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Kensington (UK Parliament constituency)
Encyclopedia
Kensington is a parliamentary constituency in the Parliament of the United Kingdom
in west London
, comprising the northern and central parts of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
, around Kensington
. It was first created for the February 1974 general election
and abolished for the 1997 general election
when it was partly replaced by the new constituencies of Kensington and Chelsea
& Regent's Park and Kensington North.
The constituency was re-created by the Boundary Commission for England at the 2010 general election from parts of the aforementioned constituencies.
Following their Fifth Periodic Review of parliamentary representation in North London
, the Boundary Commission have recreated the Kensington seat using the following electoral wards:
The remaining electoral wards of Cremorne, Hans Town, Redcliffe, Royal Hospital, and Stanley are used in the cross-borough creation of Chelsea and Fulham
.
is the residence of several members of the Royal Family, and Kensington Palace Gardens is the site of many embassies and a few private residences for the super-rich. South Kensington is the museum district, home to the Science Museum, the Natural History Museum and the Victoria and Albert, and is somewhat more cosmopolitan.
As well as Kensington itself the seat covers Earls Court, Brompton, Holland Park and Notting Hill. Earls Court is far more run-down and cheaper than its richer neighbour and while it is undergoing rapid gentrification and contains its own areas for the super-rich, there are still cheap areas of run-down hotels and bedsits around Earls Court Exhibition Centre, which straddles the boundary between this constituency and the Hammersmith seat. Notting Hill is an affluent and trendy area which hosts the Notting Hill carnival, led by the area's vibrant Afro-Caribbean community. It is a highly cosmopolitan area, but having fallen on hard times in the twentieth century and become associated with dingy flats and houses of multiple occupancy it has undergone rapid gentrification. These days while the old Victorian private houses are sought after and extortionately expensive, there is much social housing and tower blocks and there remains a large ethnic population and areas of deprivation in North Kensington
and Ladbroke Grove.
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
in west London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, comprising the northern and central parts of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea is a central London borough of Royal borough status. After the City of Westminster, it is the wealthiest borough in England....
, around Kensington
Kensington
Kensington is a district of west and central London, England within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. An affluent and densely-populated area, its commercial heart is Kensington High Street, and it contains the well-known museum district of South Kensington.To the north, Kensington is...
. It was first created for the February 1974 general election
United Kingdom general election, February 1974
The United Kingdom's general election of February 1974 was held on the 28th of that month. It was the first of two United Kingdom general elections held that year, and the first election since the Second World War not to produce an overall majority in the House of Commons for the winning party,...
and abolished for the 1997 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1997
The United Kingdom general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, more than five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992, to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party ended its 18 years in opposition under the leadership of Tony Blair, and won the general...
when it was partly replaced by the new constituencies of Kensington and Chelsea
Kensington and Chelsea (UK Parliament constituency)
Kensington and Chelsea was a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was one of the safest Conservative seats in the United Kingdom, and since its creation in 1997 became a prestigious seat, with MP Alan Clark, the former Defence Secretary...
& Regent's Park and Kensington North.
The constituency was re-created by the Boundary Commission for England at the 2010 general election from parts of the aforementioned constituencies.
Following their Fifth Periodic Review of parliamentary representation in North London
North London
North London is the northern part of London, England. It is an imprecise description and the area it covers is defined differently for a range of purposes. Common to these definitions is that it includes districts located north of the River Thames and is used in comparison with South...
, the Boundary Commission have recreated the Kensington seat using the following electoral wards:
- Abingdon, Brompton, Campden, Colville, Courtfield, Earls CourtEarls CourtEarls Court is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London, England. It is an inner-city district centred on Earl's Court Road and surrounding streets, located 3.1 miles west south-west of Charing Cross. It borders the sub-districts of South Kensington to the East, West...
, Golborne, Holland, Norland, Notting Barns, Pembridge, Queen's Gate, and St Charles.
The remaining electoral wards of Cremorne, Hans Town, Redcliffe, Royal Hospital, and Stanley are used in the cross-borough creation of Chelsea and Fulham
Chelsea and Fulham (UK Parliament constituency)
Chelsea and Fulham is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was first contested in the 2010 general election....
.
Constituency profile
Kensington is a residential seat west of central London. One of the most solidly Conservative seats in the country, the housing is largely expensive gardens, squares and Georgian terraces. Kensington High Street is an upmarket shopping hub, Kensington PalaceKensington Palace
Kensington Palace is a royal residence set in Kensington Gardens in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London, England. It has been a residence of the British Royal Family since the 17th century and is the official London residence of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the Duke and...
is the residence of several members of the Royal Family, and Kensington Palace Gardens is the site of many embassies and a few private residences for the super-rich. South Kensington is the museum district, home to the Science Museum, the Natural History Museum and the Victoria and Albert, and is somewhat more cosmopolitan.
As well as Kensington itself the seat covers Earls Court, Brompton, Holland Park and Notting Hill. Earls Court is far more run-down and cheaper than its richer neighbour and while it is undergoing rapid gentrification and contains its own areas for the super-rich, there are still cheap areas of run-down hotels and bedsits around Earls Court Exhibition Centre, which straddles the boundary between this constituency and the Hammersmith seat. Notting Hill is an affluent and trendy area which hosts the Notting Hill carnival, led by the area's vibrant Afro-Caribbean community. It is a highly cosmopolitan area, but having fallen on hard times in the twentieth century and become associated with dingy flats and houses of multiple occupancy it has undergone rapid gentrification. These days while the old Victorian private houses are sought after and extortionately expensive, there is much social housing and tower blocks and there remains a large ethnic population and areas of deprivation in North Kensington
North Kensington
North Kensington is an area of west London lying north of Notting Hill Gate and south of Harrow Road.North Kensington is the key neighbourhood of Notting Hill...
and Ladbroke Grove.
Members of Parliament
| Election | Member | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 1974 United Kingdom general election, February 1974 The United Kingdom's general election of February 1974 was held on the 28th of that month. It was the first of two United Kingdom general elections held that year, and the first election since the Second World War not to produce an overall majority in the House of Commons for the winning party,... |
Sir Brandon Rhys-Williams Brandon Rhys-Williams Sir Brandon Meredith Rhys-Williams, 2nd Baronet was a British Conservative politician.Rhys-Williams was elected a Member of Parliament in the Kensington South by-election, 1968, representing that seat until 1974, then for Kensington from 1974 until his death in 1988 aged 60... |
Conservative Conservative Party (UK) The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House... |
|
| 1988 by-election Kensington by-election, 1988 The Kensington by-election, in Kensington, on 14 July 1988 was held after the death of Conservative Member of Parliament Brandon Rhys-Williams... |
Dudley Fishburn Dudley Fishburn John Dudley Fishburn, known as Dudley, was born in New York on June 8, 1946. He has a career as a business man with strong links to the not-for-profit world, particularly universities on both sides of the Atlantic. He is a journalist and Conservative politician, having been Executive Editor of The... |
Conservative Conservative Party (UK) The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House... |
|
| 1997 United Kingdom general election, 1997 The United Kingdom general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, more than five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992, to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party ended its 18 years in opposition under the leadership of Tony Blair, and won the general... |
constituency abolished: see Kensington and Chelsea Kensington and Chelsea (UK Parliament constituency) Kensington and Chelsea was a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was one of the safest Conservative seats in the United Kingdom, and since its creation in 1997 became a prestigious seat, with MP Alan Clark, the former Defence Secretary... |
||
| 2010 | Sir Malcolm Rifkind Malcolm Rifkind Sir Malcolm Leslie Rifkind KCMG QC MP is a British Conservative Party politician and Member of Parliament for Kensington. He served in various roles as a cabinet minister under Prime Ministers Margaret Thatcher and John Major, including Secretary of State for Scotland , Defence Secretary and... |
Conservative Conservative Party (UK) The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House... |
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