Notting Hill (London, United Kingdom)
Notting Hill is an area of west London in the Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It has no defined boundary, although it lies within an area between Harrow Road, Notting Hill Gate and Holland Park Avenue. The origins of the name are obscure, but there is a discernible hill within the district. Over the last 150 years it has seen ups and downs in its fortunes. As London developed westwards large houses were built by the middle classes as a cheaper option to Mayfair. As servants disappeared and the middle classes moved out the large houses were subdivided and it became a slum. It was settled by the wave of immigrants from the Caribbean in the 1950s, and race riots inevitably followed. Now, however, it has entered a new period of “gentrification” of the old houses, and, of course, fame from the film. There are now many fashionable restaurants, bars and shops. Its most famous shopping area is Portobello Market, especially for its antiques on Saturdays. Its best known event is the Notting Hill Carnival on the August Bank Holiday weekend. Started in 1959 as an antidote to the race riots, it is now one of the largest street festivals in the world, with a predominant Caribbean flavour.
Contact
Ladbroke Grove W11, 0, Telephone: +44(207)3613000 | Fax: +44(207)9381445 | Official site