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Hans Sloane was an Irishman (one must not forget) born in county Down (Ulster) who came to London to study as a young man. Well, you may call him an "Anglo-Irish" if you want to, but he displayed the curiosity, restlessness and inventivity of people from his native land - Ireland and he was charming to boot and made many friends in London. He also made a lot of money and soon climbed up the ladder of the English establishment.
He also was a man of the Enlightment and a European for his interests and activities went well beyond the boundaries of his adoptive country - England.
A royal physician, a president of the Royal Society, a scientist, writer and entrepreneur, he was enobled as Baronet "Sir Hans Sloane' and his collection of "curiosities" formed the core of the first collection of the British Museum (now in the Natural History Museum".
He gave his land in perpetuity (albeit a lease for a five pounds annual rent) to the worshipful company of Apothecaries to have here the present "Physic garden" the oldest botanic garden in London.
One of his two daughters married in the Cadogan family - hence today's very substantial "Cadogan estate" which is in the freehold of the "Earls Cadogan".
By Soheila Sokhanvari in the Saatchi Gallery.
Taxidermy, fiberglass, jesmonite blob, automobile paint.
20160212_1967
Okay, I had to take this photo upside down, so you can rotate it if you want, but it says "Luncheon Bar and Billiards". (View of pub building.)
Address: 298 Kings Road.
Chelsea London SW3
promenades and pereambulations,
Streetscapes
In Victorian times when Chelsea was a village, these were houses built for and inhabited by modest artisans. Now as the demography and finacial means changed these cottages were turned into chic homes for the professionals. These buildings enjoy the benefit of a garden at the rear, but not a garage some of these units lack a basement but they have a loft conversion which gives them three floors. The black box half way to the left is a sign that building work is being carried out to modernize the house. Planning permission is required but these houses are at most grade 2* which means that neither the facade nor the height could be altered, but, inside and at the rear, alterations are more easily allowed.
Most of these houses are leaseholds, as opposed to freeholds, and as such, part of the leasehold obligation is for the lessee/tenant to renovate the facade every seven years - expensive, but it keeps the neighbourhood in top shape.
As the leasehold act has passed through Parliament, in some circumstances, landlords are compelled to sell and the tenants could enfranchise and buy the freehold, if they can afford it, as it is very expensive. In such cases when freeholders can no longer afford it the facades crumble and show the age. Besides, in Chelsea, there are plenty of poorer residents who were lodged in Council Houses - many moved up the social ladder, but others stayed put...
It takes time to get to know the subtler shades of an area like this.
And then there are "good' parts and less so good parts, like everywhere else.