KENSINGTON, a western suburb of London in the parish of Kensington, parliamentary borough of Chelsea, and county of Middlesex, a mile and a half west of Hyde Park Corner. The parish includes the suburbs of Brompton, Earl’s Court, part of Little Chelsea, the Gravel Pits, Notting Hill, and part of Kensal Green. Kensington palace and Kensington gardens, however, lie in the parish of St Margaret’s, Westminster. The suburb of Kensington, which has developed out of the village of Kensington, lies to the west of Kensington gardens, and consists principally of a long and in places narrow street, the modern improvements of which with the surrounding additions have almost entirely obliterated all traces of the “old court suburb” associated with the distinguished personages of former times. From the High street others branch off at intervals, and the elevated ground to the north is almost wholly occupied with villas embosomed in woods. To the south of the High street is Kensington square, where at one time were the residences of many of the principal attendants on the court. The principal public buildings in the suburb are the parish church in the Decorated style, erected in 1869 at a cost of £35,000, the elegant new town-hall, the vestry hall, the grammar school, the Roman Catholic college, opened in 1874, several monasteries and convents, and various schools and charities. The site of Old Gore House, at one time the residence of Mr Wilberforce and afterwards of the Countess of Blessington, is now occupied by the Royal Albert Hall and the gardens of the Horticultural Society. These as well as Kensington gardens and the South Kensington museum with its national training schools fall to be noticed under the article London. Kensington palace, a plain and irregular brick ...