Kensington Aldridge Academy

On 14 June 2017, a high-rise fire broke out in the 24-storey Grenfell Tower block of flats in North Kensington, West London, at 00:54 BST; 72 people died, including two who later died in hospital. More than 70 others were injured and 223 people escaped. It was the deadliest structural fire in the United Kingdom since the 1988 Piper Alpha oil-platform disaster and the worst UK residential fire since World War II. The fire was started by a malfunctioning fridge-freezer on the fourth floor. It spread rapidly up the building's exterior, bringing fire and smoke to all the residential floors. This was due to the building's cladding and the external insulation, since the air gap between them enabled the stack effect. The fire burned for about 60 hours before finally being extinguished. More than 250 London Fire Brigade firefighters and 70 fire engines from stations across London were involved in efforts to control the fire and rescue residents. More than 100 London Ambulance Service crews on at least 20 ambulances attended the scene, joined by specialist paramedics from the Ambulance Service's Hazardous Area Response Team. The Metropolitan Police and London's Air Ambulance also assisted the rescue effort. The Grenfell Tower Inquiry began on 14 September 2017 to investigate the causes of the fire and other related issues. Findings from the first report of the inquiry were released in October 2019 and addressed the events of the night. It affirmed that the building's exterior did not comply with regulations and was the central reason why the fire spread, and that the fire service were too late in advising residents to evacuate. A second phase to investigate the broader causes began on the third anniversary in 2020. As of June 2020, the fire is currently being investigated by the police, a public inquiry, and coroner's inquests. Among the issues being investigated are the management of the building by the Kensington and Chelsea London Borough Council and Kensington and Chelsea TMO (or KCTMO, which was responsible for the borough's council housing) and the responses of the Fire Brigade, the council and other government agencies. In the aftermath of the fire, the council's leader, deputy leader and chief executive resigned, and the council took direct control of council housing from the KCTMO. The national government commissioned an independent review of building regulations and fire safety, which published a report in May 2018. Across the UK and in some other countries, local governments have investigated other tower blocks to find those that have similar cladding. Efforts to replace the cladding on these buildings are ongoing.

Grenfell Tower is a derelict 24-storey residential tower block in North Kensington in London, England. The tower was completed in 1974 as part of the first phase of the Lancaster West Estate. The tower was named after Grenfell Road, which ran to the south of the building; the road itself was named after Field Marshal Lord Grenfell, a senior British Army officer. Most of the tower was destroyed in a severe fire on 14 June 2017. The building's top 20 storeys consisted of 120 flats, with six per floor – two flats with one bedroom each and four flats with two bedrooms each – with a total of 200 bedrooms. Its first four storeys were non-residential until its most recent refurbishment, from 2015 to 2016, when two of them were converted to residential use, bringing it up to 127 flats and 227 bedrooms; six of the new flats had four bedrooms each and one flat had three bedrooms. It also received new windows and new cladding with thermal insulation during this refurbishment.Prior to a fire, which began in the early hours of 14 June 2017, the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and central UK government bodies "knew, or ought to have known", that their management of the tower was breaching the rights to life, and to adequate housing, of the tower's residents, according to a later enquiry by the UK Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC). The fire gutted the building and killed 72 people, including a stillbirth. In early 2018, it was announced that, following demolition of the tower, the site will likely become a memorial to those killed in the fire.In 2020, survivors of the fire stated that "nothing has changed" three years later and expressed feelings of being "left behind" and "disgusted" by a lack of progress in making similar buildings safe.

On 14 June 2017, the Grenfell Tower fire broke out in the 24-storey Grenfell Tower block of flats in North Kensington, West London, at 00:54 BST; it caused 72 deaths, including those of two victims who later died in hospital. More than 70 others were injured and 223 people escaped. It was the deadliest structural fire in the United Kingdom since the 1988 Piper Alpha disaster and the worst UK residential fire since the Second World War. The fire is currently being investigated by the police, a public inquiry, and coroner's inquests. Among the issues being investigated are the management of the building by Kensington and Chelsea London Borough Council and Kensington and Chelsea TMO (Tenant Management Organisation, which was responsible for the borough's council housing) and the responses of London Fire Brigade, the council and other government agencies. In the aftermath of the fire, the council's leader, deputy leader and chief executive resigned, and the council took direct control of council housing from the TMO. The national government commissioned an independent review of building regulations and fire safety, which published a report in May 2018. Across the UK and in some other countries, local governments have investigated other tower blocks to find others that have similar cladding. Efforts to replace the cladding on these buildings are ongoing. The Grenfell Tower Inquiry began on 14 September 2017 to investigate the causes of the fire and other related issues. Findings from the first report of the inquiry were released in October 2019 and addressed the events of the night. It affirmed that the exterior did not comply with building regulations and was the central reason why the fire spread, and that the fire service were too late in advising residents to evacuate. A second phase to investigate the broader causes will begin in 2020.

Kensington Leisure Centre is a leisure centre located in the North Kensington area of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, in London, England. It occupies land formerly considered to be part of the Lancaster West Estate, and was built with the Kensington Aldridge Academy. Both were officially opened by Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge in January 2015.

Latimer Road is a London Underground station in North Kensington, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is on the Circle and Hammersmith & City lines between Wood Lane and Ladbroke Grove stations and is in Travelcard Zone 2.

Lancaster Road (West) Estate is a housing estate in North Kensington, west London. It is in an area known as Notting Dale which experienced V-2 bombing during the Second World War. It was built as municipal housing as part of the slum clearances of the 1960s.The estate was designed in 1963-4 as part of a major Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea redevelopment scheme designed by architects Clifford Wearden and Peter Deakins but was later much modified and reduced in scale and ambition. It is immediately east of Latimer Road tube station. It opened in the mid 1970s, and was composed of one tower block (Grenfell Tower) of 23 stories and 900 other units. In the early hours of 14 June 2017, the Grenfell Tower caught fire, resulting in large loss of life.

The ClementJames Centre is a UK education charity based in North Kensington, one of London's most disadvantaged areas. The charity's main message is that anyone has the potential to achieve their goals and succeed in life. By providing tailored support around education, employment, and wellbeing it breaks down barriers and empowers people to release their full potential.

Bassett House School is a coeducational preparatory school for children aged 3 to 11 years old based in North Kensington, London, UK. Bassett House has two sister schools, Orchard House School in Chiswick and Prospect House School in Putney. All three schools take both boys and girls from the age of 3 or 4 until the time they leave for their next senior or intermediate preparatory schools. Bassett House School was founded in 1947.

The Museum of Brands in London examines the history of consumer culture from Victorian times to the present day. The museum was set up as a registered charity in 2002, and is now located at 111-117 Lancaster Rd, Notting Hill, London W11 1QT.

Frestonia was the name adopted by the residents of Freston Road, London, when they attempted to secede from the United Kingdom in 1977 to form the Free and Independent Republic of Frestonia. The residents were squatters, many of whom eventually set up a housing co-op in negotiation with Notting Hill Housing Trust, and included artists, musicians, writers, actors and activists. Actor David Rappaport was the Foreign Minister, while playwright Heathcote Williams served as Ambassador to the United Kingdom.

Notting Dale is a mainly residential enclave in the West London district of Notting Hill. It has variously been associated with Irish, Catholic and Gypsy populations. It forms an electoral ward of the local authority, the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.The site was formerly agricultural land belonging to two farms, Notting Barns and Portobello, together covering 400 acres (160 hectares). The area then went through several industrial stages, such as pottery, before becoming overrun with pig farming and other "noxious" trades, all of whom were required to move out from their former inner city locations. This gave rise to area's nickname of "The Pigs and the Potteries". The area became known for appalling living conditions; in the mid-19th century, it fell into disuse and disrepair. By the late 19th century Notting Dale began to be developed for residential purposes, and also became known for its Irish Gypsy community. It is now home to a mix of public and private housing.

Blenheim Crescent is a street in the Ladbroke Estate area of the Notting Hill district of west London. It runs roughly west from a t-junction with Clarendon Road to east where it becomes Talbot Road at its junction with Portobello Road. There is also a junction with Kensington Park Road. The bookshop in the film Notting Hill is based on the real Travel Bookshop at 13 Blenheim Crescent, although this closed in 2011, and is now the Notting Hill Bookshop.In 1931, 10-year-old Vera Page left her home at 22 Blenheim Crescent and visited her aunt Minnie at no. 70, but never returned home. She was discovered murdered two days later, but the case was never solved. The stained-glass designer Edward Liddall Armitage worked at 43-45 Blenheim Crescent from 1930. In the late 1950s, 9 Blenheim Crescent was Totobag's Caribbean café, acting as a community centre and gambling den for London's black population. Visitors included Sarah Churchill, Colin MacInnes and Georgie Fame. In September 1958, there was fighting between white and black youth nearby and outside, leading to a police car ramming the door to effect entry. Later that month, the police raided an outbuilding where illegal gambling was taking place.In the late 1960s, the section between Portobello Road and Kensington Park Road was home to many businesse associated with London's hippy scene. No. 2 was the Dog Shop and later the Plastic Passion/Minus Zero record shop. No. 12 was Mike's Cafe, and guests included Tom Jones, Mick Jagger, Marsha Hunt, Marc Bolan, and the Clash.The editorial office of the literary magazine Bananas were at 2 Blenheim Crescent. It ran from 1975 to 1981, and until 1979, was edited by Emma Tennant.