Victorian London Part 1: The Kensington District (NO CC, Limited CC and CC Loaded)

WELCOME TO LONDON'S KENSINGTON DISTRICT!

BEFORE WE BEGIN OUR JOURNEY
There are 7 Lots In This Collection. Because I included Loaded Versions, Limited Versions and NO CC Versions of each lot, I am presenting the collection in 2 UPLOADS (Part 1 with 4 Community Lots and Part 2 with 3 Residential Lots). Also, please keep in mind there are 12 downloads on this page and 8 contain Custom Content. While the Custom Content List is extensive, every object is not in every lot. I created special walls for each lot as well, so keep this in mind.

This IS PART 1 of my Victorian London: Kensington District Collection!

Part 1: 4 Commercial Lots
Royal College of Music, Natural History Museum, Imperial Institute and King's Cross Train Station
Part 2: 3 Residential Lots
Market Court Slums, Peabody Tenements, and The Leighton House

To help you select which type of lot you want to download:

LOADED VERSIONS
Download this version to see my full decorative vision for the lot. LOADED lots have several decorative objects (with little to no added furniture items) and a few extra textures to help the lots have a more authentic feel. Since I was trying to capture actual places, the LOADED lots have a few more detailed walls than the LIMITED lots do.

LIMITED VERSIONS
This is probably the ideal lot to download as you get the look and essence of my vision without having the extra objects and textures. These lots contain minimal objects.

NO CC Versions OR TEXTURES ONLY VERSIONS
This version is for those who prefer NO Custom Content OR who don't mind including Walls, Floors and Terrains ONLY. All build mode and buy mode objects (except textures) are MAXIS/EA.


About This Collection
This project represents the Kensington District in London during the Victorian Era. Please keep in mind that my renditions of the buildings are NOT exact replicas. The buildings in this collection center mainly around Holland Park, Kensington Park and South Kensington. The few buildings that are not in those specific areas are actual places in London. If you find discrepancies with any of the historical information used, please let me know. While I am an educator, I am NOT the utmost authority on U.K. history. With that said, enjoy the lots.

NOTE: This project will be presented in 4 separate parts. Parts 1 and 2 are presented for the Challenge and Parts 3 and 4 will be submitted at a later date. Be sure to bookmark this post to remind you to download Parts 3 and 4. :D

Click on the links provided below to compare my versions of the places in Victorian London to images of the actual buildings!:
-Comparison Picture for The Royal College of Music Courtesy of Wikipedia
-Comparison Picture for The Natural History Museum Courtesy of The Victorian Web
-Comparison Picture for The Imperial Institute Courtesy of flickr
-Comparison Picture for King's Cross Train Station Courtesy of Wikipedia


WELCOME TO VICTORIAN KENSINGTON! (PART 1)

This download contains several versions of the following places in and around Kensington:
Lot 1 The Royal College of Music
Lot 2 The Natural History Museum
Lot 3 The Imperial Institute
Lot 4 Victorian King's Cross Station




Lot 1: Royal College of Music

The Royal College of Music was founded in 1882 by the Prince of Wales, Edward VII. It is located in South Kensington and was designed by Sir Arthur Blomfield. The basement contains a music museum. The museum houses various antique musical instruments and thousands of photographs of music related items.

Royal College of Music Lot Information:
COLLEGE COMMUNITY LOT / 4 x 4 Lot / 4 Useable Floors & A Basement / Music Museum in Basement / Cafeteria / Music Hall / Piano Class / Violin Class / Drum Class / Music Library / Student Auditorium / Elevators & Stairs / Guitar Class / 4 EMPTY SHOPS on the Top Floor / 27 Restroom Stalls

OPTIONAL DOWNLOADS NOT INCLUDED that are PERFECT for the Royal College of Music
Music Stand and Microphone by Lethe_s (found here: http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?t=65833 )
Clarinet by feeEssen (found here: http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?t=214217 )
Harp (Radio) by Dr. Pixel (found here: http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?t=248031 )
Pipe Organs by Bino Maus (found here: http://www.modthesims2.com/showthre...d=1#post1915586 )
Pipe Organ by feeEssen (found here: http://www.modthesims2.com/showthre...587#post1915587 )




Lot 2: Natural History Museum
The Natural History Museum was constructed between 1873 and 1880. This impressive Romanesque styled building was designed by Alfred Waterhouse. There are details of scientific concepts, animal life, plant life and human life crafted on the interior and exterior walls. The museum is dedicated to life science and earth science. The principles of evolution are prevalent with statues of Charles Darwin throughout the building. A smaller section of the museum is called the Darwin Centre. There is also a small Wildlife Garden at the museum. The museum centers around Entomology, Zoology, Botany, Mineralogy and Paleanthology.

The Natural History Museum is in and of itself an impressive work of art. The thought of trying to recreate it in the Sims left me momentarily dumbstruck. Due to the width of the building, I decided to change the scale somewhat as I needed more interior room to work with. So I shortened the design and incorporated actual details from the real building. The idea (as usual) grew and grew. I couldn't replicate the building in perfection, but I did manage to add many details taken from the actual building. This version includes 4 floors of MUSEUM. Hopefully, you will feel you are actually in a museum upon entering this lot. Enjoy the download!

Natural History Museum Lot Information

COLLEGE COMMUNITY LOT / FURNISHED / 6 x 5 Lot / 6 Stories High (only 4 are useable) / Includes: 6 Stuffed Animal Exhibits, the Darwin Centre (Top level is a Pet Store/ Bottom Level is a Flower Shop), a Human Anatomy Room, a Private Library, a Restaurant, a Garden Room and Restrooms on the Top Level, More Restrooms on Ground Floor, Several Entrances, the Wildlife Garden, and a Chess & Artists Park in the Rear

SPECIAL NOTES:

LAGERMONKEY'S TEXTURE FILE
I included the texture file for lagermonkey's museum display cabinet IN THE ZIP as it would not automatically package. Be sure to add that file to your Downloads Folder.

DINOSAUR FINDS
I searched the WEB trying to find a Sim dinosaur skeletal frame. Unfortunately, I had no luck. However, I left 2 dinosaur spaces in the center of the museum on the ground floor. Bitzybus from TSR created Jurassic dinosaurs which are perfect for the space. The reserved display space is for Bitzybus' Stegosaurus and Triceratops if you happen to already have them! Also, if you have a TSR account (which is free to get), the files can be found there. At the time of creating the lot, they were in the FREE downloads section. However, TSR is a pay for access / part free site, so the FREE ACCESS to the dinosaurs may change.

OPTIONAL DOWNLOADS NOT INCLUDED but PERFECT for The Natural History Museum
Botanical Paintings by Magnoliae (found here: http://www.modthesims2.com/creator/...ad.php?t=269203 )
Mad Scientist Items & Anatomy Paintings by Paleoanth (found here: http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?t=194339 )
Laboratory Items by Crocobaura (found here: http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?t=196894 )




Lot 3: Imperial Institute

NOTE: This lot combines 2 actual places that existed in London. I feel compelled to provide MORE history below to show the connection between the two places.

During the Victorian Era, the British Empire flourished due to Imperialism (which is the belief that the British Empire was all powerful and should exert its rule by expanding and conquering foreign lands which included Australia, Canada, New Zealand, parts of Asia and parts of Africa). In 1887 Queen Victoria wanted to build a learning institute that surpassed all others and celebrated the sovereignty of the British Empire. As a result, The Imperial Institute was built in South Kensington by architect Thomas E. Colcutt. The building was a grand neo-Renaissance construction which was to serve as a center of collections and research for agricultural, commercial and industrial (especially scientific) advances for the British Empire and all of it's domains. It was also created to celebrate Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee (A Grand Celebration of Queen Victoria's 50th Year as Sovereign). The Imperial Institute was slowly demolished between 1957-1967 and all that remains of it is the Queen's Tower. Today, Imperial College occupies the space where the Imperial Institute once towered.

In 1958, The Imperial Institute changed it's name to the (British) Commonwealth Institute and was relocated to Holland Park in 1962. The Commonwealth Institute building was designed by architect Robert Matthew. The construction was originally 3 Copper Tent Roof Glass Domed buildings. Only 1 of the domed structures remain. Flags representing the Commonwealth Nations (most former British territories) that elected to join the Commonwealth were flown outside of the building. The purpose of the Commonwealth is to promote international understanding and world peace through diversity, equality and having common interests.There are currently 53 countries in the Commonwealth that come and go depending on political and/or social situations. Today the Commonwealth Institute has been reduced to empty flag poles and 1 Glass Domed building. However, it is now a Trust dedicated to advancing education within the Commonwealth.

I decided to combine the two places for the following reasons:
1. They have a strong historical connection (as explained above).
2. Ironically, they represent a symbol of change from Empire to Commonwealth.
3. They also represent architectural transitions from the elaborate Renaissance style to a more modern look of glass building structures.

The Sim version of the Imperial Institute incorporates the "essence" of the Commonwealth Institute by design (but not by function). Seeing that the Commonweath Institute did not exist yet, I thought I would make it an "industrial" addition to the Imperial Institute. In the rear of the Imperial Institute building, I added a "steampunkish" building centering around a courtyard of flags. This building was designed to house the contraptions and conconctions created by the greatest minds of the Victorian time (basically it's a lab and gym). As for the flags, instead of representing the Commonwealth of Nations, it will represent the nations under British dominion. I only found a few relevant flags but the arrangement of the flags is remniscent of Imperial Britain. The British Flag towers above a few flags of countries that were captured by the British Empire during the Victorian times.

Imperial Institute Lot Information
COLLEGE COMMUNITY LOT / FURNISHED / 5 x 4 Lot / 6 Stories High because
of Towers - 3 Stories are functional and Sims can take the elevator to the tops of the 3 towers / Elevators running from floor level to the tops of the towers / Floor 1: Stairwell Entrance, 2 Shops, 1 Conference Room, 1 Library / Science Building (Exercise) Floor 2: 2 Auditoriums / Floor 3: Four Classrooms, Restuarant & Restrooms / Imperial Flag Area




Lot 4: Victorian King's Cross Station
The King's Cross Railway Station opened in 1852 in Central London. Lewis Cubitt designed the building as a monument to King George IV. Originally, there was 1 "Arrival" and 1 "Departure" platform. Now there are 11 Platforms total. In the popular Harry Potter movies, Platform 9 3/4 is located between Platforms 9 and 10 on the main tracks. In reality, Platforms 9, 10 and 11 are separate from the others. Over the years, the station has grown and changed (especially the front of the building). There are future plans to restore the front of the building to it's original design, removing the 1972 addition to the King's Cross facade.

Note: While King's Cross is not a part of the Kensington District, I figured you couldn't have London with King's Cross. So, it has been added to this collection. Thanks Mac for pointing out this oversight!

COMMUNITY LOT / FURNISHED / 5 x 4 Lot / 3 Stories / 2 Train Terminals (Arrivals & Departure) / 10 Platforms / A Lobby / 2 Information Centers / Restrooms / A Restaurant / A Gift Shop / A Waiting Lounge / 2 Trains with an Engine and 4 Boxcars Each / 2 Outdoor Waiting Areas

Note:
A modern version of this King's Cross Station has been added to the "Harry Potter Collection: Trains" download page. Click on the following link if you prefer that version keeping in mind it has 1 or 2 Potter train walls and the Platform 9 3/4 wall, which can easily be replaced with the walls from this collection.
http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?t=250923


OTHER INFORMATION

LARGER IMAGES
I've included a zip with larger images on both Parts 1 and 2 called LARGER IMAGES. To help you decide if you would like to download the lots, download the zips and take a look at the enlarged Floor Plans. In Part 2, The Peabody Tenement House and The Leighton House both have EXTRA images that allow you to see the special layout and features included in the lots.

KENSINGTON TODAY
Today, the Kensington District (located in west London) is one of several districts in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Many of the buildings are still standing in one form or another. However, The Imperial Institute was demolished between 1957-1967 and all that remains of it is the Queen's Tower, The Market Court was torn down due to decay and unsanitary conditions in the 1860's, King's Cross Station has been redesigned, and The Leighton House is now a museum. Enjoy the downloads!

RED TELEPHONE BOX
Although telephones were in existence during Queen Victoria's reign, the symbolic Red Phone Boxes were not created until 1924. I decided to include a "Victorianish" version of the first Red London Kiosk (Telephone Box) as it is such a known signature of London. The original box was somewhat different from the current kiosk phone box. The first kiosk was designed after a series of contest by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, the renowned architect who designed the Liverpool Cathedral.

If you prefer to "cover" your modern Sim Phone Booths with a the familiar modern version of the red phone booth, check out this London Community Phone Booth Cover by -Maylin-:
http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?t=255454

CUSTOM CONTENT
The interiors and exteriors of the Kensington District Collection are mainly Maxis furnishings with stephanie b. walls, floors and terrains. I've added a few "Victorian London" decorative items to bring the lots to life. Please keep in mind, there are 7 different buildings depicted in this download and each building comes with a unique set of "Victorian" walls. All the listed walls and floors are not in every download. Please keep in mind that NO CC Versions (pictures are provided) are limited only to the content offered by Maxis. In other words, they will not look just like the versions with custom content because of the personalized walls, floors and accent objects. Nonetheless, the NO CC Versions have a life of their own.

THANK YOU
Thank you to all of the artists who created items used in this project. Working around the objects helped to make Victorian London a reality for our Sims!