What sights or characteristics come to your mind when someone mentions to you the area of West London known as Chelsea? The chances are that you think of a certain degree of refinement and sophistication, and you might well expect our team here at Kutir to encourage that association, given our own renown as one of the most stylish and elegant Chelsea restaurants.
Sure enough, Chelsea’s connection with all the finest things in life goes back a very long way, the area has become known – even as early as the 16th and 17th centuries – as a place for the wealthy to live.
The 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries: associations with royalty and refinement
One notable resident during the early 16th century was statesman Thomas More, and even Henry VIII came to build a manor house in Chelsea in the 1530s, although you won’t find it today, the building having been demolished in 1760.
Speaking of English kings, the now-King’s Road was named for Charles II, with its name also alluding to the fact that it was once a private road running to the royal palace at Hampton Court.
For many centuries, Chelsea remained rural, and even as late as the early 18th century, it still only had a population of around 1,500 people; albeit, enough to qualify it as a large village by the standards of the time. By the end of the same century, however, Chelsea was beginning to be absorbed into London.
The 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries: urban development, bohemianism, and continued relevance today
In common with many other, once predominantly rural areas of England, Chelsea saw rapid growth during the 19th century. Such developments as the introduction of gas streetlights in the 1820s, and the construction of landmarks such as Chelsea Bridge, Albert Bridge, and Chelsea Embankment, transformed the area aesthetically almost – but perhaps not entirely – beyond recognition.
It was also during the 19th century that a perhaps more surprising facet of Chelsea arose: Chelsea the artists’ colony, a haunt of painters, poets and radicals. This was the Chelsea in which such artistic luminaries as James Webb, J. M. W. Turner, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, John Singer Sargent, and James McNeill Whistler lived and worked. Local institutions to have emerged during the century, such as the Chelsea School of Art (now Chelsea College of Arts) and Chelsea Arts Club, remain active today.
The limelight was to be shone once again on Chelsea’s reputation as an epicentre for creative people with the coming of the “Swinging Sixties”, the period in the 1960s when Chelsea was home to the Beatles and members of the Rolling Stones. It was during this time that the image of the “Chelsea girl” emerged, said to embody a “life is fabulous” philosophy.
And today, what is Chelsea known for? Well, in many ways, not so much has changed; the very name of this part of West London continues to be inextricably linked to style, elegance, and taste, and no small amount of exclusivity, too.
So, when it comes to all of the things you would expect from Chelsea restaurants, Kutir fits right in. Our modern Indian restaurant, the brainchild of Michelin-starred chef Rohit Ghai and his business partner Abhishake Sangwan, epitomises innovative, but delectable cooking that brings Indian gastronomic genius to West London.
If you fancy sampling that genius for yourself, we would be delighted to have you. Book your table today at our splendid townhouse eatery at 10 Lincoln Street, and you will be able to experience for yourself the refinement of our dining experience that represents the best of 21st-century Chelsea.