THE QUEEN AT ST. MARY ABBOTS, KENSINGTON.
It is not so very many years ago that Kensington was still a suburb of London, with an individuality of its own and the green fields within easy reach. It has kept its name, and has not altogether lost its individuality, but the green fields have been built over, and the village of Kensington has become one of the richest and most fashionable quarters of the great city of London. But with Kensington in its old days Queen Victoria has special associations. In its royal palace she was born, and here in her childhood she lived. There was, therefore, a peculiar reason why the Queen should have devoted a day, even in the pressure of Jubilee celebrations, to a visit to this quarter of her capital. We here see the royal carriage drawn up at the door of the stately church of St. Mary Abbots, Kensington. The ground is being kept by the Volunteers, representatives of the splendid contingent of citizen soldiers which London is able to supply for the defence of the country in time of need.