London studios Statue of Thomas More on
Cheyne Walk. Chelsea Old Church is in the background. (January
2006)
According to Encyclop?dia Britannica, "the better residential
portion of Chelsea is the eastern, near Sloane Street and
along the river; the western, extending north to Fulham Road,
is mainly a poor quarter". This is no longer the case,
London studios although Housing trusts and Council property
do remain. The areas to the west also attract very high prices.
The memorials in the churchyard of Chelsea Old Church (All
Saints), near the river, illustrate much of the history of
Chelsea. These include Lord and Lady Dacre (1594–1595); Sir
John Lawrence (1638); Lady Jane Cheyne (1698); London studios
Francis Thomas, "director of the china porcelain manufactory";
Sir Hans Sloane (1753); Thomas Shadwell, Poet Laureate (1692).
Sir Thomas More's tomb can also be found there.
Chelsea was once famous for the manufacture of Chelsea buns
(made from a long strip of sweet dough tightly coiled, with
currants trapped between the layers, and topped with sugar).
The area is still famous for its "Chelsea China"
ware, London studios though the works, the Chelsea porcelain
factory – thought to be the first workshop to make porcelain
in England – were sold in 1769, and moved to Derby. Examples
of the original Chelsea ware fetch high values.
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