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Stop 6: St Luke’s Bollards - Daydreaming on the King’s Road

Tour / Design Trail

Partner Programme

16 — 24 Sept 2023

Urban Design

At either side of Markham Square

King's Road

London

SW3 4XB

#LDF23

This is stop number 6 of 14 in the Design Trail 'Daydreaming on the King’s Road', a walk through time and design supported by Cadogan and King's Road Partnership.

King's Road is lined with black bollards except for the two white ones either side of Markham Square. They are the remnants of boundary markers that defined the old parish of St. Luke’s. Our modern city design uses more subtle signs to define borders instead of elaborate markings like this but these bollards remind us of a time when maps, let alone smartphones, weren’t readily available to the general population which is probably one of the reasons why many markings were substantial. St Luke’s parish was one of the largest in Chelsea, running from the Fulham Road to the river. Designed by James Savage, St. Luke’s Church itself sits nearby on Sydney Street and is one of the first examples of new Gothic churches in London. The gardens are also one of the nicest green public spaces in the area, a nod to when the church was built in 1820.