West Brompton is formed to make a rough triangle, with the boundaries being Sydney Street, Draycott Avenue and Kings Road. The area is divided into two distinct groups – to the north, well-built, brick-red blocks of flats, one of the largest such areas in London, from small Edwardian 5-storey builds along Ixworth Place, part of the Samuel Lewis Trust Dwellings, to interwar buildings almost twice that height at Cranmer Court, as well as the Chelsea Cloisters. This area is a surprising part of London, being dominated by relatively (for its time) tall buildings, stretching around 40-50 years of architectural evolution, but retaining a common theme throughout. There are green spaces dotted along the blocks, as well as a small centre with a few typical Victorian terraces. To the south is a polar opposite scene – small, almost squat, terraces fill tree-lined streets, leading up to the high street on King’s Road. The area in general is residential, though with many of the flats being available for holiday rents, and there are many retail shops on Sloane Avenue and Cale Street.

Samuel Lewis was a salesman of steel pens, turned jewellery store owner, turned money lender. He quickly became of the most fashionable lenders in town, having a business connection with almost every noble family in Britain. Upon his death, he donated a substantial amount to charity, including £670,000 to set up a trust to provide housing to the poor. This resulted in the Samuel Lewis Trust Buildings at Ixworth Place, completed in 1912, the second of the Trust’s projects, after one at Liverpool Road in Islington.

Sir Frederick Ashton lived on 8 Marlborough Street from 1959 to 1984, in one of the small Victorian terraces surrounded by flats. He was a ballet dancer, despite the pushback from his middle-class family, and worked as a director and choreographer. Amongst his innovations is ‘the Fred step’ a signature step he created.

Several residents living in the estates have expressed concern that their needs are not being listened to by the council, with several organisations being created to protect their interests from redevelopment as well as intrusion into their public spaces.

There were initially plans to demolish and regenerate the William Sutton Estate, another Edwardian estate built by the trust of a wealthy man, announced by Clarion, a large housing association operational in the area. The backlash against Clarion and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Council was so severe that now the housing association has changed its intentions. Through the efforts of community activists, the Sutton Estate in Chelsea is instead being transformed by a £37 million refurbishment that intends to refurbish, modernise and enlarge 80 homes in all four blocks of the estate. All the units will be offered as social rent, protecting the accessible social housing status that they have had since their construction in 1913. Residents in the remaining 303 flats on the estate, which are located in the nine other blocks, will benefit from new kitchens and bathrooms as well as other upgrades.