The plaque is a gift from the Royal Mint, and the sculptor was the Royal Mint lead-designer Lee R. Jones.  It is located, by kind permission of the Moravian congregation, in the building at Moravian Close which was their studio. Their home is on the left of the picture below.

Mary is best known as the designer and sculptor of the first coin to bear the image of Queen Elizabeth II. Ernest is best known for the Cenotaph in Glasgow.

The plaque was unveiled by the great-nieces of Mary Gillick (Katherine Smith and Julia Stacey), seen here with a photograph of Mary aged about 18.

The plaque and the unveiling were arranged by Ian Foster.

Also present was Philip Attwood (former Keeper of Coins and Medals, at the British Museum).

Also present was Bella Hobson, the grand-daughter of Walter Godfrey, the architect responsible for the rebuilding of Chelsea Old Church and The Temple Church. He was also the first director and the inspiration behind the foundation of the National Buildings Record, the basis of today’s Historic England Archive, and edited or contributed to numerous volumes of the Survey of London.

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These house are in Durham Place, which was built in 1790 and is one of Chelsea’s most iconic terraces.

The window on the left has the delicate glazing bars typical of that period in architectural history.

In the window on the right all this has been ripped out, and replaced with an ugly plate glass window which disfigures the entire terrace.

How could this have been permitted? – if indeed it has ever been permitted.

It would be a valuable service to Chelsea if the owner removed the plate glass window and restored the glazing bars.

The Chelsea Society would expect RBKC to permit this restoration.

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Margaret Thompson MA, MPhil, DPsych, CPsychol, AFBPsS

It is with great regret that The Chelsea Society records the death of Dr. Margaret Thompson on 28^th January 2026.

Her Memorial Service at Christchurch Chelsea at 12 noon on Saturday 28^th March 2026, and a reception at the Sketch Club in Dilke St. afterwards. were attended by the Council of the Society and many of its members, and many of Margaret’s friends and family, together with the Leader of RBKC and several Councillors.

Margaret was the wife of the Society’s Chairman Dr. James Thompson, and had lived in Paradise Walk, Chelsea, since 1982. She successfully led a campaign to oppose major development in Paradise Walk in 1983, and in 2006 she led the “Save Sloane Square” campaign, which was successful in preserving the Square. She became Secretary of the King’s Road Association of Chelsea Residents, and acting Membership Secretary of the Chelsea Society.

Her distinguished academic and professional career began in 1963 as a Posner Scholar at New Hall, Cambridge, where she wrote a  Dissertation on “Cerebral Dominance and Reaction Times,” supervised by Professor Oliver Zangwill, the father of Neuropsychology. In 1965 she coxed the Cambridge Coxswains’ eight – beating Oxford on the Cam.

In 1966 she was a research experimental psychologist at Oxford University Psychology Department with Professor Jeffrey Gray on “learning theory, fear and stress” and devised a histological method for oestrus cycle determination.  A distinguished academic and professional career then led to her appointment as Honorary Consultant at the Royal Brompton Hospital.

In 1973 she was Lecturer in Psychology, at the Middlesex Hospital Medical School; in 1975 Senior Clinical Psychologist at the  Westminster Hospital; from 1976-2000 Consultant at The Priory Hospital, Roehampton; and in 1977 Educational Psychologist for the Inner London Education Authority.

From 1987 until retirement in 2021 she was in Private Practice, and acted as an Expert Witness in many cases.

She leaves her husband James, her daughter Alyson, and her grand-daughter Seraphina.

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The Chelsea Society has been fighting for many years, with other local people and our successive MPs and Councillors, to protect the houseboat community and the essential character of Chelsea Reach.  This is because the operator of the moorings has been evicting traditional houseboats and replacing them with much larger box-like floating structures.

The Planning Applications Committee of RBKC decided on no less than three separate occasions that this activity constitutes a breach of planning control and issued an Enforcement Notice to compel the removal of two mega-boats. Unfortunately they were overruled by a Government Inspector in respect of those two boats, and there are now four of them in place.

The Planning laws have so far failed the people and the Conservation Area which they were enacted to protect, and the Chelsea Society will renew its efforts to get at least two of the mega-boats removed.

Fortunately, this may not be necessary as the company which owns the company that operates the moorings is now in Administration. The opportunity has therefore arisen for a not-for-profit company owned by the boat-owners themselves to buy the assets of the operating company from the Administrator. We understand that the boat-owners have a corporate vehicle ready to do this, with funds from boat-owners and supporters.

This would solve the problem of restoring the appearance of the moorings and protecting the community without any further recourse to the planning laws, because a company owned by the houseboat community itself would remove the mega-boats and would not in future accept any boats which did not respect the character of Chelsea Reach.  We understand that this would be supported by RBKC, and by the Port of London Authority who own the river-bed on which the moorings stand.

Of great importance for the houseboat community – the owner-occupiers of the boats would get long-term security of tenure, and protection from excessive licence fees, mooring charges and service-charges.

The Chelsea Society gives its full support to the Chelsea houseboat community in this endeavour.

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A world first for heart care — right here in Chelsea

See a short video at https://youtu.be/v86pO2-5KMo?si=0nMBZBvaEo8THu91

The Royal Brompton Hospital has always been at the forefront of heart and lung care — from the UK’s first hole-in-the-heart operation in 1956 to Europe’s first Cystic Fibrosis (CF) clinic 1965. Today, it’s recognised as one of the world’s top ten cardiology hospitals — and it’s right on our doorstep. Expert surgeons perform highly specialised, life-saving procedures every day. They’re already pioneering minimally invasive techniques, but now we can further revolutionise complex surgery – treating more patients and saving more lives.

Now, the Chelsea community has the chance to lead the way again. With your help Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospitals Charity want the Royal Brompton to be the first in the UK to have a Robot Assisted Cardiac Surgery Programme with the ground-breaking da Vinci 5 system.

What does that mean? Surgeons will be able to perform life-saving procedures through tiny keyhole incisions instead of traditional open-heart surgery. For patients, this means faster recovery, fewer complications, and safer options for those who might not otherwise be strong enough for surgery.

This incredible step forward will take place here in Chelsea. But it needs the support of people who care about their local hospital. Royal Brompton & Harefield Hospitals Charity is raising £1.7 million to help fund the da Vinci 5 system.

Together, we can make history in Chelsea. 

By supporting this project, you’ll help ensure Royal Brompton Hospital can continue to deliver world-class care for generations to come.

Contact us:

If you’d like to find out more and what your support can bring, please contact Tracey or Phil in the Philanthropy team at philanthropy@rbhcharity.org, call us on 0203 096 2950 or 0204 553 7403 or to make a direct donation click here

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The official re-opening of the Trafalgar public house, relocated to 224- 226 Kings Rd. (on the corner with Chelsea Manor St) was on Trafalgar day 21^st October 2025. It was attended by the Chairman of The Chelsea Society, and the Vice-chairman whose ancestor fought in the battle 220 years ago.

The grade II Listed Building, constructed in 1910, was designed by Reginald Blomfield as a bank, (latterly the Nat West Bank) in the ‘Wrenaissance’ style, the elevations comprising soft red brick and Portland ashlar on a plinth of grey granite.

The building has been sensitively converted to  a pub and restaurant, with a theatre venue in the basement, named the Havannah Room (after  HMS Havannah, launched in 1811 and commanded by the 3^rd Earl Cadogan during the Napoleonic wars).

Many historic details have been retained, including the high ceilings which give a sense of spaciousness.  The dining area has been separated from the ‘pub’ space, creating an elegant linear room, with beautiful Montgolfier-Empire chandeliers, the whole both cosy and grand at the same time.

The Trafalgar retains a ‘real pub’ feel with  timber panelled booths and the walls adorned with mosaic-esque panels, and a collection of  historic images and paintings, including  some facsimiles which refer to the building’s past as a bank.

The front door  has a heavily moulded surround with a triple keystone, above which is a carved panel bearing a crown and anchor (as if the architect foresaw that one day the building would become The Trafalgar pub!)  and a festoon, which is now adopted as the logo for the Pub, – a rare bond between the new establishment and the building it has adopted.

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The Society has been approached by Little Houses Group, the new owners of the Fulham Picture House.

They say “We are committed to retaining the building’s heritage and are keen to share with you our ideas for the future of the building. Our plans are now gaining momentum and alongside our appointed Heritage Consultants Donald Insall, we are planning a key stakeholder visit to the site in June 2025. ”

The Society will be attending this visit.

 

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The Chelsea Society were consulted in 2019 by the architects of this building on the corner of Lucan Place and Petyward.

It is now nearing completion.

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The post Sloane Street completed! appeared first on The Chelsea Society.

The public consultation is now at Sloane Square Pavement Scheme – Kensington and Chelsea’s Consultation and Engagement Hub – Citizen Space (rbkc.gov.uk)

Easing pedestrian congestion would be a good idea, and it can probably be done without impeding traffic flows around the Square.

Members may be interested to know that in its very first Annual Report (1928) the Council of the Society said that “It is naturally interested in the prospective layout of Sloane Square, where the roundabout traffic system has been permanently adopted.  Various attractive suggestions have been made, but it is understood that apart from financial considerations, there are difficulties due to the Underground Railway and the existing public conveniences. The Borough Council have courteously promised, through our late Chairman, Sir Albert Gray KCB, KC, that the Society shall have an opportunity of seeing the plans when these have taken shape.”

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