Grenfell Tower fire

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 Aldridge Academy (KAA) is an 11–18 co-educational secondary school with academy status in the North Kensington area of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, in London, England. KAA opened in September 2014, and was officially opened by Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge in January 2015. The Academy's sixth form opened in September 2016. The school specialisms are Entrepreneurship and Creative & Performing Arts. KAA is a free-standing Academy Trust with lead sponsorship from the Aldridge Education (AE), a multi-academy trust established by Sir Rod Aldridge's charity the Aldridge Foundation. The academy is co-sponsored by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.The academy achieved an outstanding Ofsted rating in its first inspection in December 2017. In June 2018 KAA was named TES Secondary School of the Year. At the same awards ceremony, the school was presented with an award for Services to Education in recognition of the school's response to the Grenfell Tower fire.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Barker & Co. was a coachbuilder, a maker of carriages and in the 20th century bodywork for prestige cars.

Avondale Park is a small park in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England, between Walmer and Sirdar Roads. It has a mix of formal gardens, sports facilities and lawns. Notably, it is home to what is believed to be Britain's first floral lawn.The park is named after the late Duke of Clarence and Avondale.

The West Cross Route (WCR) is a 0.75 mile (1.2km) segment of dual carriageway section of the A3220 route in central London in The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, with a small part being shared with borderlining borough Hammersmith and Fulham. It runs north–south between the northern elevated roundabout junction with the western end of Westway (A40) and the southern Holland Park Roundabout. It opened in 1970, together with Westway. The WCR was formerly the M41 motorway. Its status was downgraded to an A-road in 2000 when responsibility for trunk roads in Greater London was transferred from the Highways Agency to the Greater London Authority. Approximately halfway along the road's length a new junction was built to serve the Westfield London shopping development. The WCR was originally the designation for the western section of Ringway 1, the innermost circuit of the London Ringways network, a complex and comprehensive plan for a network of high-speed roads circling central London designed to manage and control the flow of traffic within the capital. The road would have run from Battersea to Harlesden and would have paralleled the National Rail West London Line as an elevated road. Although the road no longer has motorway status, pedal cycles are prohibited by a sign at Holland Park roundabout.