Chelsea

Photo of a tree on The Kings Road, with a curved reflective glass building in the foreground. — Photo by me, trying & failing to be arty with reflections.

I thought I had a pretty high tolerence for extreme wealth but Chelsea is just too much for me. The Sloane Ranger stereotype is real, readers, and they have numbers on their side.

The main attraction of Chelsea is The King’s Road, one of few roads in London prestigious enough to start, albeit unofficially, with a The.

It is a fashion hotspot, having risen to prominence in the 1960s.

Things to do

Photo of the exterior of the gallery, a huge brick building with a grand portico — Photo by me, a pretty grand building.

Saatchi Gallery

The Saatchi Gallery is housed in an absolutely enormous building but there’s no permanent collection, so so definitely check what is on before visiting.

I did not check what was on and consequently ended up in a sponsored Vodka exhibition, which was a little surreal.

Free - Exhibition dependent

www.saatchigallery.com

Photo of an army helicopter suspended above an atrium. — Photo by me, from the cafe.

National Army Museum

I can’t fault the facilities at the National Army Museum - their galleries are immaculately laid out in an airy, bright and inviting building.

The museum is very closely affiliated with the army and I felt a little cynical about its purpose - rest assured you won’t be confronted with many difficult questions about their past activities.

Free

www.nam.ac.uk

Photographs of chelsea pensioners on a wall, with some items in display cases. — Photo by me, a display in the museum.

Chelsea Pensioners Museum

Accessed through a distractingly nice cafe, the Chelsea Pensioners Museum is best enjoyed as an unusual accompaniment to lunch.

The museum consists of a few rooms, mostly filled with audiovisual displays. Before long you’ll find yourself emerging into a shop at the end, perhaps betraying the museum’s true purpose.

Free

chelsea-pensioners.co.uk