Living in Notting Hill

Notting Hill is one of London's most famous neighbourhoods, and much of what people imagine is really there: pastel-painted terraces, grand stucco crescents and private communal gardens, Portobello Road's antique stalls, cafés and boutiques, and one of the most photogenic streetscapes in the city. The Ladbroke Estate, on the hill west of Portobello Road, is laid out around large shared gardens hidden behind the houses.

The area is also far more mixed than its image. Social housing, particularly in North Kensington towards Ladbroke Grove and Golborne Road, sits close to some of the most expensive homes in Britain, and the Caribbean community that settled here after the Second World War created the Notting Hill Carnival, which takes over the streets every August bank holiday weekend and is one of the largest street festivals in Europe. Trellick Tower, Ernő Goldfinger's brutalist landmark, overlooks the northern end.

Portobello Road Market is busiest on Saturdays, when the antiques section draws large crowds of visitors; on other days the street has fruit and vegetable stalls, food and vintage clothes further north under the Westway flyover. Westbourne Grove and Ledbury Road have upmarket boutiques and restaurants, and the Electric Cinema, one of Britain's oldest working cinemas, is on Portobello Road.

Notting Hill Gate station has the Central, Circle and District lines, giving fast access to the West End and the City, and Ladbroke Grove and Westbourne Park serve the northern parts on the Hammersmith & City and Circle lines. Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens and Holland Park are all a short walk away. Rents are very high, and flats are often small for the price. Notting Hill suits people who want character, markets and central west London living, and who can accept tourists, Carnival weekend and the cost.