Hotels in South Kensington, London

OUR VIEW
Before the Great Exhibition of 1851 South Kensington - then more commonly known as Brompton - was an area of market gardens south of the elegant Kensington region. But Prince Albert's brainchild exhibition changed all that. The exhibition was a fabulous success, and the prince put the proceeds of over 200,000 pounds into developing the South Kensington area as a centre for culture and education.

With astonishing speed the area was transformed from a place of worker's cottages to one occupied by fashionable shops (most prestigious among these being Harrod's). But the real transformation arrived in the shape of museums which were to become world famous; the Science Museum, the Natural History Museum, and the Victoria and Albert Museum helped make South Kensington into a centre for learning. North of the museums stands the Royal Albert Hall, and not far away is the Albert Memorial, Victoria's lasting monument to the man who helped create modern South Kensington.

MAPS
Get an Ordnance Survey map covering the London area.