NOTTING HILL
NOTTING HILL
Notting Hill  ||Guides  ||Places to Stay  ||Getting around  || Moving || Maps ||History  ||Eat and Drink  || Attractions||Celebrity || Shopping  ||
Notting Hill, London, United Kingdom
The Notting Hill Neighborhood

"the chicest neighborhood in London!"

Situated in the West London Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, Notting Hill's most famous street is called Portobello Road. Portobello is one of London's most historic markets and the leading antiques market in the UK. Here you can find not only an amazing collection of antiques and curious objects but also a fine selection of pubs, bars and restaurants.
This is a compact central London borough community of 150,000 people, but thousands more come in to Kensington and Chelsea each day to work and visit. The well known Kings Road separates the borough from Chelsea which is also know for its shopping but is not well served by the tube.  Kensington High Street is one of the busiest shopping streets in London and together with Knightsbridge and   Portobello they draw shoppers from all over the world. The people of the area are most distinguished by their diversity, this rich mix reflects all classes and races.
If it's Saturday you won't want to miss the Portobello Road Market, where over 1200 dealers carry on selling either antiques or flea market junk. You be the judge.
Carnival gives life to our dreams and few dreams are as popular as seeing ourselves as royalty. In 1999, the hit film Notting Hill told the old frog and the princess story with new clothes. 

Neighborhood Guide  
 portowebbo.co.uk/ Find the most listings and more information than anyone else.

 theHill.co.uk  Eating ||Pubs/Bars || entertainment
Anna Zgorelec, has put together a huge comprehensive and well written web site. She also has a guide for the adjacent popular district of Kensington and Chelsea

Knowhere.co.uk Guide to Notting Hill Gate || Home
Supporting 500 UK towns All kinds of tips, you may wish to add yours too.  " Best things: The Carnival, of course, Holland Park (as in the park, not the neighborhood...Art, crafts and such (Anything from pukka art galleries to craft shops. Trendy and twee both welcome.) The whole area is stiff with it. Head down Portobello Road."
Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea rbkc.gov.uk/ 
the Borough is 5 square miles with a local population of 151,000

Places to Stay

MAPS of Notting Hill with Local Hotel Links 
Over 100 options to their hotels own web site. Check for on-line specials

 
Getting Around There

Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea
Kensington This Royal Borough (W8) lies west of Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park and is traversed by two of London's major shopping streets, Kensington High Street and Kensington Church Street.

On the other side of Notting Hill Gate is Kensington Gardens, home of Kensington Palace the London residence of the late  Princess Dianna once stayed here and the Kensington Gardens have become something of Princess Diana land.

 

  Although no statue yet graces the grounds two of London's newest most popular attractions have been named after her in this area, Princess Diana Memorial Playground in Kensington Gardens and the Princess Diana Fountain Kensington palace is open to the public 7 days and closes at 5:30pm besides a small exhibitions you can see 200 year old furnished rooms and royal costumes. There is nice spot for a spot of tea. Go east and the park merges with Hyde Park where at the Northeast tip is called Speaker's corner where orators and cranks and their hecklers create unique street theatre. In the middle of the park is the large Serpentine lake and Serpentine Art Gallery (daily 10am-6pm; free). 
In South Kensington are three of London's best museums, the Museum of Natural History, the Science Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum,nearby is Royal Albert Hall. South Kensington boasts some fashionable restaurants and town-house hotels. Other attractions are the Albert Memorial, completed in 1872 by Sir George Gilbert Scott, Wellington Arch  and the London Toy and Model Museum as well as Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens.

Earl's Court Earl's Court lies below Kensington, bordering the western half of Chelsea. For decades a staid residential district, drawing genteel ladies wearing pince-nez glasses, Earl's Court now attracts a younger crowd (often gay), particularly at night, to its pubs, wine bars, and coffeehouses. It's a popular base for budget travelers thanks to its wealth of B&Bs and budget hotels and its convenient access to central London:
TUBE:Earls Court station is served by both the District and Piccadilly lines and is just four stations from Westminster and Royal London.

Paddington: North of Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens, Paddington is a major B&B center of London, attracting budget travelers to the lodgings in Sussex Gardens and Norfolk Square.
TUBE:Paddington Station Railway Station, built in 1838, spurred the growth of this middle-class area.
Bayswater: Bayswater is north of Bayswater Road and Notting Hill Gate, Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park. It is a residential area, with stately homes and foreign embassies abutting more fashionable Notting Hill. It is also filled with a large number of B&Bs that attract budget travelers. Victorian merchants built terrace houses around spacious squares in this area.
TUBE: stations Bayswater (District Line) and Queensway (Central Line)
Paddington and Bayswater are a sort of "in-between" area of London. If you've come to London to see the attractions in the east, including the British Museum, the Tower of London, and the theater district, you'll find yourself commuting a lot, yet you're quite close to Buckingham Palace, Westminster and Royal London and shopping at Harrods in Knightsbridge. Rapidly gentrifying, this area ranges from seedy to swank.
Notting Hill lies at least another 10 minutes west of these districts it's northern half is the still hipper Notting Hill Gate, home to Portobello Road.
TUBE: stops are Notting Hill Gate, Holland Park, and Ladbroke Grove.

Nearby Holland Park, is an expensive residential neighborhood yet very well served by tube stops.

Shepherd's Bush is to the immediate west of Notting Hill Gate. The former warehouse/factory district is  increasingly fashionable area as the creative class has moved in and converted, the next wave has followed drawn by the trendy new hangouts and cool vibe.

 

Maps  

click for Printable Tube Map
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The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea is a London borough in the west side of inner London, created in 1965 from the former boroughs of Kensington and Chelsea. It was named in the 2001 census as the most densely populated local authority area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 158,919 at 13,244 per square kilometer (the land area is approximately 12 square kilometers).

The borough includes the areas of:

Notting Hill has a reputation as an affluent and fashionable area, known for attractive terraces of large Victorian townhouses, and high-class shopping and restaurants (particularly around Westbourne Grove). However it has an equally thriving "alternative" culture, exemplified by the numerous second-hand music stores around Notting Hill Gate.
Moving to London
Renting a serviced apartment for your first month in London is a great way to check out different neighborhoods before signing a lease or buying a flat.

Expatriating to London Q & A by transitionsabroad.com
If it’s imperative that you live in the most central and fashionable districts of London, the neighborhoods of Chelsea, Knights-bridge, Mayfair, Notting Hill, Soho, and South Kensington are the places to start.
If you’re looking for more affordable (and less centrally located) housing but don’t want to sacrifice atmosphere, check out Battersea, Bayswater, Clapham, Fulham, Islington, and Maida Vale.

Where to Eat & Drink

How to Eat in London on the Cheap by ehow.com
Find tips like: takeout avoids the VAT tax, ethnic from India, Asia, the Middle East are excellent values, pub food while less predictable is usually cheap and filling, groceries especially if your room's got a frig, public markets, & ask people


 Cafes & Coffee Shops ||Chinese & Japanese || Indian & Balti ||Italian ||Middle Eastern, African and Caribbean ||Modern & European ||Take Away ||Thai & South East Asian ||Vegetarian ||Other Cuisines
CLUBS
Review: Mook
The Gate bar & restaurant
Eclipse Bar
Guesthouse West
The Metropolitian
DJ Magic Jase - Nodisko
JC001 Biography
Ruby Lounge
thisislondon.co.uk Here are top five Notting Hill eateries from the Evening Standard's 2005 Carnival edition Top five Notting Hill eats ||  More PLACES TO EAT in Notting Hill || Places to eat by thisislondon.co.uk

Six of the best Notting Hill pubs || Search for a PUB in Notting Hill || Notting Hill pubs by thisislondon.co.uk

thehill.co.uk Cinemas || Clubs||DJ Bars ||Events||Pubs/Bars
"Also the bar staff are normal people and not pretentious at all (most unusual for Notting Hill)."

fluidfoundation.com Notting Hill Pubs

 
DownloadTop 10 Restaurants Notting Hill by viewlondon.co.uk
Beach Blanket Babylon a destination unto itself w/ a party atmosphere and the people-spotting potential Manor  tasty and mainly British food in funky surroundings
Gate fusion of International dishes whilst DJ play latest  hits Galicia finest tapas in town
Assaggi one of the best Italian close to Notting Hill in W2 E & O Oriental tapas type dishes
Zucca Italian so simple its sophisticated The Oak both hearty and sophisticated, a gem
The Cow Dining Room seafood is fabulous Food @ The Muse  pan-global menu, local artist help
TOP TEN BARS in Notting Hill by viewlondon.uk
Trailer Happiness
177 Portobello Road, W11
0871 223 7694
Trailer Happiness is smart but not show-offy, cool but not exclusive, fun but not brash and, in general, all round great. It also does a superb line in cocktails - reasonably priced ones at that. Impressive.

 Elbow Room
103 Westbourne Grove, Notting Hill, W2
0871 332 5152
Forget dingy, smoky snooker clubs. If you want to bust some balls in pleasant surroundings (preferably with a beer and a plate of tasty tucker) then you should pop down to the Elbow Room. Refreshingly free of nylon-shirted Alex Higgins look-alikes with Superkings dribbling out of their mean lips, this place puts the party into pool.

 Blagclub
1st Floor, 68 Notting Hill Gate, W11
0871 332 2921
Blagclub is a cheerful and popular semi-members bar right in the heart of Notting Hill Gate. It's not huge, but the crowd it attracts is fun and energetic, and the drinks are pretty good too. Definite party potential!

Gate
Basement at 87 Notting Hill Gate, Notting Hill, W11
0871 332 2987
Gate is a rather good little basement bar right in the middle of Notting Hill Gate. The cocktails aren't bad, and the music policy always seems to work with the clientele. Maybe not quite as cool as it thinks it is, but definitely worth a look.

 Bed
310 Portobello Road, Notting Hill, W10
0871 332 2842
Bed is a vaguely North African themed bar in the middle of the Portobello Road. Always busy, it attracts a mixture of locals and trans-London travellers. Very Notting Hill… 		Lonsdale
44-48 Lonsdale Road, Notting Hill, W11
0871 332 6654
Occupying the space previously inhabited by Jacs Bar, Lonsdale House looks like something out of Buck Rogers, and is definitely a must visit.

 Portobello Gold
95-97 Portobello Road, Notting Hill, W11
0871 332 2836
Portobello Gold is a combination of bar, restaurant and internet café. That might sound dreadful, but the overall effect is really rather good. Not too geeky, and clean and chic rather than overbearingly eccentric. Yes, not bad at all.

 The Prince Bonaparte
80 Chepstow Road, Notting Hill, W11
0871 332 2124
Combining decent beers and a very reasonable wine list, the Prince Bonaparte would appear the perfect option for a group of mixed drinkers looking to enjoy a pleasant evening of revelry.


 The Cow
89 Westbourne Park Road, Notting Hill, W11
0871 075 1699
This top gastropub is as much a pub as it is a restaurant. The Guinness is superbly kept, and is worth a visit on its own. In the summer drinkers spill out onto the street, and the atmosphere is always spot on.

 Golborne House
36 Golborne Road, Notting Hill, W10
0871 332 2832
Golborne House offers decent beers in very pleasant surroundings. If you get peckish then there's plenty to reward you…

Restaurants.com/notting hill

Attractions 

Electric Cinema 191 Portobello Road, W11 Website: www.electriccinema.co.uk Underground: Notting Hill Gate
The Gate Cinema 87 Notting Hill Gate, W11 Tel: 020 7727 4043 Website: www.picturehouses.co.uk/site/cinemas/gate/local.htm Underground: Notting Hill Gate
Shows top-notch foreign films.

404?Tabernacle.org.uk/ ||Art Gallery
Local Community Arts Centre with a youth focus. Centre of Notting Hill Carnival closed suddenly April 2005. Check if link restored. Here's how to get there  

Oval House Theatre
52-54 Kennington Oval, SE11 5SW
020-7582 7680 Box Office, 020-7820 0990

 

 Africa_Albert_Memorial.jpg

Media & Celebrity Watch


 Notting Hill Movie Locations by thehill.c.uk 
Plenty of clues and photos but no addresses or maps
 thetravelbookshop.co.uk
The Travel Bookshop
 13 Blenheim Crescent, London W11 2EE Tel: 020 7229 5260 Open: Mon-Sat 10am-6pm Underground: Notting Hill Gate or Ladbroke Grove The shop was  inspiration for the bookshop in the 1999 hit movie Notting Hill starring Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts

Notting-hill.com/  official film web site 

Top places to spot celebrities in London by viewlondon.co.uk  including Covent Garden's The Ivy,
1 West Street, , LONDON, WC2H 9NE
Notting Hill Spots in Movies by thehill.co.uk
Kate Moss shopping in Notting Hill by myvillage.com

Celebrities in Notting Hill >GOOGLE Search

 

Shopping

Portobello Road Antique Market (every Saturday)
A major London tourist attraction. The market takes place each Saturday and attracts antique buyers, sellers and many tourists as well. This is London's leading and largest Saturday Antiques Market. Over 1,200 dealers will deal from about 8.30am to 5.00pm

 The Portobello Road Antique Dealers Association   Tel: 0171 229 8354  
Send a Portobello Road Postcard by londontown.com

 
PUB CRAWL:
in 2000 the dot.gone breworld.com  suggested this tube to tube itinerary. Remember the beginning and end and you should do fine
 "Travel to Holland Park underground to The Start to The Prince of Wales to Ladbroke Arms to Sun in Splendour to Prince Albert to  Uxbridge to Hillgate Arms to Windsor Castle to Mall Tavern  to Elephant & Castle and finish at High Street Kensington tube. "
 

 

 

Portobello and Notting Hill intro MAP 
is one 18 streetscapes giving you insight to shops, bars and restaurants in London's liveliest areas - Oxford Street; Regent Street;Covent Garden and Seven Dials; Bond Street; Soho and Chinatown; Tottenham Court Road; Carnaby Street; Marylebone; Leicester Square; Jermyn Street;King's Road; Knightsbridge; Kensington; Portobello / Notting Hill & Islington. Available only on the web. I
Portobello Road antique market

"This is really several markets rolled into one: the top end is of most interest to antiques buffs, with more than 2,000 traders offering bargains."

History 
What's On
 

LONDON 2012
Nelson Mandela Portrait

 London also won a surprise endorsement from Nelson Mandela in its winning bid to host the 2012 Olympics:
 "There is no city like London. It is a wonderfully diverse and open city providing a home to hundreds of different nationalities from all over the world. I can't think of a better place than London to hold an event that unites the world," Mandela said

Since 1689, when asthmatic William III fled Whitehall Palace for Nottingham House (where the air was fresher), the district has enjoyed royal associations. In time, Nottingham House became Kensington Palace, and the royals grabbed a chunk of Hyde Park to plant their roses.Queen Victoria was born and brought up in the Palace and news of her accession in 1837 was brought to her there by the Lord Chamberlain and the Archbishop of Canterbury. It had been expected that Victoria would reign from either Kensington but almost immediately she never again stayed at Kensington.

Queen Mary (grandmother of the present Queen) was born at Kensington in 1867. The Duke of Edinburgh stayed there in his grandmother's apartment in 1947 between his engagement and his marriage. Today Kensington contains the offices and London residences of Princess Margaret, Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester and The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, The Duke and Duchess of Kent and Prince and Princess Michael of Kent.
Gateway to Post WWII Caribbean Immigration
blackbritain.co.uk
"Claudia Jones, one of the founders of the Notting Hill Carnival has left a legacy that continues to unite people of all races from across London and the UK."

 
Britain's first race riots occurred in August 1958 in Notting Hill. shocking the City. However, the next year the Notting Hill Carnival emerged as a reply to the riots in an unofficial manner"

The riots in Notting Hill and Nottingham were symptoms of the pressures changing British society and the identities of the subjects.  They represented the attempts of the British working classes and working poor to respond to the forces reshaping their society which were beyond their control. White landlords hung out signs on their premises saying “no Irish, no dogs and no blacks”

"Notting Hill has always been working class and made up mainly by immigrants and natives. We're happy that way. If Notting Hill has given a false impression that this is Beverly Hills, then buy a one way ticket to America. The residents will not allow this world famous market to be turned into a freak show. Incongruous mobile phones shops belong on high streets and major supermarkets have no place here. The small business owner, especially market stall traders, is respected and appreciated around here. We're not denying change and development and tourism is necessary, however....." by Andrew Duncan
From the tale of the Mangrove 9 the Mangrove 6 and finally the Mangrove finale 

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Last Link Check Aug. 30, 2005