Bayswater Hotels

Bayswater, London - Guide

Bayswater - General Information

Cosmopolitan, diverse and bohemian are a few of the words normally used to describe the Bayswater area of London. Compared with other areas in central London, Bayswater has much more of a community feel with open-air markets and a wide variety of independent shops.

Bayswater Market

Home to large Greek, Arab, American and Brazilian communities, Bayswater is also home to celebrities such as Stella McCartney and Damon Albarn. It is this mix of cultures and classes that make Bayswater such an interesting place.

Kensington Palace

Kensington Palace has been an official royal residence of the royal family since the 17th Century. Today it serves as the official residence of the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, the Duke and Duchess of Kent and Prince and Princess Michael of Kent.

The original house was built for the Earl of Nottingham in the early 17th Century. Nottingham House, as it was originally called, was bought in 1689 by the asthmatic William III who requested a residence that was close to London, but far enough away from the smoky air of the Capital. William III appointed the famed architect Sir Christopher Wren to made improvements and additions to the house and gardens.

Kensington Palace was the favoured residence of many subsequent monarchs such as Queen Mary, Queen Anne, George I and George II. Today the palace is still lived in by members of the Royal Family and split into apartments. Official functions and receptions are conducted within the palace but part of the complex is open to the public daily between 10am and 6pm. Between 30th June 2007 and 1st of January 2008, there is an exhibition devoted to the life of the late Diana Princess of Wales.