Named after Sir Hans Sloane, physician and collector.
He bought the manor of Chelsea in 1712. The square and Hans Town, laid out in 1771, were both named after him. His collection of 71,000 items, bequeathed to the nation, became the foundation of the British Museum after his death in 1753. His London estate passed to his daughter Elizabeth, wife of the 2nd Baron Cadogan, and is still in that family.