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Fascinating facts about....Chelsea

Funnily enough Stamford Bridge and the club we love to hate are based in Fulham, Chelsea, London however has a reputation as an affluent area of the capital where the average house price would set you back a mere £1.3m.

Much of Chelsea is owned by Earl Cadogan, a noble title descended from Major William Cadogan who was a Sergeant Major in Oliver Cromwell's Army. The military is synonymous with Chelsea as it is the home of the Royal Hospital Chelsea, a retirement home to 300 former British Servicemen who are often wheeled out at nearby Stamford Bridge in neighbouring Fulham wearing their distinctive red uniform.

Other residents in the Boro are significantly in better health and considerably wealthy than the famous Chelsea Pensioners. A certain Roman Abramovich has a residence here rather than lesser Fulham. Amongst his neighbours are rocker Bryan Adams - who is also Chelsea fan despite his Canadian roots. Fellow musician Lily Allen lives here, so does Bob Geldolf and his late ex wife Paula Yates. Bob Marley reportedly composed his anthem "I shot the Sheriff" in a small flat off Cheyne Walk. Eric Clapton who covered Marley's classic lived on the infamous Kings Road in the late 1960's. The borough is associated with the arts and writers such as JRR Tolkien. Oscar Wilde, Mark Twain and Mary Shelley all called Chelsea home at some stage of their lives. Painters JMW Turner, Dante Gabriel Rossetti and Cyril Power are also notable one time residents.

Students of popular culture cite the swinging 60's and the Kings Road being an iconic time of the decade where the likes of the Rolling Stones and Twiggy would hang out. In the 70's it was the turn of Punk, a certain Vivienne Westwood's "Sex" boutique was founded here alongside Sex Pistol's supremo Malcolm McClaren. However it is acknowledged that most of the arty farty bohemian types have long since emigrated to places like Notting Hill or Camden and who can blame them?

It is also the home to the annual Chelsea Flower Show and that's about your lot really!

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