Royal Chelsea Walk - From Henry VIII to Kate Middleton


(For your comfort there are maximum 10 people in the group)

To stroll around Chelsea is to walk in the footsteps of kings and queens.  With Henry VIII’s Lord Chancellor Thomas Moore as one of Chelsea’s first noble residents, Chelsea became known as ‘the village of palaces’. Henry VIII himself had his manor house built here which became something of a ‘depository’ for queens; Catherine Parr, Lady Jane Grey (the ‘Nine Day Queen’), Anne of Cleves and future Elizabeth I. As you walk along King’s Road you could try to imagine it during the reign of Charles II who made it his private road. It was also Charles II who commissioned Sir Christopher Wren’s masterpiece – Royal Hospital. You may think that time stopped as you look at the pensioners dressed in their scarlet uniforms carrying on 300 years of tradition. Royal Chelsea walk celebrates Chelsea links with the Queen who re-consecrated the Chelsea Old Church. You will also learn that the Duchess of Cambridge or Kate as she was known then was also a resident of Chelsea riverside .

We start our walk outside Sloane Square underground station and finish  outside Chelsea Old Church and near Carlyle’s House.

 

Creative Chelsea Walk

 

This walk celebrates the stories of some of the most renowned and most eccentric residents of Chelsea. This is Chelsea of writers, artists, musicians and fashion designers. Listen to the tales about the creators of the mini skirt, famous shoes, Mary Poppins, Chelsea porcelain and Chelsea buns.This is Chelsea of the 19th century writer Thomas Carlyle and his wife Jane who were once as famous as celebrity couples are today and Oscar Wilde whose fall was as dramatic as was his rise to fame. Discover Chelsea of artists like Gabriel Dante Rossetti who lived here with his ‘little zoo’ and of a great American dandy James Whistler  who painted his famous nocturnes inspired by Chelsea Reach.   In the heart of Chelsea riverside stands Chelsea Old Church ‘a church that refused to die.' Just a few yards away from the church is Crosby Hall – part of a 15th century mansion brought here all the way from the City of London. This is also a walk about the world when Chelsea was a village with its bustling life centered in streets, shops and inns. This was the world before the embankment was built.

We start our walk outside Sloane Square underground station and finish within a short walking distance from Carlyle's House and Green and Stone - the oldest shop in Chelsea.

 

Chelsea by Night Walk

Explore Chelsea by night; from King's Road with its story of Swinging 60s to the riverside where it all began...  
Listen to the tales about Chelsea's most fascinating residents; eccentrics, celebrities, fictitious characters, celebrities, multimillionaires, rock stars and real spies! Discover the beauty of the Thames that inspired artists like James Whistler and Turner. Stroll over Albert Bridge one of the most charming and the weakest bridges on the Thames and look at the lights of Chelsea across the river and walk back over Battersea Bridge to hear  more stories of the riverside that was once lined with bustling inns. This walk starts outside Sloane Square underground station and finishes at King's Road within a short walking distance from a famous restaurant and bar
Bluebird Chelsea, a Grade II listed building which started as an Art Deco garage complex for the Bluebird Motor Company.