KENSINGTON, a parish in the Kensington division
of the hundred of OSSULSTONE, county of MIDDLESEX,
2 miles (W. by S.) from London, containing, with that
part of the chapelry of Knightsbridge which is within
this parish, 14,428 inhabitants. This place, which since
the reign of William III. has been a royal residence,
consists of a long street of respectable houses, forming,
with the numerous ranges of buildings in its vicinity, one
of the most interesting, populous, and extensive appendages
to the metropolis. The salubrity of the air, the
pleasantness of its situation, the beauty of the gardens
belonging to the palace, and its proximity to the parks,
render it highly desirable as a place of residence. The
Village, which extends for a considerable distance on the
great western road, consists of several ranges of handsome
and well-built houses, is well paved, and lighted
with gas, and amply supplied with water by the West
Middlesex Company, who have a capacious reservoir at
Kensington Gravel Pits, elevated more than one hundred
and twenty feet above the level of the Thames. The
palace, which stands within the parish of St. Margaret,
Westminster, was originally built by Heneage Finch, Lord
High Chancellor, and afterwards Earl of Nottingham,
and was purchased from his son, the second earl, by
King William III., who made it his principal residence:
it was subsequently inhabited by Queen Anne, George I.,
and George II., whose queen, Caroline, made many additions
to it, and very much extended and improved the
gardens and pleasure grounds, which, under certain regulations,
are open to the public, and are frequented as the
most fashionable and favourite promenade in the environs
of the metropolis. The late Duke of Kent had apartments
in this palace, which are now occupied by his
Duchess; arid the Duke of Sussex resides in the south
wing of the more ancient building, in which His Royal
Highness has collected an extensive library of the most
valuable authors in every department of literature, .particularly
in Theology. The palace comprises three quadrangles,
neatly and substantially built of red brick, and
ornamented with columns, quoins, and cornices of stone,
and though externally wanting uniformity of design,
and destitute of architectural interest, they contain a
noble and extensive suite of apartments, and a splendid
collection of pictures by the most eminent Flemish and
English artists. The walls and ceilings of the halls
and staircases are finely painted in chiaro-oscuro, with
allegorical devices and subjects from mythology and
history.  .The gardens are beautifully laid out, the
walks are spacious, and the grounds, which are more
than three miles in circuit, comprehend the stately
scenery of Hyde park, from which more than three
hundred acres, included within a sunk wall arid separated
by a fosse, were added to the gardens by Queen
Caroline, and a view of the serpentine river, over which
a handsome stone bridge of five arches was erected in
1824. Detachments of the foot guards arid of the lancers
are stationed here in barracks. Holland house,
originally built by Sir Walter Cope, and now the seat
of Lord Holland, though much enlarged with additional
buildings, under the superintendence of Inigo Jones, retains
much of its Elizabethan character and Campden
house, erected by Baptist Hicks, Viscount Campden, is
a good specimen in the same style of domestic architecture.
Hale house, now in a dilapidated state, is said to
have been the residence of Oliver Cromwell; and there
are some other remains of ancient buildings in various
parts of the parish. On Campden-hill and Notting-hill
are several stately mansions and elegant villas. Kensington
is famous for its manufacture of candles; and
at Little Chelsea, in this parish, is a mill for the preparation
of cotton flocks for the use of paper-hanging
manufacturers. A creek from the Thames has been
widened within the last two years, and made navigable
to Counter's bridge; and the Paddington canal passes
through the northern extremity of the parish, near Kensal
Green. Kensington is within the jurisdiction of the
court of requests held in Kingsgate-street, Holborn, for
the - recovery of debts under 40s., and within the limits
of the new police establishment.
The living is a vicarage, in the archdeaconry of
Middlesex, and diocese of London, rated in the king's
books at & 18. 8. A., and in the patronage of the Bishop
of London. The church, dedicated to St. Mary, is a
large modern brick building; in the window of the
chancel are whole-length figures of St. Peter, St. Paul;
St. John, and St. Andrew, in stained glass, and on the
south side of the altar is the sepulchral monument of
Edward Henry Rich, Earl of Warwick and Holland,
who died in 1721, and whose statue in white marble is
finely sculptured. William Courten, a celebrated virtuoso,
who died in 1702; Dr. Jortin, vicar of this parish, and
an eminent theological writer; the Rev. Martin Madan,
author of Thelypthora; George Colman, sen., a dramatic
writer; Dr. Richard Warren, an eminent physician;
SamuelPegge,.F.S.A.; and James Elphinstone, a writer
on grammar and elocution, were interred here.  The
church in Addison-road, dedicated to St. Barnabas, and
containing one thousand three hundred and thirty
sittings, of which five hundred and twelve are free, was
erected/in 1829, by subscription among the inhabitants,
aided: by. a grant of £5000 from the parliamentary commissioners;
it is a handsome edifice of Suffolk brick,
in the later style of English architecture, with four
campanile turrets; the living is a perpetual curacy, in
the patronage of theViear. The church, or chapel, at
Brompton, dedicated to the Holy Trinity, intended as a
district church for Old and New Brompton and Little
Chelsea, and containing one thousand five hundred and
five sittings, of which six hundred and six are free, was
erected at the same time and by the same means as that
of St. Barnabas, from which it differs principally in having
a square embattled tower at the western extremity, and
in some of its minuter details; the living is a perpetual
curacy, in the patronage of the Vicar. A chapel of ease
to the vicarage was erected at Brompton in 1769. There
are places of worship for Baptists and Independents,
and a Roman Catholic chapel. The National school
was originally founded as a parochial free school, in
1645, by Roger Pimble, who endowed it with tenements
in the parish, the rents of which, augmented by subsequent
benefactions, produce an income of more than
£ 250 per annum; the premises, situated in High-street,
are handsomely built of brick in the ancient style of
English architecture, and comprise two ample schoolrooms,
capable of receiving five hundred children, with
apartments for the master and the mistress; there are
now in the school one hundred and thirty boys, and
one hundred girls, of whom, fourteen boys and sixty
girls are completely clothed. From the same funds, and
by subscription, a Sunday school is supported in connexion
with the above, which affords instruction to one
hundred other children; and, when the funds will afford
it, three girls are boarded, clothed, and instructed by
the schoolmaster and mistress, by means of an income
of & 50 per annum, arising from a benefaction
of £ 1500 five per cent. Bank Annuities, bequeathed in
trust for that purpose, by.Mrs., Margaret Leach, in 1799.
Lord and Lady Campden, in 1635, bequeathed & 200, with
which, including a benefaction of £45 supposed to have
been given byOliver Cromwell, and called Cromwell's gift,
an estate was purchased producing nearly £200 per ann.,
of which one moiety was to be given to the poor, and
the other appropriated to. the apprenticing of children.
There are Sunday schools in connexion with .the established
church and the several dissenting congregations.
Six almshouses were built, in 1652,-by William
Methwold, Esq., who endowed them with sixteen acres
of land, for the support of six aged women, of whom
three are nominated by the vestry, and three by the
owner, or inhabitant, of Hale house. The lying-in charity
was established in 1817, and there are numerous charitable
bequests for the relief of the poor. There are
several chalybeate springs in different parts of the parish,
of which some were formerly in repute, though now
little noticed. Charles Boyle, Earl of Orrery, born in
1674; and Charles Pratt, Earl Camden, Lord High
Chancellor in 1766, were natives of Kensington.