Between smart Kensington and chic Earl"s Court, the Kensington Court is a relaxing location to retreat to after a day"s sightseeing. Jump on the tube"s Piccadilly Line from Earl"s Court Station and you will find yourself at the West End"s theatres and shops in minutes. It also gives you a direct line to Heathrow Airport. From the beginning of the 18th century, the estate of rural fruit farms west of the village of Kensington was owned by Lord Kensington, William Edwardes. He lived in a large Manor House called Earl"s Court. In 1799 Mr James Gunter purchased a large mansion next to the Manor. James Gunter owned a successful confectioners in Berkeley Square and supplied all the best tables in London with exotic pineapples, fruit-flavoured jellies and ice-cream. His only link to aristocracy was as the supplier of Queen Victoria"s wedding cake. One can only imagine how the upper class noble Lord would have felt about the intrusion of such low class tradesmen moving in next door... The confectionery business flourished and the Gunters purchased most of the Earl"s Court farm estate. Initially happy just to have a supply of fresh local fruits for their products they started to speculate and develop the land by building housing along the Old Brompton road. By the turn of 20th century the whole area had been developed.