Building work continued around the area, mainly with the large white stucco fronted houses with ornate railings. Many of these houses were home to scientific institutions and housed amazing collections gathered from around the world by explorers who braved malaria and the high seas to bring back everything from insects to architectural gems (some since returned to their rightful owners, others still subject to simmering disagreement!).

The arrival of the underground in 1868 cemented South Ken’s rise as a key London residential area. It became a very fashionable part of London to live with 7 storey houses with their mews houses behind. The mews houses were where the horses and buggies were kept, with a small room above where the stable staff lived.

Over the next one and a half centuries, London moved away from large houses with staff and the majority of houses were converted into flats and the mews houses left to languish. Only in the last 3 decades did mews houses become fashionable places to live as prices for apartments and houses in the area increased exponentially. Now, a mews house will set you back £2m while apartments and houses in this area are still setting all time highs of up to £30m.

The area today is home to wealthy Londoners and expats from all nations, with a number of countries having their embassies here. This makes for a really cosmopolitan area with a great vibe and mix of cultural influences.

While the area has a variety of exceptional high end restaurants where watching the clientele can be as entertaining as the food, there is an incredible array of dining experiences on offer, from cute boulangeries to tacos and delicious sour dough pizzas to die for.

And that’s just in walking distance. Jump on a tube or bus and savour your favourite Hong Kong or Szechuan dishes in China Town or head for Brick Lane near the city for some of the most authentic Indian food this side of the Asian continent. London and the UK is now home to a young and vibrant new wave of travellers who bring back and perfect their dishes in the many pop up food markets dotted around London.

You will soon find your favourite food hang out in South Kensington. And although not typically the best for food, there are a few pubs with a great food menu for a relaxed atmosphere and some great beers.

The shopping meccas of Oxford Street and Regents Street are a short tube ride away or for a less crowded experience, you can head up to Westfield, the largest mall in Europe where every brand imaginable is available, both designer and budget.

Food shopping is no less an experience and every taste imaginable is catered for. The food halls at Harrods are well worth a visit and a magical assault on the senses. But for every day grocery shopping, you will have 3 of the main supermarkets within a 5 minute walk. Supplement your staple items with delicious morsels from a variety of specialist delis. The heavy French and American presences here ensure some delicious treats are on offer while some of the shops offer the American staples craved by expats.  Every Saturday, there is a farmers market where fresh from the farm produce can be bought for budget prices.

In the 1900s, as the appetite for domestic staff waned, people began looking for smaller houses and the large houses of the area fell from grace.

With the advent of, mainly Caribbean, large scale immigration and short housing supply in the 1950s, the grand houses were converted to multiple occupancy. There followed a period where Notting Hill and Ladbroke Grove became somewhat lawless and poverty stricken. It was only around the 1980s that Notting Hill began its transformation from impoverished ghetto to the incredibly wealthy area it is now. A small house that could be bought for £10,000 in 1980 would now be worth several million now. Oh for a time machine!

While Notting Hill has shed its seemly underbelly in favour of the monied elite, it retains some of its Afro-Caribbean roots and charm and none more so than in the famous yearly Carnival, a celebration of music and culture enjoyed by Londoners as it parades through the area.

If you can dream it, you can eat it in Notting Hill. Authenticity is the key here. From cramped ramen bar to chic Italian to rustic Spanish cuisine that’s been keeping locals happy for decades, it is all here on your doorstep.

Want your delicious Asian fusion with a London cocktail bar vibe? Want to find an off the grid specialist cook book shop that serves the food in it’s cookbooks? No problem.

Notting Hill is the food melting pot of the melting pot that is London. You will be sure to find the food or vibe that keeps you coming back time and again in this cool village neighbourhood.

Retail therapy can be found locally too. The world famous Portobello Road is a short walk away. Here, market stalls and shoppers vie for space in this picturesque street lined with pastel coloured houses and shops. There is an assortment of interesting shops to browse, selling everything from antiques to door knobs to organic food and drink.

Dotted around the area are an eclectic mish mash of independent designer stores and some of the smaller chains.

For food shopping, there are large chain stores and a variety of small specialist shops selling everything from organic meat and veg to Spanish and Asian specialities. To stock up on Asian essentials, hop on the tube or walk the one stop to Queensway’s oriental supermarket.

Notting Hill Farmers Market is a Saturday morning favourite and offers a wide range of products direct from the farm. https://www.lfm.org.uk/markets/notting-hill/

Whether you’re gluten free, vegan or organic food hound, you will soon sniff out your favourite place.

The Tube

It’s been called the Tube since the early 1900s and our apartments are just a five minute walk away. You have access to the District, Circle and Central lines which means fast access to the whole of London and onward links via train to the rest of the UK.

Oyster Cards

To travel on London’s transport, you can use debit cards or buy a prepaid Oyster Card and top it up as needed. These are a far cheaper way to travel than paying for tickets.

Cycling

Bikes are a fun way to explore London. The weekend offers less traffic dodging and on Sunday, the Mall is closed so you can cycle from near our apartments through Hyde Park, into St James Park and past Buckingham Palace without having to go on a road. The Mayor is encouraging a more environmentally friendly capital so there are increasing numbers of bike lanes for your peace of mind. Boris bikes can be rented in a great many locations so you can use them to explore, stop for a while and rent another. If you plan on staying in London for a longer period, you may want to buy your own. Evans Cycles have quite a few branches around London and are generally quite helpful.

Cars

You really dont need a car in London. However, for the times when you really need a car fix, ZipCar offers an easy solution for short rental periods and of course the usual car rental suspects are more efficient for longer rental periods. London roads were designed for horse and carriages so can get quite narrow at times so watch those wing mirrors! Or head out of London to typically English villages and have a walk in beautiful countryside and stop at a pub for lunch. Turville in Berkshire is a great example and featured in the film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and has a great pub!

Airports

Heathrow is is a 15 minute journey into London on the Heathrow Express and a short cab or tube ride from there to our apartments. The Gatwick Express train is only a 25 minute trip and you arrive at Victoria where another 15 minute tube ride will get you to Notting Hill Gate tube station, a 5 minute walk to our apartments.

Airport Transfer

If juggling luggage and a foreign transport map doesnt appeal to you, we offer an airport transfer service. We can collect you from airport arrival and deliver you straight to your new apartment. Just ask your agent who will be happy to arrange this for you.

As with most London parks, it was a former king’s hunting ground but unusually was opened to the public in the 1600s. In fact in the plague, many Londoners camped here to escape disease. At one end of the park is the famous Park Lane, home to the Dorchester Hotel and the exclusive area of Mayfair. At the other, the magnificent Kensington Palace, the famous home of Lady Diana.

Within the park, the Serpentine lake provides boating and swimming oportunities. Members of the Sepentine swimming club brave icy waters for the annual Christmas Day race. In fact, the park hosts all manner of events throughout the year from music to races. The annual London to Brighton Car Run sees around 400 pre 1905 cars start the 60 mile race to brighton. BST Hyde Park hosts famous bands throughout the summer on a massive stage.

For refreshment, the park has a number of coffee vendors and 2 restaurants overlooking the lake. The Diana Memorial Fountain is a great place to cool off in the summer and the Serpentine Gallery offers a number of exhibitions through the year as well as providing a space each year for an architect to design and build a structure, often quite unusual.

In the Winter, Hyde Park is home to the Winter Wonderland, a large amusement park with a slightly Tyrolean/Alpine theme and great for kids large and small, .

https://www.bst-hydepark.com/

https://hydeparkwinterwonderland.com/

https://www.veterancarrun.com/