Kensington High Street

In the late 19^th century to the mid 1970’s, Kensington High Street had three main department stores – Barker’s of Kensington, Derry & Toms & Pontings. These stores have since been dissolved, but the buildings and history of these stores continues to thrive as shopping remains the main attraction of Kensington High Street.

High Street shops include, but are certainly not limited to: Blacks Outdoor Leisure, Columbia, Kathmandu, Snow & Rock, Aldo, Clarks, Russell & Bromley, H&M, COS, Gap, New Look, Top Shop, Zara, Uniqlo, Ann Summers, Accessorize, Marks & Spencer’s, Jaeger, Karen Millen, Hobbs. Other specialist shops include: Sunglasses Hut, L’Occitane, Argos, PC World, Whole Foods, Robert Dyas and Ryman amongst an array of others. And just perpendicular to Kensington High Street, Kensington Church Street offers shops such as MAC for makeup and Sweaty Betty for gym attire, amongst a number of independent shops, nail salons and cafes.

In addition to your modern day high street shops, Kensington High Street is home to the Kensington Roof Gardens, which at present is owned and operated by Virgin. The gardens are on the top of what used to be Derry & Toms department store and covers 6,000 metres, brimming with lush green plant life, water features and… flamingos! The gardens are intended for use of the public unless specially booked out for an event. So, when you’ve shopped ‘til you’ve dropped, rest your weary feet in Kensington’s secret garden.