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CHELSEA GREEN ...
It
is like walking onto the set of Gilbert & Sullivan London: candy coloured
Georgian cottages, a nicely kept green with a bench and a cherry tree
– you almost expect the smiling shopkeepers beneath blue and white
awnings to burst into song. Astonishingly though, this is not being done
for the tourists – it is the real thing and this is its charm. Real
estate may be some of the most expensive on the planet but the multi-million
pound houses back on to 1930s’ appartment blocks filled with octogenarians
(apparently as a result of their excellent porters) which themselves look
over the charitable Sutton estate which houses a number of lower income
families. The new designer boutiques sit happily next to the butcher,
the greengrocer and the fishmonger and the result is utterly charming.
If you live there, lucky lucky you – if you don’t, pay it
a visit, there can be few nicer places in London to pass a morning.
Food shops
Essentials
Interesting extras
Health & Beauty
Playgrounds
Playgroups & Nurseries
Prep & primary schools
Activities for children
Pubs, Bars & Restaurants
Property
Food Shops
On the Green itself:
The Pie Man, 16 Cale Street (tel
020 7225 0587): Pukka pieman Murray Tollemache started out 30 years
ago selling fishcakes to Chelsea wives. He still does the fishcakes and
an excellent range of plain home cooking, together with sandwiches, soups,
hot sausages (supplied by Jago round the corner). There is also a full
catering service from weddings to children’s parties.
Frys of Chelsea, 14 Cale Street (tel 020 7589 0343): Proper old fashioned family run greengrocer; local delivery. Paul Fry also arranges the annual Chelsea Green carol service – 300 locals, mulled wine, sausages, music from the Salvation Army and a choir from St Lukes.
The Chelsea Fishery, 10 Cale Street (tel 020 7589 9432): currently closed as Bill who ran it is very sick, everyone is hoping that it will remain a fishmonger.
Finns, 4 Elystan Street (tel 020 7225 0733): Excellent ready made dishes including fantastic salads.
Round the corner on Elystan Street:
Jago, 9 Elystan Street (tel
020 7589 5531) butcher has been here for 40 years – they don’t
do organic meat but their free range produce comes from small farms and
is delicious. The best sausages in London!
Maison Blanc 11 Elystan Street (tel 020 7584 6913):for delicious breads, cakes and pastries. There are three tiny tables where you can stop off for a café crème and an almond croissant.
Essentials
Simmonds is the hardware store at 1 Godfrey
St (tel 020 7352 4962). There has been a hardware
shop on the site for generations.
John Allen Laundrette, 30 Cale Street (tel 020 7589 2892): the oldest business on the Green. They have been providing laundry services since 1911 and the current Mrs Allan, Rose, who is 87 has been there all her life. A Chelsea institution, she provides service washes and dry cleaning – good if you are washing big things like sheets or duvets or the machine has packed up.
Lewis & Wayne have two shops on Elystan Street (tel 020 7589 5830), specialist dry cleaning and laundry.
Chelsea Green Shoe Repairs, 31 Elystan Street (tel 020 7584 0776) for shoes and key cutting.
Astell Pharmacy, 6 Elystan Street (tel 020 7584 5424) has a good range of baby foods and homeopathic remedies.
There is a good picture framer Alec Drew, 7 Cale Street (tel 020 7352 8716).
Interesting Extras
One-offs:
Jane Asher Party Cakes and Sugarcraft, 24 Cale
St (tel 020 7584 6177): Queen of home baking
Jane Asher will ice cakes for special occasions from weddings and christenings
to children’s birthdays, anniversaries etc – nothing is too
complicated or outlandish. They need fourteen days and the average spend
is about £140. There is a good website
although staff in the shop are helpful and knowledgeable. Good pastry
cutters.
Traditional Toys, 53 Godfrey St (tel 020 7352 1718): Tiny shop piled high with gorgeous toys and gift ideas. A lot of wooden pieces, some nice dressing up.
Christine Schell, 15 Cale Street (tel 020 7352 5563) Beautiful silverware including some lovely christening present ideas from silver photo frames to hip flasks and clothes brushes.
Round the corner at 35 Ixworth Place is myhotel Chelsea (tel 020 7225 7500), one of a new brand of hotels combining sleek minimalism with personal service and feng shui. It also has a nice bar for lunch. There is a room available for hire for children’s parties.
Clothes and accessories:
In half an hour here you can really spoil yourself and do serious damage
to your wallet. And the best thing is, because they are small independent
shops, you won’t see anyone else in what you buy.
Collette Dinnigan, 26 Cale St (tel 020 7589 8897) has stunningly elegant party dresses on a lingerie theme. They also do bridal wear and can do made to measure.
Aelia Laelia, 4 Cale St (tel 020 7584 4400) is the newest addition to the Green. Beautiful lingerie at affordable prices and a new swimwear collection. Although not in stock as we go to press it promises to be a treat: 60s’ inspired, bright colours, matching accessories and beach bags.
Cathryn Grosvenor, 3 Elystan St (tel 020 7584 2112) has beautiful hand knitted cashmere, cotton and silk jerseys.
Talisman Gallery, 23 Cale St (tel 020 7351 2400) has a range of unusual jewellry in precious and semi-precious stones.
But the joy of Chelsea Green is that it is not just rich and rare. For designer one offs try two of the best second hand shops in town ...
Sign of the Times, 17 Elystan St (tel 020 7589 4774) is run by a young and friendly staff. Nothing is more that a couple of seasons old and they have some great pieces, together with shoes and bags.
La Scala, 39 Elystan St (tel 020 7589 2784) has a slightly older, stuffier feel but they do good suits and have some childrenswear.
For the home:
L’Artisan Parfumier, 17 Cale St (tel
020 7352 4196) has delicious smellies from scented candles and room sprays
to wonderful individual fragrances for men and women.
Cath Kidston, 12 Cale St (tel 020 7584 3232) Her ubiquitous retro look still going strong.
Neisha Crossland, 8 Elystan St (tel 020 7584 7988). Open since last October, her signature rich browns and purples.
Robert Stephenson Rugs, Elystan St (tel 020 7225 2343) Kilims, carpets modern and traditional. They will also clean carpets.
Paint & Paper Library, 5 Elystan St (tel 020 7581 1075) David Oliver’s paints run from a full range of architectural neutrals to the best shocking pink in town plus wonderful wallpapers.
Ann Boyd Design, 33 Elystan St (tel 020 7591 0202) Chic pieces for the home.
Claremont, 35 Elystan St (tel 020 7581 9575) Heavy luxurious curtain fabrics.
Health and Beauty
Real Hair and Nails, 8 Cale Street (tel
020 7589 0877) is stylish but extremely friendly.
myHotel on Ixworth Place do pedicures, manicures,
facials, massages. You can always stretch your legs and walk up to Sloane
Avenue and Bliss (tel
020 7584 3888) for one of their signature treatments.
Top of page
Playgrounds
The Green itself is too small to constitute a play area but there is a
good children’s playground, together with a pretty formal garden,
dog run and hard play area for football and tennis at St
Luke’s Gardens (tel 020 7352 6985
for sports bookings.)
Playgroups and Nurseries
All the pre-school children’s activities take place in St
Lukes Church Hall on St Luke’s Street. The hall which seats
120 and has a small stage and a kitchen can also be hired for private
functions. Tel 020 7351 6133.
Rainbow Mothers and Toddler Group runs on Thursday afternoons during termtime 2.30-4pm for 3 months to 2 years, £15 per session. Call Helen Blackwell on 020 7352 8156. There is a waiting list for places.
Rainbow Playgroup for 2-5 year olds runs 2-4.30pm Mon, Wed, Fri. Call Helen Blackwell on 020 7352 8156.
Ringrose Kindergarten for 21/2-5 year olds,
9am-12.20pm. Call Miss Lucy Hustler on 020 7352
8784.
Top of page
Prep and Primary Schools
There are some excellent primary schools on the doorstep in both
the state and independent sector.
Top state schools include:
the Oratory RC Primary on Bury Walk
(tel 020 7589 5900) and Marlborough
Primary in Draycott Avenue (tel 020 7589
8553).
Local independents include:
Eaton House (tel 020
7730 9343), Falkner House (tel
020 7373 4501), Francis Holland (tel
020 7730 2971), Garden House (tel
020 7730 1652), Glendower (tel
020 7370 1927), Hill House (tel
020 7584 1331), More House (tel
020 7235 2855), Sussex House (tel
020 7584 1741) and the Lycee (tel
020 7584 6322).
Chelsea Library in the Old Town Hall on the Kings Road (tel 020 7352 6056) has storytelling on Friday mornings at 11.30am.
Chelsea Sports Centre in Chelsea Manor Street (tel 020 7352 6985) has a swimming pool and swimming lessons.
Brownies, St Luke’s Church Hall, Tues, 6–7.30pm. Contact Gail Hall on 020 8842 0110.
Pubs, Bars and Restaurants
As elsewhere in London, traditional pubs are being ripped out and re-done.
You will find more estate agents that postmen in the Builders
Arms in Britten Street (tel 020 7349
9040) but they do steak sandwiches for a fiver and have an excellent wine
list.
Cahoots on the Green at 2 Elystan Street (tel
020 7584 0140) is a not particularly charming wine bar but is in a good
location and popular with people working on the Kings Road.
Elystan Street is foodie street:
Blazing the way with exemplary modern British fare and awards galore is
Tom Aikens at no 43 (tel
020 7584 2003).
Elistano at no 27 (tel 020 7584 5248) is a friendly Italian that is always packed and has nice pavement tables set back from the road behind a hedge.
Pellicano at no 19 (tel 020 7589 3718) is on the site of what used to be Au Bon Acceuil.
Monkeys on the Green at 1 Cale Street (tel 020 7352 4711) is intimate and old fashioned and famous for its excellent game.
Property
Two-bedroom flat from £450,000
Small cottage from £1.2 million
3-4 bed house from £1.5-3.5 million
The majority of properties are leasehold so it is possible to find something
cheaper with a short lease.
Agents:
John D Wood & Co
tel 020 7352 1485
Chestertons
tel 020 7589 4585
First published in angels and urchins, Spring 2004