Chelsea Insider Low - Cadogan

5 | HISTORY | A short history of ChelseaA short history of ChelseaHistorySloane SquareA powerful pastFrom humble origins as a tiny Thamessidefishing village, Chelsea grew to bea religious centre, an artistic hotspot,and a favourite of the wealthy. Wereveal the area’s fascinating history,from the Romans to Roman AbramovichChelsea has had a rich and interestinghistory, and this is a brief overview ofhow it developed into today’s wealthy,bustling area. For more information onspecific streets, places and people, seeStreets and SightsEarly historyThere is some limited archaeologicalevidence of prehistoric activity inChelsea. Flint and pottery fragmentshave been unearthed near ChelseaCommon and Chelsea Old Church.A Neolithic flint sickle, an oak club or‘beater’ dated to 3540-3360 BC, andpart of a human skull were all found onthe Thames foreshore.‘Chelsea Man’, as the prehistoricowner of the skull fragment is nowknown, died between 1750-1610 BCand had been subjected to trepanation,a surgical procedure in which a hole isdrilled or scraped through the patient’sskull in order to relieve afflictions suchas migraine, or in an attempt to treatmental illness. The procedure was notuncommon and would have beenperformed on a conscious patient,without anaesthetic, with a piece offlint for a surgical tool. A form of theprocedure is still practised today to treatpatients suffering a build-up of bloodaround their brains.‘Chelsea Man’ survived this ordeal, aswe can tell by the bone regrowth aroundthe edges of the hole in the skull, only todie six months later.Roman timesLittle is known about Chelsea in theRoman period, although pits, ditches,and a timber structure found under theChelsea Old Church churchyard indicateRoyal Borough of Kensingon & Chelsea, Family & Children’s Servicethat there may have been a small ruralsettlement there.A few metres away, at 6-16 OldChurch Street, a pit and a shallow ditchcontaining third century AD Romanpottery suggests that the area wasoccupied in some way at the time. It isalso possible that Julius Caesar used thelow waters in the Chelsea section of theThames at the time cross itduring his invasion of Britain in 54 BC.Anglo-Saxon timesA fishing village emerged around the siteof Chelsea Old Church during the Anglo-Saxon period, and two large mid-Saxonfish traps, originally thought to have beenwharves, have been uncovered on theThames foreshore, giving an insight intoThe Old Chelsea Bun Houseby Walter Greaves