Chelsea from the river inland
Chelsea began as a village on the Thames, and its oldest houses still face the river along Cheyne Walk. A group of early 18th-century brick houses stands near the eastern end. Carlyle’s House sits just behind them on Cheyne Row.
To the east, the Royal Hospital Chelsea was founded in 1682 and designed by Sir Christopher Wren. In the 1870s the Chelsea Embankment was built along the river. Richard Norman Shaw designed several houses on it, including Swan House, and they brought a richer late Victorian look to the waterfront.
Away from the river, the 19th century filled Chelsea with terraces and garden squares. Wellington Square and Royal Avenue lie off the King’s Road. Paultons Square, Carlyle Square and Markham Square are a short walk away. Much of the land between Sloane Square and Knightsbridge belongs to the Cadogan estate.
What Chelsea railings look like
At 5 Cheyne Walk the forecourt railings, gate and piers are listed Grade II* in their own right. The listing calls the 18th-century wrought iron gate very fine. It has an overthrow, side panels and railings between red brick piers with carved urns on stone caps. An overthrow is the decorative iron arch over a gate. Pieces like this are the benchmark for gate work in Chelsea.
Further inland the pattern is plainer. Regency and Victorian terraces have finials such as spears or urns on their area railings. A finial is the ornament at the top of each bar. Many of these houses also have cast iron balconies at first floor.
A lot of Chelsea houses have a small front garden instead of a deep basement area. That makes a low railing on a brick wall, with a gate to the front door, one of the most typical boundaries in Chelsea. On a square like Paultons Square, a dozen of these sit side by side.
What we make for Chelsea homes
Front garden railings and gates
We forge railings and gates for front gardens on streets like Markham Square and Paultons Square, matching the bars and finials of the neighbours. Gates hang on forged hinges, with a latch and lock that suit the age of the house.
Riverside balconies
Houses on Cheyne Walk and the Embankment were built to look at the Thames. We restore old balconies and make new ones to match. On a balcony you can stand on, Approved Document K, the building regulation on falls, asks for guarding at least 1100mm high. We fit that height into a design that still suits a Georgian or Victorian front.
Stairs inside
Many Chelsea houses have been opened up inside. We design staircase balustrades to suit a Georgian house on Cheyne Row or a remodelled Victorian terrace off the King’s Road.
Restoring old iron
Where 18th-century wrought iron survives, we repair it rather than replace it. True wrought iron is no longer made commercially. For patches we use reclaimed wrought iron, so the repair matches the old metal.
Walls, piers and front paths
Chelsea’s front gardens bring their own building work. Low brick walls lean, piers crack and old tiled paths lift. A dwarf wall is the low wall that carries a railing, and a coping is the line of capping stones on top. Our craftsman is also an experienced builder. When we fit new railings and gates, we can rebuild the dwarf walls and piers, reset the copings and relay the path and steps. On a house with brick piers like those on Cheyne Walk, the brickwork matters as much as the gate.
Consent in Kensington and Chelsea
The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea covers the whole of Chelsea. Most of it lies in a conservation area, a part of town the council protects for its character. They include the Cheyne, Royal Hospital, Chelsea, Chelsea Park/Carlyle, Sloane Square and Thames Conservation Areas. Changing railings, gates or balconies on the front of a house in one of them usually needs planning permission.
Many houses are listed as well. Listed building consent, which is permission to change a protected building, covers their railings and gates. The council’s conservation area appraisals describe the boundaries typical of each area, and new work should follow them. Check with the Royal Borough before you plan any change.
Houses on the Cadogan estate also need the estate’s approval for outside work. Flats need the freeholder or managing agent to agree. We provide drawings that serve each of them.
From design to fitting
You can choose a pattern from the craftsman’s album, which holds hundreds of proven designs, and adapt it to your house. For a riverside gate or a new stair, we can draw a fully bespoke CAD design instead. You approve the drawings before forging starts. Each piece is forged in our own workshop with 20 years of hand-forging experience behind it, and installed by our London team.
Chelsea’s side streets are narrow and parking is tight. We book parking bay suspensions with the Royal Borough ahead of time, so the space outside your house is kept free. Chelsea Embankment is a red route run by Transport for London, where stopping is banned, so for riverside houses we plan deliveries from the side streets.
If you are planning railings, a gate or a balcony for a Chelsea home, request a quote or call us.