STRATFORD ROAD AND BEYOND ...

There are lots of treasures in these streets south of Kensington High Street. Just a couple of blocks away from the bustle of the High Street is a residential oasis with its own community and local shopping. We looked and asked around and bring you the best that Stratford Road and the surrounding area has to offer. Anything that is missing here is
undoubtedly available up on the High Street; this is local shopping at its best.



Food shops
Essentials
Interesting extras
Shopping for kids
Health & Beauty
Playgrounds
Nurseries
Prep & primary schools
Activities for children
Cafés
Pubs, Bars & Restaurants
Property

Food Shops
The Pie Man (020 7937 3385) and Fait Maison (020 7937 2777) both offer delicious deli food and a catering service. Pop in to see which you prefer; Fait Maison just sneaked ahead for me, with its mouthwatering displays of freshly prepared food. Open from 7am-7pm, there is also a café at the back, offering coffee, lunch, tea and cakes. They both offer catering for children’s parties.

Miller of Kensington (020 7937 1777) is the butcher’s, which sells organically reared meat and a selection of (mostly) Italian deli supplies. This is a good alternative to Lidgate’s, and also sells home-cooked pies and dinner-party dishes for you to pass off as your own.

The Garden Basket (020 7937 9059) is the local supplier of fresh fruit and veg along with a few essentials. Good-looking produce.

There is a good Waitrose just up the Earl’s Court Road (corner of Kensington High Street), and Luscious Organic (020 7371 6987), the supermarket, is at 240 Kensington High Street, just opposite the cinema.

The Saturday morning Farmer’s Market behind Kensington Place is within easy reach and still as good as ever.
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Essentials
Stratford Pharmacy (020 7937 6178) is an impressive local chemist, offering a full range of health and beauty products as well as dispensing medicine. They also give advice and support on stopping smoking and stock homeopathic remedies.

Laxmi Newsagents and Post Office (020 7937 33586) rolled into one supplies sellotape, stamps, birthday cards and magazines, and deliver newspapers to the surrounding area before breakfast.

There is a branch of Oddbins (020 7937 1858) on the corner of Marloes Road – possibly on the small side if you like lots of choice, but they offer free delivery in the area for orders of over £50 – definitely a bonus.

There are two dry cleaners directly opposite each other on Stratford Road – Chase Drycleaners (020 7937 0010) and Debonair (020 7937 1485). Both offer free collection and delivery and will also repair clothes and shoes – little to choose between the two.

Rent a DVD from Blockbuster (020 7603 3451) on the High Street, just along from the cinema.
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Interesting Extras
Kensington Design (020 7938 2000) is a lovely shop selling gorgeous presents for your or somebody else’s home, from table linen to dishes, picture frames and glass. The stock is always changing so it’s worth looking in frequently. They also offer a complete interior design service, from reupholstering a chair to redesigning a whole house. They have a huge library of wallpaper and fabric and years of experience to help steer you in the right direction.

Northern Light (020 7361 1500) is a beautiful, calm shop selling Scandanavian antiques and furnishings, set up by two Danish sisters. There were simple cushion covers, tableware and mirrors when I looked in, along with some really lovely children’s clothes.

C H Frost is an upholsterer on Abingdon Road (020 7937 0451). They will also take in one-chair jobs, and have some materials in stock – a big board was propped outside when I visited displaying off-cuts of the materials available, which was very appealing. As well as upholstery they will do furniture repairs (they will collect items from your home), make curtains and clean carpets. There are a few pieces of furniture for sale. A good one for your address book.

For books, visit the Waterstone’s on Kensington High Street, which boasts a good children’s section. Also, The Children’s Book Centre (see below).

Gardening supplies and florist – Rassell’s Garden Centre (020 7937 0481) is an oasis of calm in the middle of Pembroke Square, just off the busy Earl’s Court Road. They offer a good selection of indoor and outdoor plants and an excellent selection of trees come Christmastime. Go there for superb horticultural advice. They also offer garden services, including landscaping, design and construction, maintenance and patio cleaning.

Animal Fair (020 7937 0011) is a handy and well-stocked pet shop on Abingdon Road – pop in for good advice on owning all sorts of animals.

Latte (020 7376 2225) is a clothes shop at the top of Abingdon Road which sells Marion Foale hand-knits, Sugar and perennial favourite, MaxMara.
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Shopping for Children
The Children’s Book Centre, on Kensington High Street (020 7937 7497) sells toys, videos and audio tapes/DVDs as well as a huge range of books. Gap, Trotters, Argos, M&S and Monsoon are all on the High Street.

The Children’s Book Centre has recently opened up a children’s clothes shop at the top of the Earl’s Court Road selling designer and high street labels for kids, called KIDS (020 7938 2552)childrenswear.
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Health and Beauty
Minx (020 7937 8844) is a gorgeous space offering all nail treatments as well as facials, waxing, massage, tanning and tinting. There is a shiny nail bar, perfect for going with a friend and having a long chat, and great leather armchairs positioned for the most relaxing pedicure.

There is a branch of Holmes Place in Old Court Place (020 7761 0000). A crèche is run from 9-11am Monday to Saturday. Swimming lessons are available for members and non-members through Splash (07980 817 997).

The Kensington Close Health Club (020 7368 4005) is conveniently located on Wrights Lane. Ring for babies/toddlers’ swimming times.

Locals also use the Harbour Club (020 7371 7700) and the David Lloyd by Cromwell Road Sainsbury’s (020 7341 6400).

The Cromwell Hospital (020 7460 2000) has excellent private paediatric care – both outpatient clinics and in-patient care.
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Playgrounds
Holland Park is a short pushchair ride away with all it has to offer. The older kids’ adventure playground is great fun but be sure to arrive early. The big sandpit near the excellent café and clean(ish) loos is still one of the best places in London to be with under 5s.

For a change, it’s not far to walk up the High Street to Kensington Gardens to feed the swans and on into Hyde Park.
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Nurseries
Iverna Gardens Montessori Nursery is in the Armenian Church Hall on Iverna Gardens (020 7937 0794).
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Prep and Primary Schools
There are lots of preps and pre-preps, single-sex and mixed, within easy reach. Most popular are Thomas’s (020 7361 6500); Wetherby (020 7727 9581); Pembridge Hall (020 7229 0121); Glendower (020 7370 1927); Falkner House (020 7373 4501); Norland Place (020 7603 9103).

Abingdon House School opened in January at 4 Abingdon Road. This is a co-ed for children from 4-9 years who need a bit of extra help before entering or re-entering pre-prep or prep schools. Call 0845 2300426 for further information.

St Barnabas and St Philips (020 7937 9599) and St Mary Abbots are both church primaries in the area (020 7937 0740); also look at Fox Primary at Notting Hill Gate (020 7727 7637). Top of page

Activities for Children
The Kensington Library (020 7937 2542) has story time for children of two and over on Thursdays from 10.30-11am. Baby Rhyme Time (for under-twos) is on Friday mornings from 10.30-11. Tickets are available in advance – you must go along early on a Monday morning to have a chance of a ticket for either of these sessions.

St Barnabas Church on Addison Road (020 7471 7000) runs a playgroup on Thursday mornings for mothers/carers and toddlers from 9.30-12noon. This is very popular and there is a waiting list, so sign up if you have a pre-schooler. The church hall is well-equipped and available to hire for parties – book well ahead on the above number.

Crechendo runs classes in the St Barnabas church hall – call 020 8675 6611 for details of the classes, which offer good musical and physical activity for the under 5s.

Tennis lessons for children (and adults) are given on the Pembroke Square tennis court (accessible through Rassell’s). These are run by Maria of Sport for Kids – call Maria at home in the morning on 0207 727 7930, or try her mobile, 07867 523343, for more information.

The Pembroke Square tennis court is bookable through Rassell’s (020 7937 0481) at a cost of £5 per hour. The Pembroke Lawn Tennis Club has rights to the court every evening and weekend afternoons – their membership is oversubscribed and can only now be gained by moving into the Square. Square residents have private access to the court on Sunday mornings.

Sport for Kids (07867 523343) also run football clubs and classes in Holland Park on weekday afternoons and on Saturday mornings.

The Kensington Odeon (08712 244007) doesn’t have a kids’ club but regularly shows
kids’ films.
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Cafés
The café at the back of Fait Maison is open from 7am to7pm. The croissants are sensational – tried and tested all in the name of research. There is a good bar to perch at for a coffee at The Pie Man but be warned – it is nearly impossible to leave without buying something from their deli range – stocks include my favourite Seggiano honey.
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Pubs, Bars and Restaurants
The Abingdon, on the corner of Abingdon Road and Scarsdale Villas, welcomes children and dogs and has highchairs available. Very popular at the weekend with families for brunch. Also good for an inexpensive supper out before the cinema. Booking definitely advisable (020 7937 3339).

The Devonshire Arms (020 7937 0710) on Marloes Rd is another pub worth noting but for the grown-up members of the family.

Stratfords French Restaurant, on Stratford Road (020 7937 6388), is open for lunch and dinner and has a typically French set menu for each, as well as a la carte.

Al Tratto on Abingdon Road (020 7937 4448) serves old-fashioned, delicious Italian while Timo (020 7603 3888) at the bottom of the High Street, is very modern Italian. And that old favourite, Pizza Express, is on Earl’s Court Road (020 7937 0761).
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Property
Two-bedroom ground floor flat from £500,000
Three-bedroom houses (pretty rare) from £1m
Four or five-bedroom houses (a long wait) from £1.8m

Estate Agents
Scotts (office on Stratford Road) 020 7937 9976
FPD Savills 020 7535 3333
Lane Fox 020 7938 3666
Bective Leslie Marsh 020 7371 3244
Harpers 020 7938 2311
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First published in angels and urchins, Spring 2005