Kensington Living
Albert Place
Albert Place runs west off Victoria Road and consists of mainly cream three-storey stucco semi-detached houses with small front gardens of a uniform style. Most of the houses have underground garages with small front gardens.
The street is a cul-de-sac although there is a hidden footpath on the north side of the street leading to Cambridge Place.
Between the Vallotton Estate and Kensington Road to the north, was a house with grounds owned by William Hoof, a successful builder. He entered into a deal with Vallotton to construct Albert Place (at the time called Albert Road) partly on Vallotton land and partly through his own back garden. (See the Vallotton Estate.) He built the houses between 1841 and 1845.
There were fourteen houses. They are semi-detached and stucco fronted and the porches have square piers. Later a smaller cottage, numbered 8a, was crammed into the south west corner of Albert Place.
Famous inhabitants
No. 9 – Carlotta Grisi (1819-99), the dancer for whom the role of Giselle was created, lived here in 1851.
No. 8 – Harold Peto, the architect, lived here 1878-1885.
No. 14 – Sir Henry Newbolt, the poet, from 1889-1898
No. 10 – George Robey, the comedian, from 1926-1932
