Kings Road in Chelsea is a major shopping street stretching from Sloane Square to Fulham and was especially influential in the 60s and 70s.
Some people call it “The King’s Road” because until 1830 it was a private road owned by the king. When the King’s court was a Westminster you would need a king’s pass to travel up this road to Hampton Court Palace.
Today at number 430 is the shop called World’s End which is owned by the designer Vivienne Westwood. Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McClaren open this shop in the 1970s, then known as Sex, Seditionaries or Let It Rock, from where they launched The Sex Pistols in 1975.
The McDonalds restaurant used to be the Chelsea Drugstore which is mentioned in the Rolling Stones song “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” and they also filmed parts of A Clockwork Orange there.
Nearby are a couple of streets where it can be assumed James Bond lived according to Ian Fleming’s books. Other famous residents nearby include Bram Stoker and Oscar Wilde. It was here that Oscar Wilde’s wife fell down the stairs and broke her back and also in “Artists Row” where he lived, that he probably got the idea for The Picture Of Dorian Gray.
Columbo fans (like me) will be thrilled to see the Royal Court theatre next to Sloane Square station where Columbo visits in the episode Dagger of the Mind.
Don’t forget also to visit the Pheasantry which used to be the hunting lodge of King Charles ll and later a Pizza Express.
This is where Eric Clapton had to escape a drugs raid through a back window and Yvonne Elliman was discovered by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Also a regular hang out of Eleanor Thornhill who was the model on which they based the angel on the front of the Rolls Royce.
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