Holland Road, London
Holland Road, Holland Park, London W14[1] is a road in Kensington London, England, which connects Kensington High Street with the Holland Park roundabout. The southernmost section is one-way (northbound only, returning via Addison Road) and forms part of the Kensington/Earl's Court one-way system.
Location
The Road forms part of the A3220 road. To the east is Addison Road and Holland Park. To the west is West Kensington and Kensington (Olympia) station.[2]
Architecture
Holland Road Kensington London W14 is a prominent residential road situated in the district of Holland Park within The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. This partly tree lined boulevard runs roughly North - South and is characterised by its imposing splendid period Victorian architecture. Most of the terraced town houses are 4 or 5 storeys high and feature either painted Italianate stucco or ornate brick facades and retain numerous original features. As with many such very large Kensington townhouses constructed in the 1870s, most of the houses have since been converted into spacious and much sought after self-contained apartments.[3]
Part of the southern stretch of the Road, between 40 and 94 is also within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Holland Conservation area. The architectural style adopted in construction is particularly notable and worthy of preservation because the terrace is essentially classical in its proportions, whilst being Gothic in its ornamentation.[4]
Public transport
Holland Road is especially well served by public transport (zone 2) with Holland Park, Shepherds Bush, Kensington Olympia and High Street Kensington train stations within easy walking distance as well as numerous bus routes passing along the road.[5][6]
Residents past and present
The greenery of Holland Park itself (the public park) is only five minutes walk away to the East. The road attracts well heeled, creative and vibrant cosmopolitan residents from all over the world. Famous former residents include the legendary lead singer of the rock group Queen, the late Freddie Mercury. He wrote the classic bestseller Bohemian Rhapsody whilst living at 100 Holland Road in the 1970s. The front cover from a record album is from a photo session of Queen taken at Freddie's flat in Holland Road.[7]
Continuing with the musical artist theme, the Corporate Headquarters of Universal Music are actually located on the corner of Holland Road and Kensington High Street.[8] Universal Music is the UK’s leading music company and is home to major artists from Queen to Mumford & Sons—who wrote a song entitled "Holland Road"— and The Rolling Stones.
The Society of Science, Letters and Art, a late 19th century bogus learned society, had its headquarters at Addison House, 160 Holland Road (demolished).[9]
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References
- ↑ Holland Road Guide — Holland Park, London W14, LondonTown.com.
- ↑ Google map of Holland Road, Kensington Retrieved 10 February 2014
- ↑ StreetView panorama of Holland Road Retrieved 10 February 2014
- ↑ British History Online: The Holland Estate to 1874 Retrieved 10 February 2014
- ↑ Transport for London: Holland Park Underground Station Retrieved 10 February 2014
- ↑ Transport for London: Kensington & Chelsea bus route maps Retrieved 10 February 2014
- ↑ West Londdon Today: Freddie Mercury's rise to fame in traffic-polluted Holland Park flat Retrieved 10 February 2014
- ↑ Universal Music Retrieved 10 February 2014
- ↑ Evening Post, New Zealand, Volume XLV, Issue 132, 7 June 1893, p.2: A bogus literary society Retrieved 6 February 2014
Coordinates: 51°30′05″N 0°12′45″W / 51.5015°N 0.21246°W