Time Walk
A Duchy Street in Miniature
This whole street belongs to the Prince of Wales, in his other job as Duke of Cornwall. Walking between Kennington Lane and Kennington Road, the eye catches two distinct builds side by side: plain brick terraces from the 1890s and stone-dressed Neo-Georgian flats from 1938, all under a single landlord.
Beneath the tidy fronts lies one long story of estate management rather than piecemeal development — the street was rebuilt, then rebuilt again, by the same owner. That single ownership is also the key to its name.
Name Origin
A Prince's Second Title
Chester Way is named after the Earl of Chester title. Kennington formed part of the manor of Kennington, which belonged to the Duchy of Cornwall, and the Prince of Wales has also traditionally held the title of Earl of Chester alongside his Dukedom of Cornwall.
That arrangement dates back to 1337, when Edward III granted the manors of Kennington and Vauxhall to his son Edward, Earl of Chester and Duke of Cornwall — better known as the Black Prince. The grant has remained operative ever since, with the manor administered by the Duchy of Cornwall. The street's name records that double title rather than the city of Chester itself.
History
Two Phases of Duchy Rebuilding
Work began on Chester Way in 1893, part of a wider rebuilding programme the Duchy of Cornwall estate carried out across Kennington in the 1890s and 1900s. In the early twentieth century the estate added blocks designed by Adshead and Ramsay, and several survive on the street in distinct forms: a large block at Nos. 10, 11 and 12 with cast iron balconies, a smaller symmetrical block at Nos. 37, 38 and 39, and an Early Victorian-style block with a central porch at Nos. 1, 2 and 3.
A second phase followed decades later. In the 1930s Louis de Soissons, the architect behind Welwyn Garden City, designed a number of buildings on the street, including Restormel House, completed in 1938 as part of the inter-war Duchy Estate redevelopment. The contrast between the 1890s terraces and the 1930s flats still defines the street's appearance today.
Culture
The Curve Onto Kennington Lane
People
A Prince and an Architect
The street's name points back to Edward, the Black Prince, who in 1337 received the manors of Kennington and Vauxhall from his father Edward III as Earl of Chester and Duke of Cornwall. That grant has stood ever since, placing Chester Way under Duchy of Cornwall ownership for the whole of its building history.
Centuries later, Louis de Soissons, already known for designing Welwyn Garden City, brought his hand to Chester Way in the 1930s, adding to the estate's earlier Adshead and Ramsay blocks from the early twentieth century.
Today
Brick and Stone, Still Side by Side
Chester Way remains a relatively wide side street linking Kennington Lane and Kennington Road, where 19th-century brick terraces still stand against the Neo-Georgian blocks of 1938.
Chester Way's name has nothing to do with the city of Chester — it honours the Earl of Chester title, held alongside the Duchy of Cornwall by the Prince of Wales since 1337.
On the Map
Chester Way Then & Now
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is it called Chester Way?
It is named after the Earl of Chester title. Kennington belonged to the Duchy of Cornwall, and the Prince of Wales has traditionally held the Earl of Chester title alongside the Duchy, a link that goes back to a 1337 grant from Edward III to the Black Prince.
What is Chester Way known for?
It is known for its Duchy of Cornwall architecture: 1890s rebuilt terraces, early 20th-century Adshead and Ramsay flats, and 1930s Neo-Georgian blocks by Louis de Soissons, including Restormel House.
Who designed the buildings on Chester Way?
Adshead and Ramsay designed several early 20th-century blocks for the Duchy of Cornwall Estate, and Louis de Soissons, architect of Welwyn Garden City, designed further Neo-Georgian buildings there in the 1930s, including Restormel House, completed in 1938.