Facts about Knightsbridge
Knightsbridge History
Knightsbridge was a hamlet located primarily in the parish of St Margaret and partly in St Martin in the Fields. It also extended into the parishes of Kensington and Chelsea. It was therefore divided between local authorities from a very early time. In the time of Edward I, the manor of Knightsbridge appertained to the abbey of Westminster.
From 1885 to 1887, as a result of the opening of trade between Britain and the Far East, Humphreys’ Hall in Knightsbridge hosted an exhibition of Japanese culture in a setting built to resemble a traditional Japanese village. The exhibition was very popular, with over 250,000 visitors during its early months.
General Info
Knightsbridge is a residential and retail district in central London, south of Hyde Park. It is identified in the London Plan as one of two international retail centres in London, alongside the West End. historically known in Saxon and Old English as Cnihtebricge; Knichtebrig; Cnichtebrugge; and Knyghtesbrugg 1364, that is “bridge of the young men or retainers,” from Old English cniht and brycg.
The original bridge was where one of the old roads to the west crossed the River Westbourne. The allusion may simply be to a place where cnihtas congregated: bridges and wells seem always to have been favourite gathering places of young people.
