Smithdown’s reign has come to an end: Long live Kenny

Kensington – or Kenny as it’s fondly known – hasn’t had the best reputation over the years, but as Smithdown’s reign crumbles, Kensington should now take its crown.

Why? Quite simply because Kensington is better.

A bold statement, and you’re probably thinking Kensington is full of houses that look more like prisons than comfortable living quarters, with bars on their windows and barbed wire on top of every climbable surface. Well, you’re wrong. Or, at least, you’re not entirely right.

Since becoming a conservation area, many of the beautiful Victorian houses have undergone tasteful renovations. That, coupled with the Corrie style cobbled streets, makes Kensington a much better area to look at, let alone live in.

And it’s not just the aesthetics that set Kensington above its troubled sister. It’ll take you over half an hour to walk to campus from the depths of Smithdown, but from Kenny, it’s a mere 10 to 15 minute walk. That’s barely enough to get your heart rate above resting, and you know what a shorter walk means? More time in bed.

Gone is the long and arduous walk to uni with a steaming hangover. Kensington can’t do anything about the hangover (it’s amazing, but not a miracle worker) but it can take away that hideous walk.

It’s also walking distance from town, so you’ll save a packet on taxi and bus fares. You can save those pennies for the important things in life, like a quadvod and a kebab.

People in Kensington are more fun too

Another perk, at least from the view point of the accident prone, is the fact The Royal is a brief five minute hop down the road. So, if you are the clumsy type who is more likely to bring home a broken bone than a beautiful guy or girl after a night out, your second home is within comfortable reach.

Kensington will always be a bit rough around the edges, it’s true. From the docile pot-heads that like to hang out on street corners to the trainers hanging from telephone wires, it’s all part of the authentic charm of Kenny. Everywhere has their problems.

Still, I’d take a man passed out opposite Kenny Food and Wine over Smithdown any day. Kenny is growing in popularity, and it’s not hard to see why.