensington houses. (See 'How Kensington houses have changed' above.) Then there have been new properties built, usually mimicking mews houses to some extent. Often these are private 'gated' developments. Both these types provide Kensington houses of a size suitable for today's small families. Finally there are some original Victorian Kensington houses, which are likely to be fairly enormous and therefore most suitable to a Middle Eastern prince or a Russian billionaire. Such Kensington houses have survived as houses till the 21st century precisely because they were always the grandest houses from the start. |
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Freehold and leasehold Kensington housesIn most of England, if you own a house you generally own the freehold. But Kensington houses are often sold on leases, especially if they are within one of the traditional London estates. Kensington house on leases are not worth as much as identical freehold houses, so it is usually worthwhile to consider whether the lease can be extended or whether you can buy the freehold. There are statutory rights to buy houses in many cases. But either way, Kensington houses will continue to command huge prices. |
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Maintaining and altering Kensington housesMany Kensington houses are listed buildings. if they are Grade I then even an internal re-paint requires approval from the Council and English Heritage. Most listed Kensington houses are Grade II which means that you certainly need approval for any alterations. It's a criminal offence do do works to a listed Kensington house without such approval. For Kensington houses which aren't listed at all, then you may still need planning permission of any external alterations (mansard roofs, altering windows, adding extensions) but not for most internal works. However most types of work beyond the purely cosmetic to Kensington houses will require building regulation consent - approval by the local council building surveyor that the works meet the necessary building standards. |
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