A fire has severely damaged an exclusive celebrity hotspot in West London.
The fire broke out at 1am at the celebrity haunt, Kensington Roof Gardens – a private members’ bar just above Metro’s offices.
The building, which also hosts Equinox gym and is just off High Street Kensington, was evacuated while dozens of firefighters dealt with the situation.
At its peak, there were 12 fire engines at the scene, and it took nearly three hours to get the fire under control.
The roof gardens opened in the 1930s on top of the Derry and Toms shopping arcade.
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It’s unknown if the Roof Gardens had hosted an event earlier that night, but online it says they are closed on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday. On the days it’s open, the Gardens close at 2am.
It was previously run by Richard Branson’s Virgin group and was known for its flamingos that wandered through the space. They have since been rehomed.
Due to spiralling costs, the gardens closed in 2018 but were eventually reopened in 2024 as a private members’ club.
London Fire Brigade said: ‘Part of the rooftop bar area of the nine-storey building was alight.
Multiple fire engines cordoned off the street to fight the flames
‘One of the Brigade’s 32-metre turntable ladders was used at the scene as an observation tower to provide the Incident Commander with an aerial view of the fire.
‘The first call was received at 00.57, and Control Officers mobilised crews from Kensington, Hammersmith, Chelsea and surrounding fire stations to the scene. The fire was under control by 0336.’
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The cause of the fire is under investigation, but some office workers in the building have been told not to come in due to smoke exposure.
The Roof Gardens were a legendary venue which hosted celebrities including Princess Diana, Freddie Mercury, the Beckhams and other A-listers.
The venue most recently hosted the GQ Awards, attended by Jude Law and Nicole Kidman (among other celebrities).
It’s also played host to Rolling Stone’s frontman, Mick Jagger’s 82nd birthday.
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