What’s it got that we love?
Knightsbridge is the grande dame of London neighbourhoods. One of the world’s smartest quarters, it’s tucked into a well-heeled corner between Hyde Park, South Kensington and Chelsea.
As befits the London of dreams, Knightsbridge is expensive. Harrods is the local “grocer” – that’s apparently how the royal family refers to it – and its very name evokes the idea of blue blood. Knightsbridge is said to have been named for a crossing over the River Westbourne (now underground), where knights once duelled.
“The area is characterised by late Georgian and Victorian townhouses in lovely squares,” says Noel De Keyzer, Savills head of office in Knightsbridge. “With these, a great location and vibrant shopping and restaurants, it attracts an international crowd made up of diverse nationalities. I’d say it’s the most cosmopolitan part of prime central London.”
Along Hyde Park’s southern flank runs Knightsbridge itself, the road on which the Candy brothers’ decade-old development One Hyde Park rises above the bustle. South Kensington’s museum quarter is a short walk to the west and to the south is core Knightsbridge, with its two elegant boulevards: Sloane Street and Brompton Road.
Off these arteries lie streets and squares dotted with embassies, restaurants, shops and bars for the international cognoscenti. The only nuisance is the traffic – other than that, Knightsbridge is a joy.
