Chelsea Farm was constructed in the 17th century and was used for market gardening, supplying central London.
The Earl of Huntingdon, in the middle of the eighteenth century, rebuilt Chelsea Farm as a house rather than a farm. It became the residence of the Countess of Huntington, a pious Methodist.
Chelsea Farm was bought in 1778 by Thomas Dawson, who was created Viscount Cremorne in 1785. Cremorne House was then built along with Ashburnham House and Ashburnham Cottage.
By the early 1800s the grounds extended north from the river Thames up to the King's Road. The estate was famous for its elegant gardens, laid out by Nathaniel Richmond. After Lady Cremorne's death (his second wife, who was the grand-daughter of William Penn, who founded Pennsylvania) there were no direct male heirs.
In 1825 the ‘Lammas' rights of common grazing were abolished and in 1831 it was sold to Charles Random who established a 'National Sporting Club', called the Stadium, in the grounds for 'the cultivation of skilful and manly exercise' which included shooting, sailing, bathing, archery and fencing. The name lives on in Stadium Street. The venture failed and he was forced to surrender the property to his creditors.
