This area is centred on the Earl’s Court Road formerly Earl’s Court Lane, once a rural area covered with greenfields and market gardens, the Saxon Thegn Edwin was Lord of the area before the Norman Conquest (1066 and all that)
For in excess of 500 years the land, part of the ancient manor of Kensington, was under the lordship of the Vere Family, the Earl of Oxford and descendants of Aubrey de Vere 1, who held the Manor of Geoffrey de Mont Bray, Bishop of Coutances in the Domesdays book in 1086. Circa 1095 his tenure had been converted and he held Kensington directly off the crown. Earl’s Court Farm can be seen on Greenwoods Map of London dated 1827 whilst we have in our office a map showing Earl’s Court (circa 1851) as mainly fields between North End Lane (now North End Road) along to Thames Junction Rail & Kensington Canal through to Earl’s Court Lane. The development of the Metropolitan District Railway station in 1865-9 was a catalyst for land grab and property speculation. In the quarter of a century from 1867, Earl’s Court was transformed into a densely populated suburb with 1,200 houses and two churches. Eardley Crescent and Kempsford Gardens were built between 1867 and 1873, building began in Earl’s Court Square and Longridge Road in 1873, in Nevern Place in 1874, in Trebovir Road & Philbeach Gardens in 1876, and Nevern Square in 1880. Earl’s Court Square was home to Major Sir William Palliser (1830-1882) who decided to buy land nearby, about a mile down the road and started building houses in W14, he was so impressed with Earl’s Court he named it Barons Court, as a compliment to Earls Court.
Now in the 21st Century properties around Wetherby Gardens, Collingham Road & Bramham Gardens are in high demand and recently there was a ‘derelict’ property with stunning potential quoting in excess of 8 million. Whilst just to the South of the area, the Boltons’ have some of the most expensive real estate in the World. The change in the area’s population is largely due to rocketing property prices and the continued gentrification of the area, the scale of change has been very marked over the past decade or so. Some ‘Great’ previous residents of Earl’s Court are: Howard Carter, Benjamin Britten, Edwin Arnold, Alfred Hitchcock, Edmund Allenby, Dame Ellen Terry, Sir William Orpen and Norman Lockyer all commemorated by Blue Plaques. Other notable residents include Princess Diana, Stewart Grainger and Major Sir William Palliser. As Estate agents in Earls Court since 2001, Rickman have unrivalled experience in this field.
