Notting Hill is a district of West London, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.
The district is known for being a cosmopolitan and multicultural neighbourhood,with attractive terraces of large Victorian Town Houses, high end shopping and quality restaurants.
Famous for hosting the annual Notting Hill Carnival and Portobello Road Market.
Development
The reputation of the district altered over the course of the 20th century. As middle-class households ceased to employ servants, the large Notting Hill houses lost their market and were increasingly split into multiple occupation.
Redevelopment in the 1960s and 1970s saw the Westway Flyover and Trellick Tower built. It is now home to a vibrant community, mainly Mediterranean Spanish and Moroccan, together with Portuguese.
By the 1980s, single-occupation houses began to return to favour with families and because of the open spaces and stylish architecture Notting Hill is today one of London’s most desirable areas.
Several parts of Notting Hill are characterised by handsome stucco-fronted pillar-porched houses, often with private gardens.
There are grand terraces, such as Kensington Park Gardens, and large villas as in Pembridge Square and around Holland Park. There is also new construction of modern houses tucked away on backland sites.The district adjoins two large public parks, Holland Park and Kensington Gardens, with Hyde Park within 1 mile to the east.
Transport
There are five tube stations in the area: Ladbroke Grove, Westbourne Park, Latimer Road, Notting Hill Gate and Kensal Green.
Notting Hill is heavily served by the London Underground. Five lines serve the area, two deep level tubes, the Central and Bakerloo lines, with three sub-surface lines, the Hammersmith & City, Circle and District lines.
Ladbroke Grove is a road running down the west side of Notting Hill, stretching up to Kensal Green, straddling the W10 and W11 postal districts. Ladbroke Grove tube station is on the road where it is crossed by the Westway.
Portobello Road runs almost the entire length of Notting Hill from north to south. It runs parallel to Ladbroke Grove. It contains Portobello Road Market, one of London’s best known markets, containing an antique section, fruit and veg and clothing.
Westbourne Grove is a retail road running across Notting Hill from Kensington Park Road in the west to Queensway in the east, crossing over Portobello Road, attracting many designer label outlets as well as independent and chain retailers.
The Notting Hill Carnival passes along the central part of Westbourne Grove.
Westbourne Green is the area in between Westbourne Park Station and Royal Oak Station and is mainly residential.
The Notting Hill Carnival also passes through Westbourne Green up Chepstow Road and turns right onto Westbourne Grove.
Kensal Green is in the north of Notting Hill and has been earmarked for regeneration around the proposed crossrail station.
Notting Hill Carnival is an annual Caribbean carnival event in August, over two days (Sunday and the following bank holiday). It has continuously taken place since 1965. It is led by members of the Caribbean population, many of whom have lived in the area since the 1950s. The carnival has attracted up to 1.5 million people in the past, putting it among the largest street festivals in
Europe.
Notting Hill is often referred to as ‘the most Instagrammable district in London’ due to the abundance of photogenic restaurants and pastel-coloured houses.