Kensington

A Memory of Kensington.

I grew up in Kensington and have so many fond memories of it from the early 1980's. I remember the video shop that used to be in the Odeon cinema, which is now a Hagaan Dazs cafe. I remember when the Ice House in Holland Park was a gallery and you could walk in there and look at paintings whenever you pleased. I remember my favourite place was a big toy shop which I think was called the Rocking Horse, which stood on the site which is now a Nandos. Anyone else remember this place? There was Reeves art shop over the road too, which was another of my favourite places. I remember going to Frog Hollow shop near Gloucester Road after school, and buying squidgy slime and magic trees that grew colourful wet puffed paper that grew in water.
Kensington Market was a great place to hang out when I reached my teenage years, and Hyper Hyper across the road was pretty good too. Shellys Shoes, now American Apparrel, was the place to buy our Doc Martins and Wedges. Tower Records was a few doors along, and Our Price Record shop was next to McDonalds. The amount of money I spent on CD singles...I used to hide them when I got home from my mum. Not really Kensington, but South Kensington was Johnny Rockets American Diner - the coolest place in the world. Cheeseburgers and baby juke boxes, why did that place ever close down?
These were the shops and places that shaped my childhood. Would love to go back in time.

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