The Chelsea Outbreak in The Hollow Boy might not be the most dangerous conflict in the whole series of Lockwood and Co, but it is one of the most important events in terms of character development. We have been deprived of a TV version of the story, but there are still interesting sites to visit within easy distance of central London.

Chelsea is a large district in London, its southern border runs along the north bank of the Thames. It’s western border stretches as far as Fulham, it’s northern edge follows the Fulham Road and its eastern edge touches Belgravia. As far as the Lockwood and Co books go, this area translates as Flo territory to the south, Lavender Factories to the west, the museums and Hyde Park to the north, and Sloane Square to the east.

We know George spends a lot of time mapping the Chelsea Outbreak and it’s one of the reasons for the existence of George’s Gazetteer.

In The Hollow Boy, Aickmere’s is the centre of the outbreak, but this version of the store is located to the far west, not too far from an area of London with the real life name of the “World’s End Estate”! In reality, the Aickmere’s department store is based on an extensive department store called “Peter Jones” which is part of the John Lewis chain. This shop is situated in Sloane Square, in close proximity to the temporary Deprac headquarters.

One of the most famous roads in Chelsea is called the King’s Road. It gets its name from the fact until 1830, it was privately owned by the king! Unlike the rundown area portrayed in Jonathan’s Stroud’s books, it is actually an upmarket area as a result, with high end fashion connections to Mary Quant and Vivienne Westwood. Famous Chelsea residents include Mick Jagger, Bob Marley, Mary Shelley, AA Milne and Oscar WIlde. Even the street where Ned dies was the birthplace of the English actress Susannah York.

If you take a visit to Chelsea, we would recommend a visit to Peter Jones/John Lewis, the Saatchi art gallery is nearby, and you will most probably arrive by the underground into Sloane Square station.

Sloane Square tube station has a particularly interesting history. Opened in 1868, the building of it was complicated because a river ran through the proposed site, and to deal with it, the river had to be enclosed in a large metal tube which can still be seen today over the modern day platforms.

The River Westbourne begins in Hampstead near to the book location for Bickerstaff’s mansion, and was originally known as the king’s river or “Kilburn”. This old name lives on the district neighbouring Kensal Green, but the river has many names along its route south including The Serpentine River. Originally, the Rover Westbourne was one of the rivers which contributed to the Serpentine within Hyde Park, joining with the Tyburn. However, The River Westbourne became an enclosed sewer (the Ranelagh Sewer) in 1834, so was diverted away from Hyde Park’s ornamental river! The course of the river-sewer south brings it through some of the most expensive areas of London, and it is this river which initially gave Knightsbridge its name, long before Harrods was built.

Westbourne Park station, south of Kilburn, is one of the most convenient stations at the end of the extended Kensal Green Cemetery tour, along the Grand Union Canal.