The Piccadilly line’s route follows the path of the road network. This is due to the fact that the authorities did not charge a fee for building under roads, whereas tunnelling under houses would mean paying compensation. Between South Kensington and Knightsbridge the tube steers away from the road, however, in order to avoid a large plague pit.

South Kensington station is located next to (with some exits on) Exhibition Road, where the Natural History Museum, Science Museum and the Victoria & Albert Museum are all located. Before the Great Exhibition in Hyde Park in 1851, the land of South Kensington was vacant, but afterwards an 87-acre plot was bought, to be dedicated to the arts and exhibitions.

Beatrix Potter, Virginia Woolf and Francis Bacon were all residents of the South Kensington area.