Notting Hill & Portobello Road Market
The market is an exciting and vibrant destination which draws in millions of visitors every year, with lots to choose from including delicious food and vintage clothing.
21 minute walk.
Notting Hill & Portobello
Notting Hill is an affluent district of West London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea known for being a cosmopolitan and multicultural neighbourhood, hosting the annual Notting Hill Carnival and Portobello Road Market.
From around 1870, Notting Hill had an association with artists. For much of the 20th century, the large houses were subdivided into multi-occupancy rentals. After decades of gentrification, Notting Hill has a reputation as an affluent and fashionable area, known for attractive terraces of large Victorian townhouses, high-end shopping and restaurants. The district adjoins two large public parks, Holland Park and Kensington Gardens with Hyde Park within 1 mile (1.6 km) to the east. The gentrification has encompassed some streets that were among the 1980s’ most decrepit, including the now expensive retail sections of Westbourne Grove and Ledbury Road, as well as Portobello Road’s emergence as a top London tourist attraction and Chamberlayne Road as a local shopping street with its boutique independent shops. Notting Hill has a high concentration of restaurants, including the two Michelin-rated The Ledbury and Core by Clare Smyth. Find out more.
Notting Hill Carnival is an annual event in August, over two days (Sunday and the following bank holiday). It has continuously taken place since 1965 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 and the world’s second-largest street festival. The Notting Hill Carnival brings together diverse multicultural communities for a free-for-all party in the capital. Carnival
Notting Hill, the film, is a 1999 romantic comedy written by Richard Curtis, author of Four Weddings and a Funeral. The film stars Julia Roberts, Hugh Grant, Rhys Ifans, Emma Chambers, Tim McInnerny, Gina McKee, and Hugh Bonneville. A story of a romance between a London book seller, played by Grant ,and a famous American actress, played by Roberts, who happens to walk into his shop. Released on 21 May 1999, Notting Hill was well received by critics and became the highest-grossing British film at the time. The film won a BAFTA, was nominated in two other categories, and won other awards, including a British Comedy Award and a Brit Award for the soundtrack.
Portobello Road is a street in the Notting Hill district of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It runs almost the length of Notting Hill from south to north, roughly parallel with Ladbroke Grove. On Saturdays it is home to Portobello Road Market, one of London’s notable street markets, known for its second-hand clothes and antiques. A range of communities inhabit Portobello. Its architecture is characterised by meandering roads and curving streets, in contrast to the more formally planned layout of most of the nearby area. Mid- to late-Victorian terrace houses and shops predominate, squeezed tightly into the available space. Portobello Road is also home to the Grade II* Electric Cinema, one of Britain’s oldest cinemas.
Portobello Road Market draws thousands of tourists each year. The main market day for antiques is Saturday, the only day when all five sections are opened: second-hand goods, clothing and fashion, household essentials, fruit, vegetables and other food, and antiques. However, there are also clothing, antique, bric-a-brac, fruit and vegetable stalls throughout the week and are located further north than the antiques, near the Westway Flyover. Shops and cafes are opened daily. The market began as many other London markets and mainly sold fresh food in the 19th century. Antiques and wares dealers arrived in the late 1940s and ’50s and gradually antiques have become the main attraction of this market, having a substantial number of them trading mainly on Saturday mornings. It is the largest antiques market in the UK. About one third of the way from its north end the market focuses on second-hand clothes as well as couture. Visit the market.