| Kensington High Street |
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Kensington High Street is the main shopping street in Kensington , west London . Kensington High Street is the continuation of Kensington Road and part of the A315. It starts by the entrance to Kensington Palace and runs westward through central Kensington. Near Kensington (Olympia) Station , where the Royal Borough Of Kensington And Chelsea ends and Hammersmith begins, it ends and becomes Hammersmith Road . Kensington High Street is one of western London's most popular shopping streets, with upmarket shops serving a wealthy area. From the late 19th century until the mid 1970s the street had three classic , Derry & Toms and Pontings . Barkers bought Pontings in 1906 and Derry & Toms in 1920, but continued to run all three as separate entities. In a big building project which started 1930 and didn't finishing until 1958 (the Second World War halted the project), the company made Derry & Toms and Barkers into Art Deco palaces. On top of Derry & Toms Europe's largest roof garden area (1.5 acres) was created, consisting of three different gardens with 500 species of plants, fountains, a stream, duck, flamingos and a restaurant - said to serve the best high tea in Kensington. In 1957 and Tesco 's existing superstores in Kensington - but will have no parking for its customers. Kensington High Street was also the site of Biba in the 1960's and early 1970's. When Derry & Toms closed the iconic store took the building and accentuated the its Art Deco style further. But the 1970's recession, coupled with too idealistic business ideas, killed Biba in 1975. The Derry & Toms roof gardens still remain, owned since 1981 by Richard Branson 's Virgin . Kensington High Street's future as a shopping street is threatened by both the western expansion on London's Congenstion Charge Zone , which will come into effect in February 2007 in spite of massive opposition, and the enormous White City Shopping Centre , which will open a few kilometres away, just outside the congestion charge zone, in early 2008. |
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