The best of Chelsea by the people who know - Cadogan

47 | INSIDER | Places for children
The Insider’s Guide
to places for
children
When I’m not working or undertaking
charity work, one of my top Chelsea
hangouts is KX, a private members’ gym
and spa. My favourite restaurants in the
area are Ilia (96 Draycott Avenue) for its
incredible selection of antipasti, Eight
Over Eight (392 King’s Road) for its lively
bar and pan-Asian menu (the chilli salt
squid and duck salad are two of my
favourite dishes anywhere) and my friend
Richard Caring’s place Daphne’s (112
Draycott Avenue) for its seasonal Italian
food and atmosphere.
Igloo, 227 King’s Road
As a mother to two little girls nearing the
age of three, I find myself in children’s
shops all the time and Chelsea has a
really good range of stores for everything
the little ones need. Igloo on the King’s
Road is fantastic for great shoes and
boots and it’s also a brilliant place to buy
gifts for all my friends’ kids. The range of
clothes is great as they stock two of my
favourites – Petit Bateau and I Love
Gorgeous. The staff are all super-helpful
and friendly, which always makes
shopping with little ones all the more
By Jenny Halpern Prince,
who has lived in Chelsea and
had her office on the King’s
Road for more than 15 years.
She started Halpern, one of
London’s leading consumer PR
agencies, in her kitchen and it
has grown into an agency that
looks after some of the world’s
leading brands. Jenny sits on
the boards of Great Ormond
Street Hospital Children’s
Charity, Tate, Women’s Aid and
The Legacy List. She is also
the governor of the London
Academy and a mentor for
creative start-ups
The Little White
Company
pleasant. At the moment my two are
budding ballerinas and Igloo has a
beautiful range of tutus by Angel’s Face.
Trotters, 34 King’s Road
Trotters, also on the King’s Road, has
nailed what kids’ shops should be. While
parents stock up on clothes and more,
the children can have their hair cut and
are kept entertained seated in front of
a giant aquarium. It’s a good place to
stock up on books as well as hair clips
and other accessories too, like hats,
scarves and gloves.
The Little White Company,
4 Symons Street
The Little White Company is perfect for
bedding and the basics, and everything
is so fresh-looking. My two would never
have been able to sleep as little ones
without their Little White Company grow
bags and even now still love the pyjamas
from there.
Natural History Museum,
Cromwell Road
Away from the shops, when the kids and
I are after some entertainment, my first
port of call is the Natural History
Museum. I am addicted to this place –
probably even more so than my children
– due to my fascination with animals.
Nothing beats walking round the
impressive building and ending up in
the room with the blue whale replica in it.
It amazes me every time.
Science Museum,
Exhibition Road
The Science Museum is also a must-see
as there are endless installations and
Natural History Museum Wildlife Garden
displays for the kids to interact with. Like
me and the Natural History Museum, the
kids never get bored of the Science
Museum and spend days chatting about
everything they have seen there each
time we go.
Kensington Gardens
I love to get out the house and into the
fresh air with the girls and Kensington
Gardens is hands-down the best park in
central London for me, especially for
skating/scooting, feeding swans and
ducks and the unique pirate ship and
playground. Many a happy day has been
spent here with the children and my dog.
I always bump into other friends while
strolling around, especially when the sun
is out. Regardless of whether it’s flip-flop
or welly boots weather, it’s hard to drag
the children away.