Knightsbridge, London
© 2005 David Monniaux, GNU Free Documentation License
Knightsbridge is a street along the south side of Hyde Park, in the City of Westminster, London. It got its name from a bridge on the River Westbourne, which is now an underground river. The river reemerges at Sloane Square tube station where it is enclosed in a large green pipe above the platforms, on its way to the Thames. Knightsbridge is probably best known as home of the department store Harrods.
Although Knightsbridge is a place notable for its educational institutions and financial wealth, it is also the scene of high-profile crime. Among these was the 1980 Iranian Embassy siege in Knightsbridge that only ended when the Special Air Service stormed the building. In 1983, three Christmas shoppers and three Police officers were killed by an IRA car-bomb outside Harrods.
Knightsbridge has some of the most expensive properties in the world. In February 2007, the world's most expensive apartment was sold at One Hyde Park, for £100,000,000, reportedly going to a Qatari prince. Knightbridge is home to celebrities including Sir David Frost, Neil Simon, Nigella Lawson, Hugh Grant and Joan Collins. It is also where Princess Diana and Ian Fleming grew up.
|
