Campden Hill facts for kids
Campden Hill is a lovely hill located in Kensington, West London. It's surrounded by some well-known areas: Holland Park Avenue to the north, Kensington High Street to the south, Kensington Palace Gardens to the east, and Abbotsbury Road to the west. The hill gets its name from an old house called Campden House. This house was built by Baptist Hicks, 1st Viscount Campden, who also had a country home in Chipping Campden, a town in Gloucestershire.
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What You'll Find on Campden Hill
Campden Hill is home to Holland Park, which used to be a deer-park for a very important old house called Holland House. Parts of Holland House are still there on the southwest side of the hill. Near Holland House, you'll see many large Victorian houses. These beautiful homes are part of the Phillimore estate.
Famous Houses and Squares
Aubrey House is another interesting building located right at the top of Campden Hill. On the northwest side of the hill, you'll find Campden Hill Square, which is famous for its large and elegant Regency-style houses. There's also a small street called Campden Hill. It runs from Campden Hill Road westwards into Holland Park and was built on land that once belonged to a house called Bute House.
Bute House History
Bute House was built around 1812. It was named after the second Marquess of Bute, who lived there from 1830 to 1842. Other important people lived in Bute House over the years, including the sixth Duke of Rutland. The last owner renamed it Blundell House. Sadly, the house was taken down around 1912 or 1913.
1 Campden Hill
1 Campden Hill is a special house built in 1915. It was designed by Edward Prioleau Warren for Colonel Edmond Hills, who was the head of the Royal Astronomical Society. His wife, Juliet, also lived there. You might notice a street nearby called Observatory Gardens, which hints at Colonel Hills's interest in stars! From the 1950s until 2001, this house was the home of the Ambassador from Uruguay. Now, it's a private home.
Campden Hill Gate and Stories
Campden Hill Gate is a large building with many flats. It's famous because it was used for filming a TV show! An episode of Agatha Christie's Poirot called "The Adventure of the Cheap Flat" was filmed there in 1990. Campden Hill was also the setting for a popular mystery book by Victor Bridges called The Red Lodge: A Mystery of Campden Hill, written in 1924.
50 Campden Hill Square
From 1907 to 1939, 50 Campden Hill Square was the home of Evelyn Underhill. She was a Christian thinker, teacher, and someone who believed in peace. There's a special blue plaque on the house to remember her.
The Windsor Castle Pub
The Windsor Castle is a traditional public house (a pub) located at 114 Campden Hill Road. It's a very old building, dating back to 1826, and is considered a Grade II listed building, meaning it's historically important and protected.
Water Towers on the Hilltop
In the 1800s, the very top of Campden Hill was used for water-tower reservoirs. These were built by companies like the Grand Junction Waterworks Company and the West Middlesex Waterworks Company to help supply water to the area.
Famous Birthplace
A very famous writer, poet, and thinker named G. K. Chesterton was born on Campden Hill. He even wrote in his book Autobiography that he was born there and mentioned the old water-tower!
Images for kids
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Campden House as it looked in 1720.
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