Kensington and Chelsea

§ This page gives an overview of the Kensington and Chelsea local authority district, bringing together key facts, maps, and data to help you quickly understand the area. One of 361 district profiles on Baseview.

Overview ⁞ Kensington and Chelsea is one of London’s smallest yet most affluent boroughs, home to landmarks like Kensington Palace, the Natural History Museum, and the King’s Road. It is renowned for luxury shopping, exclusive residential areas, and cultural events such as the Notting Hill Carnival.

The administrative boundary of Kensington and Chelsea can be viewed on OpenStreetMap: District Boundary of Kensington and Chelsea.

Map of Kensington and Chelsea
Administrative Boundary of Kensington and Chelsea (Local Authority District)

Key Facts about Kensington and Chelsea

What region are Kensington and Chelsea in? Kensington and Chelsea are in the Greater London, an administrative region and a ceremonial county in England.

Is Kensington and Chelsea a city? No, Kensington and Chelsea is not a city. (Note: the UK has 76 officially designated cities.)

Who governs Kensington and Chelsea? The local government for this district is: Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (London Borough).

▶ Official website of Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea 🔗 rbkc.gov.uk

Website of Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
Website of Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (captured on 2025-09-26)

Which police force covers Kensington and Chelsea? Policing in Kensington and Chelsea is provided by Metropolitan Police Service 🔗 met.police.uk, which serves 32 London Boroughs.

Kensington and Chelsea in International Geographies

In the International Territorial Levels (ITLs) hierarchy, Kensington and Chelsea is within an ITLs Level 3 area:

  1. (ITL 1) London
  2. (ITL 2) ⇒ Inner London - West
  3. (ITL 3) ⇒⇒ Kensington & Chelsea and Hammersmith & Fulham

The International Territorial Levels are used by OECD member countries for statistical purposes to classify administrative areas. We have this listable page for easy browsing of ITL names and codes: International Territorial Levels.

This district page, Kensington and Chelsea, is a sub-page of this region page: London. It zooms in to local authorities and parliamentary constituencies, and provides a list of wards in this district. We have this list page for easy browsing of all UK local authority districts: List of Local Authority Districts.

Constituencies in Kensington and Chelsea

A constituency is a specific geographical area that elects one Member of Parliament (MP) to represent them in the House of Commons. The United Kingdom is divided into 650 parliamentary constituencies, 75 of them are in Greater London (covering 32 London boroughs). We have this list page for easy browsing of all UK parliamentary constituencies: List of Constituencies.

Wards in Kensington and Chelsea

Kensington and Chelsea is divided into 18 wards, listed below in alphabetical order.

  • Abingdon
  • Brompton & Hans Town
  • Campden
  • Chelsea Riverside
  • Colville
  • Courtfield
  • Dalgarno
  • Earl's Court
  • Golborne
  • Holland
  • Norland
  • Notting Dale
  • Pembridge
  • Queen's Gate
  • Redcliffe
  • Royal Hospital
  • St. Helen's
  • Stanley

In the UK, a ward is a subdivision of a local authority area, used mainly for electoral and statistical purposes. Defined by the ONS, wards represent the primary unit for local elections, each returning one or more councillors to the local council. Wards are also used as a key geography for presenting population and census data.

Parishes in Kensington and Chelsea

Kensington and Chelsea is entirely unparished—there are no civil parishes in this local authority district.

Parishes are the lowest tier of local government; where they don’t exist, those very local services and representation sit directly with the principal council.

Built-up Areas in Kensington and Chelsea

Kensington and Chelsea covers 4 built-up areas, listed below in alphabetical order.

  • Brent *
  • City of Westminster *
  • Hammersmith and Fulham *
  • Kensington and Chelsea *

In the UK, a Built-up Area (BUA) is a continuous urban area of at least 20 hectares (0.2 km²), defined by the ONS as land where buildings are generally no more than 200 metres apart, such as towns, cities, or large villages. (Note: A BUA name marked with an asterisk (*) indicates that the area is situated partly in the district of Kensington and Chelsea.)

Kensington and Chelsea compared with other districts in the UK

This section shows how Kensington and Chelsea compares with other local authority districts in the UK, using a variety of measures and rankings.

Kensington and Chelsea has 18 electoral wards.

Kensington and Chelsea compared with other districts
Smaller: 98  Similar: 51  Larger: 212 (compared with 361 districts)

Kensington and Chelsea has a population of 144,518 (2024 mid-year estimate by ONS)

Population of Kensington and Chelsea compared with other districts
Population of Kensington and Chelsea, compared with other districts in England and Wales

More local statistics and data for Kensington and Chelsea can be found on the ONS statistics for Kensington and Chelsea.