Notting Hill is an area of West London. It is a cosmopolitan area well known for the Notting Hill Carnival.
Notting Hill is a fashionable area with terraces of large Victorian houses.
Although mainly an affluent area there are still areas of social deprivation often referred to as the Ladbroke Grove area from the street that has the same name.
In the 18th century the area of Notting Hill was a county hamlet with gravel pits and roadside inns where highwaymen were known to frequent for drinking and robbing purposes.
To the west of the area is Pottery Lane where bricks were made from the heavy clay in the area. The clay was made into bricks and fired in brick and tile kilns during the 19th century. Walmer Road has now the only 19th century tile kiln that remains in London. This area is where pig farmers moved to after being pushed out of Marble Arch. The area was cleaned up in the late 1890’s.
The Notting Hill area stayed rural until London began to expand in the early 19th century. The main landowner at that time was the Ladbroke family and from the 1820’s they began to build houses with intent on turning the area into a fashionable suburb of London. Several of the street names bear the family name including Ladbroke Square; this is London’s largest private garden square.
The squares around Notting Hill became a feature because they were built with the back of the houses facing the private squares (normally built with the front of the house separated from the garden squares by a road). The squares gave no access to the public nor could they been seen from the street.
These gardens still have an attraction to the rich living on the squares.
The houses were large but did not at first appeal to the very rich but more to the middle classes who could live in fine style much cheaper than in Mayfair for example.
As people stopped having servants the houses were no longer wanted as family homes and were split into multiple occupancies. This area became a sad, run down place with cheap lodgings. In 1923 Southam Street housed 2,400 in 190 rooms and this trend continued into the 1950’s.
These houses were redeveloped in the l960’s and 1970’s when the Trelick Tower was built. This tower block is 322 feet high and consists of 3l storeys. When it was first erected stories of rapes in the lifts and attacks on children were rife but since the concierge and extra security have been provided its reputation has turned around.
This building was granted a Grade 2 listing in 1998.
This whole part of Notting Hill is now home to a Mediterranean community mainly Portuguese, Spanish and Moroccans.
During the 1980’s the houses started to become family homes again and parts of Notting Hill have become some of the most sought after properties in London.
There is always property available for rent in Notting Hill with prices around £110pw to £400pw for a l bed flat and £310pw to £410pw for a 2 bed flat.
Notting Hill is made up of several areas including:-
Notting Hill Gate
This was the site of the former tollgate situated on the main road from London to Uxbridge. This road is now known as Oxford Street, Bayswater Road and Holland Park Avenue. The gate was to stop people using the road without paying and proceeds were used for the road’s maintenance. The gate was taken down in the 19th century.
Westbourne Grove
This is the shopping street housing both independent shops plus chain stores and is known as up and coming and fashionable.
The Notting Hill Carnival passes along the centre of Westbourne Grove.
North Kensington
It is here the Notting Hill Carnival began and where the 1958 ‘Race Riots’ took place. The riots started on the 20th August when a gang of white youths attacked a Swedish lady who was married to a West Indian. As many as 400 white people, mostly ‘Teddy Boys’ were seen damaging the houses of West Indian residents on Bramley Road. The riots continued nightly until the 5th September.
The area was once a slum but now the stuccoed Victorian houses are being bought up by international investment bankers and the prices have soared.
Even so North Kensington still has a high proportion of residents that are unemployed and in social housing. This means the area has a cultural mix and although this is exciting it is often a dangerous place to be.
Immigrants have been drawn to this part of London and this has now become one of the most cosmopolitan places in the world.
Portobella Road
This road runs all the way along Notting Hill. It houses the Portobella Road market known for its antique stalls and those selling second hand clothing as well as the fruit and vegetable traders. Originally the market opened one day a week but the hours were extended to allow trading from Monday to Saturday in 1927.
Also in the Road is a good selection of smaller shops with many ethic food shops serving the local residents.
The Notting Hill carnival takes place every August Bank Holiday on both the Sunday and Monday. The carnival was started in 1965 by the Caribbean community that have lived in here for more than fifty years. It has become one of the largest street carnivals in the Europe and has in the past attracted one and a half million people. In the 1970’s many fights with police were started but nowadays it is a peaceful weekend. A report in 2002 stated that the carnival contributes around £93m to the UK economy.
The Grand Union Canal runs parallel to the Harrow Road and the house here are extremely close to the water. The canal no longer has trading craft but is used by leisure boats and also makes for a great place to have a picnic or take a stroll.
Notting Hill is known for its many restaurants and a few recommended eateries include the Black and White a restaurant that serves fantastic steaks and a few vegetarian dishes. Clarkes is a modern European restaurant that uses organic foods wherever possible. The Fat Badger serves English food using local produce. There are plenty of others to try including those serving Italian, Indian and Chinese dishes.
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