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Chelsea Serviced Apartments, History & Area Guide
Chelsea is an area synonymous with style, sophistication and obviously football. With so much on offer it’s no wonder people come from all over the world to stay here. For many visitors to Chelsea, finding the right place to stay is absolutely crucial and this is just one reason we believe the Collingham Apartments provide the perfect base from which to discover London – and why we rank among the very best serviced apartments in Chelsea.
Exceptional, Affordable Short Stay Serviced Apartments in Chelsea
There are many options for those seeking accommodation in Chelsea. Among the most popular is that of a short stay serviced apartment. You get the best of all worlds – it’s flexible, affordable, spacious and – in the case of the Collingham at least – exceptional. The Collingham provides a range of ideal self-catering Chelsea holiday apartments, with a range of great options for single travellers, couples and families.
Consistently ranked amongst the best serviced apartments in Chelsea, the Collingham boasts the perfect location, excellent value and of course our commitment to customer service. For those reasons and many others we find that our guests come back to us time and time again.
Like Chelsea, the Collingham Apartments are a stylish and relaxed place to be. Our range of holiday apartments in Chelsea are beautifully appointed with facilities and amenities to match – one of the many reasons we were awarded a TripAdvisor Traveller’s Choice Award for 2015.
Chelsea – Explore London from the Ideal Location
From 1900 until 1965 when Greater London came into being, Chelsea formed the majority of the Metropolitan Borough of Chelsea but it now sits within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Around three and a half miles from central London, it’s generally considered to be bounded to the south by the River Thames, to the east by Chelsea Bridge Road and Sloane Square and to the north and northwest the area becomes Knightsbridge towards Brompton Road.
One of the area’s most famous locations is Chelsea FC but it’s technically in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham.
Among many other things, Chelsea is well-known around the world as a residential area for the super-wealthy. There’s a wide range of property in Chelsea from studio apartments, cottages and mews houses, duplex and penthouse riverside apartments, grand townhouses all the way up to palatial mansions with gyms, cinemas and entertaining space. These palatial pads cost upwards of £15-20 million. Of course if you’re simply looking for a short stay then our Chelsea serviced apartments offer a much more affordable solution. No wonder short stay apartments in Chelsea are in such high demand!
In a recent article by Lloyds TSB, Egerton Crescent in the SW3 postcode was named as the most expensive street in Britain. An average house on the street costs around £8, 000,000 – over 70 times the average UK house price!
The area’s beautiful garden squares, quiet residential streets and closeness to the world’s best museums – Natural History, Science and Victoria & Albert – and ease of access into central London means that this part of London is chic, popular and constantly in demand.
History of Chelsea
The Manor of Chelsea precedes the Domesday Book and the name originates from an Old English term for ‘landing place [on a river] for chalk or limestone’. Former spellings include Chelceth, Chelchith and Chelsey and the land was given by a governor of the King’s Palace during Edward the Confessor’s reign to the Abbott and Convent of Westminster.
The manor was later acquired by King Henry VIII and Catherine Parr, and Anne of Cleves lived in the Manor House as did the future Queen Elizabeth I. A theological college was founded by James I on the site of the future Chelsea Royal Hospital, which was itself founded in 1682 by Charles II and became the home of the famous Chelsea Pensioners.
In the same decade, the residence of royalty was established. William III moved into Kensington Palace and Queen Victoria was born there in 1819 and lived there until she ascended to the throne in 1837. It was her who gave the borough its ‘Royal’ credentials in 1901.
From the seventeenth century, Chelsea has always been a fashionable place to live for the moneyed classes and the King’s Road – one of the most famous shopping streets in London named for King Charles II – was established as a private road running to Hampton Court Palace.
In the last 50 or so years Chelsea has been firmly established as a centre of cool. The punk movement ably led by Jonny Rotten and Sid Vicious’s Sex Pistols emanated out from Chelsea’s clothes boutiques and the era known as the ‘swinging sixties’ – a fashion, music and cultural youth scene had its roots in the area. Many of Britain’s most famous stars of the time – The Rolling Stones, Mary Quant, Vivienne Westwood, Jean Shrimpton, Twiggy and Malcolm McLaren spent considerable time here and there are still reminders of the area’s Bohemian lifestyle .
Today, Chelsea remains an area for wealthy businessmen, pop stars and increasingly so, footballers. The Roman Abramovich-owned, Jose Mourinho-inspired football club has seen a resurgence of late with a trophy cabinet full of Champions League and Premier League titles and assorted League and FA Cups. Alongside the on-pitch success, the millionaire, Lamborghini-driving playboys are buying up some of the most impressive properties in the area.
Many football fans who travel to London for Chelsea FC, particularly for their European games, will seek an easy place to stay for their visit. For those seeking a flexible, home-away-from-home option it’s hard to beat an aparthotel like the Collingham – and that’s why it’s one of the most popular short term holiday lets in Chelsea.
Chelsea – Eat, Drink…
Given the popularity of the area with the rich and famous, it’s no surprise that Chelsea is a hotbed of high-class entertainment, dining and shopping.
There are a number of Michelin-starred restaurants in Chelsea, many located extremely close to the Collingham, including Nathan Outlaw’s Outlaw at the Capital and the first Indian chef to be awarded a coveted star, Vineet Bhatia’s Rasoi. There are restaurants, cafés and bars to suit all tastes and budgets but the real draw is the shopping!
Indeed, for those staying at our exceptional self-catering holiday apartments in Chelsea, the location of the Collingham is as enticing as the quality of the facilities.
…and Shop!
When it comes to shopping, King’s Road and Sloane Street are havens for the style-savvy visitor and you will find every designer you could wish for – Gucci, Fendi, Bottega Veneta, Bulgari, Cartier, Chanel, Jimmy Choo and Louis Vuitton as well as the more ‘high street’ brands of French Connection, Calvin Klein, Jones Bootmaker and Habitat and you are close to the world-class department stores of Harrods and Harvey Nichols.
When you stay at our exceptional short stay Chelsea holiday apartments, you can also have shopping and food delivered to your door. For more information, please don’t hesitate to speak to our reception staff and they will tell you everything you need to know.
Travelling Around Chelsea
Earls Court, High Street Kensington, South Kensington and Gloucester Road tube stations are a few minutes away from the Collingham Apartments and buses will take you all over London.
The major rail links of Kings Cross St Pancras and Charing Cross are a short distance away by tube or taxi and you can even find TfL Cycle Hire stations if you want to brave the London roads on a bicycle.
The Best Holiday Apartments in Chelsea: Why Choose the Collingham?
As a discerning tourist, you’ll be looking for the best serviced apartments in Chelsea and we believe that the Collingham will prove to be your ideal accommodation. Our guests return to us because of the quality of our apartments and the fact that our customer service is, in our humble opinion, unrivalled. Throw in our location and the warm welcome everyone receives when they stay with us and you’ve got ideal Chelsea serviced apartments.
Don’t just take our word for it though; we are immensely proud to be voted one of the UKs Top 25 Hotels for Families on TripAdvisor. Have a look and you’ll discover why we consistently rank among the very best short stay apartments in Chelsea.