History of chelsea

History of Chelsea
Chelsea began life as a Saxon village some miles from the thriving town of London. The name Chelsea is derived from Saxon words cealc hythe. The word hythe meant a landing place for boats. The word cealc meant chalk so perhaps it was a landing place for boats.
In the Middle Ages Chelsea was a tiny village. However in the 16th and 17th centuries Chelsea became fashionable as a place to live for rich people. In 1520 Thomas More the persecutor of Protestants moved to Chelsea. However More's house was demolished in 1740. In 1538 More built his own private chapel, the More Chapel in the Church. Ropers Garden is named after his daughter Margaret Roper.
By the early 18th century Chelsea had a population of about 1,500. To us it would seem tiny but by the standards of the time it was a large village. Chelsea was flourishing and by the end of the 18th century it was beginning to be engulfed by London.
Meanwhile Kings Road (the main road like “strøget”) got its name because in the 17th and 18th centuries it was a private road running to the royal palace at Hampton Court.
In the 19th century Chelsea grew rapidly. Chelsea gained gas streetlight in 1824-25. Chelsea Bridge was built in 1853. Albert Bridge was built in 1873. By it is a sculpture called Boy and Dolphin created by David Wynne in 1975. Chelsea Embankment was made in 1874.
Chelsea Town Hall was built in 1860.
Chelsea is famous for the writers who lived there during the 19th century.
The original Chelsea Old Church dated from the 12th century but it was mostly destroyed by German bombing in the Second World War and was rebuilt.
Today Chelsea is a flourishing area of London. Chelsea is known for the National Army Museum, which opened in 1971.