Description
* on The National Heritage List for England, Parks & Gardens
The Avenue was part of the project to connect the Royal Hospital with William III's Kensington Palace in a scheme by Sir Christopher Wren approved in 1681, but which stopped short at King's Road. The Avenue was made partly through commonland, the rights to which were acquired in 1694 by the Commissioners of the Royal Hospital, the extreme southern end originally part of Burton's Court. It now consists of a broad expanse of gravel with a gully each side, set between two rows of lime trees, a low post around the edge; it has fine views to Royal Hospital across Burton's Court.
The Avenue was part of the project to connect the Royal Hospital with William III's Kensington Palace in a scheme by Sir Christopher Wren approved in 1681, but which stopped short at King's Road. The Avenue was made partly through commonland, the rights to which were acquired in 1694 by the Commissioners of the Royal Hospital, the extreme southern end originally part of Burton's Court. It now consists of a broad expanse of gravel with a gully each side, set between two rows of lime trees, a low post around the edge; it has fine views to Royal Hospital across Burton's Court.
Practical Information
| Site location | Royal Avenue, off King's Road |
|---|---|
| Postcode | SW3 |
| What3Words | ///flying.spring.games |
| Type of Site | Garden Feature Remnants |
| Borough | Kensington & Chelsea |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Public Transport | Tube: Sloane Square (District, Circle). Bus: 11, 19, 22, 211, 239 |
| Research Updated | 1 May 2010 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Royal Hospital Chelsea: Site on The National Heritage List for England, Parks & Gardens, for Register Entry see https://www.historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list. The Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England was established in 1984 and was commonly called English Heritage. In April 2015 it split into 2 separate entities, Historic England (HE), which continues to champion and protect the historic environment, and the English Heritage Trust, whose role is to look after the 400+ historic sites and monuments owned by the state. HE manages the National Heritage List for England (NHLE) that includes over 400,000 items ranging from prehistoric monuments to office blocks, battlefields and parks, which benefit from legal protection.
This was part of a bold project intended to connect the Royal Hospital with William III's Kensington Palace in a scheme by Sir Christopher Wren approved in 1681. Unfortunately the project stopped short at King's Road, and the flanking terraces are not uniform. The Avenue was made partly through commonland, the rights to which were acquired in 1694 by the Commissioners of the Royal Hospital paying rent of £3 p.a. The extreme southern end was originally part of Burton's Court. The Avenue originally had gravel with grass verges, horse chestnut trees and hedging with wooden fencing bordering each side. Walls and gates enclosed each end with ladder stiles, painted white in 1748 and the Avenue previously called Chestnut Walk became known as White Stiles. The eastern terrace was built in the 1840s at which time the horse chestnuts were probably replaced by lime and plane trees, the grass verges gravelled and the gates and fences replaced by railings. It was known as Royal Avenue from 1875.
In 1970 the road access to King's Road was closed. The Avenue now consists of a broad expanse of gravel with a gully each side, set between two rows of lime trees, a low post around the edge and it has fine views to Royal Hospital across Burton's Court. Described in 1928 as 'a gravelled roadway with some fine trees. Flanked on each side by a public road with dwelling-houses fronting on to it', it was at that time not publically accessible except on one day each year.
This was part of a bold project intended to connect the Royal Hospital with William III's Kensington Palace in a scheme by Sir Christopher Wren approved in 1681. Unfortunately the project stopped short at King's Road, and the flanking terraces are not uniform. The Avenue was made partly through commonland, the rights to which were acquired in 1694 by the Commissioners of the Royal Hospital paying rent of £3 p.a. The extreme southern end was originally part of Burton's Court. The Avenue originally had gravel with grass verges, horse chestnut trees and hedging with wooden fencing bordering each side. Walls and gates enclosed each end with ladder stiles, painted white in 1748 and the Avenue previously called Chestnut Walk became known as White Stiles. The eastern terrace was built in the 1840s at which time the horse chestnuts were probably replaced by lime and plane trees, the grass verges gravelled and the gates and fences replaced by railings. It was known as Royal Avenue from 1875.
In 1970 the road access to King's Road was closed. The Avenue now consists of a broad expanse of gravel with a gully each side, set between two rows of lime trees, a low post around the edge and it has fine views to Royal Hospital across Burton's Court. Described in 1928 as 'a gravelled roadway with some fine trees. Flanked on each side by a public road with dwelling-houses fronting on to it', it was at that time not publically accessible except on one day each year.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ277783 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 0.3503 |
| Site Ownership | RB Kensington & Chelsea leased from Commissioners of the Royal Hospital |
| Site Management | Leisure Services, Parks and Open Spaces |
| Dates | 1692-4 |
| Listed Structures | LBII: 2-48 and 17-43 Royal Avenue |
| On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens | Yes |
| NHLE grade | Grade II |
| Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965 | No |
| Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931 | Yes |
| Local Authority | Kensington & Chelsea |
| In Conservation Area | Yes |
| Conservation Area Name | Royal Hospital |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | No |
| Other LA Designation | Rail Safeguarding Area (north tip) |
Please note the Inventory and its content are provided for your general information only and are subject to change. It is your responsibility to check the accuracy.
Nearby parks and gardens
One of the characteristic elongated squares that open off King's Road, this private communal garden was provided for residents of Wellington Square, which was developed in the 1830s. It is named after the Duke of Wellington. The garden is enclosed by modern railings and has a small area of grass, mature plane trees and sycamore.
Completed in 2006, the new Duke of York Square complex is built on the site of the former Royal Military Asylum, which was known as Duke of York's after the Duke who laid the foundation stone in 1801. The Asylum later became a teacher training school and then the headquarters of the Territorial Army, which had a large parade ground fronting the main building. In 1999 the Ministry of Defence offered the site for sale and it was subsequently purchased by the Cadogan Estate for development for retail, residential and commercial uses together with provision of new public open spaces.
These are private communal gardens provided for the residents of Markham Square, which was built from 1836 on the site of an old orchard on the former farmland of Box Farm. It was named after Pulham Markham Evans, the last owner of the farm, and the Markham family reputedly had common rights since 'the 29th year of Elizabeth'. The garden was laid out as a cherry orchard in 1935 in celebration of the Silver Jubilee of King George V, and after WWII it was re-landscaped in the style of a country garden by the head gardener of the Royal Hospital. The garden now has shrub and flower beds with a central bed, lawn, an ornate seat, and a variety of trees including gingko.