South Kensington
South Kensington is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is a built-up area located 2.4 miles (3.9 km) west south-west of Charing Cross.
It is hard to define notional boundaries for South Kensington, but when people talk about it, they are generally talking about the commercial area around the tube station and the adjacent graceful garden squares and streets (such as Thurloe Square, opposite the Victoria and Albert Museum). The smaller neighborhood around Gloucester Road tube station can also be considered part of South Kensington, as well as the institution area around Exhibition Road, which includes such famous names as the Natural History Museum, Science Museum, Royal Albert Hall, Imperial College, Victoria and Albert Museum, and the Royal College of Music, although this part is officially part of the small area known as Knightsbridge. Although the postcode SW7 stands for South Kensington, some parts of Kensington also fall under this postcode. Only the area south of Cromwell Road is regarded as South Kensington.
Sandwiched between the extremely affluent centres of Knightsbridge and Chelsea, South Kensington is harder to characterise. Although a wealthy area overall, it also caters for large tourist and student populations; the former is reflected by the type of shops and eateries around South Kensington station, whilst the latter is evident by both the halls of residence for Imperial College and the large number of language schools in the area, which attract a sizeable number of foreign students.
The foreign students at both these language schools and at Imperial College, and the large numbers of tourists contribute to an international (predominantly European) atmosphere to the area. Large numbers of French, Spanish and Italian citizens live in the area. A significant French presence is evidenced by the location of the consulate, the Lycée Français Charles de Gaulle - a large French secondary school opposite the Natural History Museum - and the French Institute, home to a French cinema. There are also several French bookshops in the area.
The nearest Tube stations are South Kensington and Gloucester Road.