The Gaumont is an impressive development by Cadogan. It is currently being fitted out and is expected to be opened in Q4 this year by Curzon cinemas.

The main spaces at Curzon Chelsea will include:

The Main Stage – a 300-seat auditorium with Dolby Atmos sound and 4K projection, designed for premieres, screenings and large-scale events.

The Atrium – a central, flexible space for gatherings, receptions and live programming, with capacity for up to 300 guests.

Studio A – a highly adaptable studio supporting podcasts, writersʼ rooms, workshops and experimental screenings.

Studio B – a flexible screening and event space for up to 60 guests.

The Pod – a dedicated, fully equipped audio and video recording studio.

The Gallery – a bar, café and creative social space designed for informal working, meetings and day-to-day use

Curzon chairman and CEO Philip Knatchbull announced on 15th May 2026 “Curzon Chelsea reflects a rethinking of the role that Curzon holds at the cutting edge of the industry by creating a multi-purpose environment for the wider creative community. Our flagship location will span film, art, storytelling, content creation, podcasting, live performance and conversation-led events. In this sense, Curzon Chelsea brings together everything we have been envisioning for the future of Curzon and creative culture generally.  Curzon Chelsea will operate as an all-day destination, maximising the use of the flagship location. Screening rooms, studios, production facilities, a restaurant and bar, and flexible event spaces will operate concurrently within a single, interconnected site, enabling people to meet, collaborate and develop in real time.”

The building was named after Leon Gaumont, a French engineer who was one of the originators of cinematography.

Another was William Friese-Greene (1851-1921) whose basement workshop and studio was at 196 Kings Road (where the Gaumont now stands) and whose life is celebrated in the 1951 film “The Magic Box.” Starring Robert Donat.  Perhaps they will show the film on opening day!

Friese-Greene was a society photographer, with studios in London, Bath, and Bristol. In 1889 he patented a “chromophotographic camera” – the first to use a roll of celluloid film to capture a sequence of images, but it captured only 5 frames per second and was not a commercial success. He also patented x-rays, 3D film, and two-colour cinematography. However, he died almost bankrupt in 1921!

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There will be a series of lectures this year about the Moravians and their church at Fetter Lane, which moved to Moravian corner (near World’s End) in Chelsea in WWII, and became the home and studio of sculptors Ernest and Mary Gillick.

For details and free tickets see   https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/fetter-lane-moravian-church-88137553153

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At 6.30 on 30th April, Michael Stephen, Editor of the Annual Report of the Chelsea Society will speak at the National Army Museum about Chelsea in WWII – as seen by The Chelsea Society.

For details and tickets see https://chelseaheritagequarter.co.uk/events/chelsea-at-war/

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The Chelsea Society understands that the redevelopment of the Marks & Spencer building has been postponed/abandoned, and that M&S have signed a new lease.  We do not yet know for how many years.

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This is John Rocque’s 1746 map of Chelsea, colourised by Matt Brown and reproduced here with his permission.

See https://londonist.substack.com/p/1746-chelsea-and-the-kings-road-mapped

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This is a principal reason why The Chelsea Society has been working to protect Chelsea for nearly 100 years.

“These benefits arise from the profound emotional connections people form with familiar historic places – from piers and pubs to cinemas and churches – which also provide belonging and help us make sense of who we are.

The loss of cherished buildings and landmarks can cause grief and emotional distress, as seen by the reaction to the sudden demolition of the Crooked House pub in Staffordshire and the illegal felling of the iconic Sycamore Gap tree at Hadrian’s Wall.

Evidence in “Connecting People and Place: Valuing the Felt Experiences of Historic Places” also shows that historic places possess restorative qualities comparable to natural green spaces, promoting wellbeing.”

The report builds on Historic England research published in 2024 which found that the presence of nearby everyday historic places – rather than rare, exceptional sites – increases residents’ life satisfaction.

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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., 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 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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