Abbotsbury Road

Road in Holland Park, London, England

51°30′04″N 0°12′21″W / 51.50116°N 0.20583°W / 51.50116; -0.20583North endHolland ParkMajor
junctionsIlchester Place, Oakwood Court, Oakwood Lane, Abbotsbury CloseSouth endMelbury RoadNorthHolland Park (street)EastHolland Park (park)SouthMelbury RoadWestAbbotsbury CloseConstructionCommissioned1905Construction startc.1924 (houses)Completion1960sOtherDesignerStone, Toms and Partners (1950s/1960s)Known forHolland Park, Tortoises with Triangle and Time

Abbotsbury Road is a residential road in the Holland Park area of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, West London, England.^[1]

The road links the street Holland Park to the north with Melbury Road to the south, known for the Holland Park Circle of artists. There is a junction with Ilchester Place to the east. The parkland of Holland Park itself runs along the east side of the street for much of its length, with three entrances to the park.

Abbortsbury Road has existed since 1905.^[1] The southern part of Abbotsbury Road, named after a Dorset estate belonging to the Earl of Ilchester, was created at the same time as Oakwood Court.^[2] Only a few houses were built before World War II (odd Nos 3–9 in c.1924; even Nos 8–10 and 24–28 in the 1930s). During the 1950s and 1960s, there was extensive building in the street. All the houses and flats on the west side of Abbotsbury Road to the north of Oakwood Court (odd Nos 17–137), in the adjoining Abbotsbury Close (Nos 1–66), and Abbotsbury House (a 10-storey block of flats), were built during this period by Wates Limited, designed by Stone, Toms and Partners.^[2]

The Maharishi Mahesh Yogi Meditation Centre was located in Abbotsbury Road and The Beatles visited in 1967.^[1]^[3]

At the northern end in the park, installed in 2000, is the outdoor sculpture Tortoises with Triangle and Time by Wendy Taylor, commissioned by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea for the Millennium.^[4]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c "Abbotsbury Road, W14". The Underground Map. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
^ ^a ^b "The Holland estate: Since 1874". Survey of London. Vol. 37, Northern Kensington. London: London County Council / British History Online. 1973. pp. 126–150. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
^ "Sorry You Missed the Sixties at The Playboy Club". The Telegraph. UK. 3 April 2012.
^ "Tortoises with Triangle and Time". Art UK. Retrieved 7 September 2023.