There is something very special about King's Road, Chelsea. No one can quite define it. That's the point. It's visceral. It's made up of generations of memories all woven into a love affair that's indescribable. So why try?

Just come on over and get the feeling for yourself. Stroll along. Drop the shoulders. Slow the pace. Still the mind. Forget the world, just jump on the tube, catch the bus, hail a taxi, get the plane, sail in by boat, phone the chauffeur, ride the bike or take a walk. However you want to get here is fine by us. 

Join us for a special time and mix it up. 

What goes on behind the scenes:

This site is independently owned and managed by a small team that lives and works in Chelsea. Shops mentioned and interviews with individuals featured on the site or the associated Instagram stream do not pay for mentions. We work closely with local landlords, councillors and community groups in the area and recognise individuals and organisations without fear or favour.

Stories:

We regularly feature individuals in the area who are creating interesting businesses and who are making positive changes. We sometimes run promotions and competitions with these groups as a way to highlight their work and to bring people together to share this place.

Art Installation by the Chelsea Fire Station:

In December 2017 we identified an area that was falling into disrepair next to Chelsea Fire Station. With the co-operation and support from the building owners and Sloane Stanley we have produced an art space and large scale mural. This scene changes periodically throughout the year. Artists are paid for their work and have been chosen from their interest in the street art project. The funding is provided by Sloane Stanley, a family owned Estate that has been investing in Chelsea since 1717. Whilst they are fully engaged in the project and supportive they do not direct the project nor the artistic intention of each mural. The financial support is provided as part of their community initiatives which also include The Royal Court Theatre, Chelsea Physic Garden, Chelsea Arts Society, Chelsea Arts Club and other locally based groups. The window is used to share community based projects. The space has become well loved by locals and visitors alike. The artists who work on and in the space all speak of its transformative effect on them and their love of working at large scale and in real life. We have also run art workshops with local organisation Dove Art Studios. We welcome approaches by creatives who would like to collaborate and who are interested in making interesting statements with their art. We are greatly indebted to all those who have helped us make this happen and grow and who have done so much quietly behind the scenes.

Flower Power, Daisy Day and Tea at the Vestry:

Over the years we have hosted many local events including a Charles Dickens talk and tea, fashion show events at Chelsea Town Hall, flower basket arrangements for Chelsea Flower Show and Daisy Day for Chelsea Fringe where we attempted the Guinness World Record for the longest daisy chain.

Mary Quant Plaque:

In December 2018 we held an impromptu drinks event on Dovehouse Green for passersby and from a chance encounter there we orchestrated a plaque to Dame Mary Quant to be installed on the site of her original King’s Road boutique. The plaque was handmade in Cornwall by the makers who work for English Heritage and was funded by Cadogan as part of their sponsorship of the Mary Quant exhibition at the V&A and supported by Mary Quant Ltd. Orlando Plunkett-Greene, Mary Quant’s son, unveiled the plaque and the event was picked up in national press. Keith Howard, a local resident, had the idea for the plaque.

Strutz:

Bringing theatre to the road is one of our guiding principles and so we created a social enterprise with Love My Human in 2018 to bring a charity dog show to King’s Road, Chelsea. We called the event STRUTZ and generated funds for a variety of animal charities including PDSA, Wild At Heart Foundation, SOY Dogs and Dog’s Trust. The event is a dog fashion show with a silent auction and we have had over 50 suppliers of dog-wear and accessories donating products for charity.

Christmas:

For many, many years we raised the funds for the Christmas tree lighting that ran the length of King’s Road from Sloane Square to World’s End Theatre. We were able to raise funding for a large Christmas tree on World’s End Estate for the first time ever. This has now become an annual tradition. In 2019 the Christmas lights were provided by the main landowners in the area, Cadogan, Sloane Stanley and Martin’s Properties.

The Founding Principles:

The site and Instagram stream was originally founded by the late, local resident and business owner Sarah Farrugia. Sarah originally worked as an advisor on neighbourhood strategy for a government agency in 2010 - 2012 and then subsequently focused on her own neighbourhood to create ways for individuals and local groups to connect and be empowered to make things happen where they live.

Sarah was Hon Secretary and Vice Chair of The Chelsea Society for several years and remains a member. She was an active Academician at The Academy of Urbanism. She was on the Advisory Board for the Kensington Chelsea Art Week. Sarah has been supported over the years by many others, in particular Ellie Ruddock and Iona Ind, who both care deeply about the area. 

Today the site and Instagram continues in her honour and aims to bring together past, present and future of the creative community and area.