SETTLEMENT AND BUILDING

FOR much of Chelsea's history, its main settlement lay by the riverside, the early history of which, up to 1680, is covered below in a single section. From 1680 building began to increase and also to appear in hitherto unsettled areas of the parish. The main developments took place between 1680 and 1865 and are covered with a general introduction and five topographical sections: Chelsea Village; South-East Chelsea and the Royal Hospital; Hans Town; Chelsea Park to Blacklands; Little Chelsea and World End. The period 1865 to 1900 saw the last main areas of open ground built over and new developments in eastern Chelsea and along the embankment. The last section covers the twentieth century, a period of further rebuilding and radical social change in the parish.