13 minute read
GO WEST
Once West London was a rural outpost. Now it’s a thriving cultural area at the city’s heart
WORDS JULIA ADLER
Previous page: The impressive Albert Memorial in Hyde Park, with the Royal Albert Hall in the background Above: Alice's Antiques shop on Portobello Road in Notting Hill Left: Canal boats float peacefully through Little Venice Two hundred and fifty years ago, West London comprised a gentle lull of fields. Notting Hill, which later played a starring role in its own smash-hit romcom, was a simple hamlet. Back in the day, much of what we now call West London – Notting Hill, Holland Park, Kensington and Paddington – was part of the county of Middlesex, which has since scooted further out. Then, in the 19th century, the capital expanded. Farms made way for industry. History had begun.
West London is an informal designation, but Paddington, with its Victorian station built by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, is the portal. Paddington Bear, who arrived here from “deepest, darkest Peru”, liked to keep a marmalade sandwich under his hat for sustenance, but an alternative in peckish times can be found in Little Venice, a spot rich in cafés at the confluence of Regent’s Canal and Grand Union Canal. Lord Byron gave it its name. Romantic poetry recitals are up to you.
The hub of West London is Notting Hill, to the south of Paddington. The quaint shops, cafés and pastel-painted houses of the film are all there, as is the bookshop that inspired the one on screen, of a sort. The Travel Bookshop, which was based on one at 13 Blenheim Crescent, has closed, but The Notting Hill Bookshop stands in its place – and it has a travel section (though Hugh Grant is nowhere to be seen).
Notting Hill has a rich heritage. It is noted in records as early as 1356, although it made its reputation 500 years later, when kilns sprung up for firing bricks from clay in the ground. (One disused kiln remains on Walmer Road.) Pigs trundled into the area, too, creating, in the words of Charles Dickens, “a plague spot scarcely equalled for its insalubrity by any other in London”.
But it wasn’t all bad. Many of the elegant houses on streets bearing the Ladbroke name, after a local landowner, were built at this time. Designed by Thomas Allason, some back onto secluded communal gardens. Artists and writers moved in nearby. Novelist Thomas Hardy, later of Far from the Madding Crowd fame, lived in Westbourne Park Villas.
In the early 20th century, many buildings were split into flats and, during the Blitz, several were destroyed. After the war, tenants of some of the cheaper flats, many of whom had recently come over from the Caribbean, fell prey to an exploitative local landlord. Racial tensions
Clockwise from above: The Design Museum in Holland Park; the V&A Museum in South Kensington; inside the Royal Albert Hall in Kensington; the Kyoto Garden is a hidden oasis in Holland Park culminated in riots. Yet the Caribbean community would become key to the area’s identity: since the Sixties, they have led the Notting Hill Carnival over the August bank holiday. The carnival is now one of Europe’s largest.
Notting Hill has long offered culture year-round. The Electric Cinema, which opened in 1910, is one of Britain’s oldest working cinemas, while Sir John Gielgud watched his first Shakespeare play at The Coronet. Yet, since the 19th century, the real attraction has been Portobello Road Market, stretching for about a mile along Portobello Road and into Golborne Road. Antiques day is Saturday.
South of Notting Hill is Holland Park, both an area and a 54-acre haven of green. Much of the park once formed the grounds of Holland House, an early Jacobean mansion, since damaged during the Second World War. For a glimpse in the summer, watch a production by Holland Park Opera; the company performs on the front terrace. The highlight of the park is the Kyoto Garden, with its Japanese maple trees, waterfall and peacocks. The Design Museum, founded in 1989 by Sir Terence Conran, is also here. A free, permanent exhibition includes about 1,000 examples of modern design from furniture to digital technology.
To the east of Holland Park is Kensington Gardens, which surround Kensington Palace. Once home to Queen Victoria and Diana, Princess of Wales, the palace is now a royal house share as the official London home of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (William and Kate), among
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Casa Nova is an Italian restaurant on the prestigious Wentworth Estate in Surrey, which is only a mile away from the beautiful Virginia Water Lakes and half a mile from Wentworth Golf Club. The restaurant is conveniently positioned for a relaxing meal on the way home from Ascot races, the PGA tournament at Wentworth, the Cartier Queens Cup at Guards Polo Club and many other annual sporting and social events. Casa Nova serves traditional and modern Italian and European dishes. There is an à la carte menu at lunch and dinner, with daily specials such as lobster, monkfish, turbot, venison, veal chop and seasonal game. There are also set menus for lunch every day, as well as for dinner from Tuesday to Thursday. The restaurant also likes to celebrate special occasions such as Mothering Sunday, Valentines’ Day, Easter Sunday, Christmas and Boxing Day. Taking care in the quality of its fresh ingredients and personal, silver service, Casa Nova likes to make sure it can cater for all its customers’ needs. Its aim is to provide a warm welcome, good food and an enjoyable experience each time you visit. Weekday set lunch: £17.95 for 2 courses, £22.95 for 3 courses. Dinner £24.95 for 3 courses, Sunday lunch £25.95 for 3 courses. OPEN: Tues-Fri, 12pm-2pm, 6.30pm-10pm; Sat, 6.30pm-10pm; Sun 12pm-2pm
CASA NOVA RESTAURANT
10 Station Approach, Virginia Water GU25 4DW | T: +44 (0) 1344 843407 Please telephone for enquiries, bookings and so on. www.casa-nova-restaurant.co.uk
others. Parts are open to visitors; the King’s State Apartments, built for George I, are especially lavish. Look out for the King’s Gallery, whose red damask walls are lined with fine paintings. A new sculpture in memory of Princess Diana was unveiled in the palace’s gardens on 1 July 2021, on what would have been her 60th birthday.
Sitting in Kensington Gardens, opposite the Royal Albert Hall – a rust-coloured, oval-shaped concert venue that celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2021 – is the Albert Memorial. Queen Victoria commissioned both to honour her husband, Prince Albert, who died of typhoid aged 42. Designed by Sir Gilbert Scott, the Neo-Gothic memorial shows a 14-foot prince perched atop a 15-foot pedestal holding a catalogue for the Great Exhibition of 1951 that he organised.
Kensington Gardens was once part of Hyde Park to the east. The divide is the Serpentine, a 40-acre lake created in 1730, and now a swimming and boating spot. On the Hyde Park side is another memorial to the ‘people’ s princess’, the Diana Memorial Fountain, opened in 2004. Kathryn Gustafson, its American creator, wanted the fountain, a shallow stream for paddling leading to a pool, to reflect Diana’s openness and approachability.
The Serpentine Galleries straddle Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park, with one on each side. The older of the two, the Serpentine Gallery, was founded in 1970 and is housed in a Thirties tea pavilion. It has hosted exhibitions of work by Henry Moore, Bridget Riley and Anish Kapoor.
Right: In 1980, two years after his 80th birthday exhibition at the nearby Serpentine Gallery, artist Henry Moore donated'The Arch' for permanent display in Kensington Gardens Below: The Natural History Museum in South Kensington
Above: Inside the 18th-century Chiswick House Right: Colourful town houses in Notting Hill, the hub of West London
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For the holy trinity of museums, head to South Kensington, just south of the parks. The Victoria and Albert Museum, the Science Museum and the Natural History Museum were founded out of profits from Prince Albert’s Great Exhibition, leading some, at the time, to call the area ‘Albertopolis’.
The Victoria and Albert Museum, better known as the V&A, and the Science Museum were originally part of the South Kensington Museum, which opened in 1857. The V&A focuses on the applied arts from fashion to sculpture. More than two million items – from throughout history and across the world – are on display. Blockbuster exhibitions have gleamed with the work of Alexander McQueen and David Bowie. Highlights at the Science Museum include Puffing Billy, the world’s oldest steam locomotive, and an early version of Alan Turing’s Enigma machine.
The Natural History Museum, which opened in 1881, initially housed the British Museum’s collections of Sir Hans Sloane and Charles Darwin. Today, it contains more than 70 million different specimens. The skeleton of Hope, a giant blue whale, dominates the vaulted hall, and large dinosaur bones can be found in the dinosaurs gallery.
Slightly further west is Chiswick, a settlement going back to 1000, when it was known as ‘Ceswican’ (Old English for ‘Cheese Farm’). The area, which retains its village feel, attracted the poet WB Yeats and the painter William Hogarth (you can visit his house on Hogarth Lane).
Make your priority Chiswick House, a Neo-Palladian villa, designed by the third Earl of Burlington after his Grand Tour of Italy. William Kent’s interiors, particularly the gilded domes of the Gallery – modelled after the largest temple in ancient Rome – are striking. Kent is also responsible for the grounds, one of the first examples of an English landscape garden. It’s not quite the lull of fields of West London’s origins, but it’s not far off.
ARSENAL behind the scenes
Whether you’re a die-hard Gunners fan or just interested in learning more about London’s most historic football team, the Emirates Stadium is a must-visit
Arsenal have long been at the top of the English game, thanks to a combination of passion and skill that makes for scintillating football. Take an all-access tour of the Emirates Stadium for a one-off experience of the place where the magic happens.
Explore an iconic stadium Equipped with a state-of-the-art handset, you will go behind the scenes and explore every corner of this iconic stadium, from the executive boxes – enjoying a view of the ground normally reserved for VIPs – to the locker rooms, the scene of pre-match tensions and post-match celebrations.
A highlight for many is the chance to walk through the players’ tunnel and onto the touchline, in the footsteps of so many legendary footballers.
As you explore, you will learn fascinating facts about the stadium and the team via your headset, with commentary from striker Charlie George, right-back Lee Dixon or pitch-side presenter Nigel Mitchell. At the end of your tour you’ll receive a personalised tour certificate to commemorate the experience.
Meet an Arsenal Legend You could also consider a Legend Tour, in the company of an ex-player who will share their matchday experiences. Your engaging and knowledgeable guides are Nigel Winterburn, who made 584 appearances for the club, and Perry Groves, who helped the club win the League Championship in 1988/89 and 1990/91. Hearing their personal tales and anecdotes will give you an unrivalled insight into what has made Arsenal such a special club: an unmissable experience. Delve into the history Arsenal was founded in 1886 and has a proud and colourful history across the club’s time at Woolwich, Highbury and Emirates stadiums. Your tour ticket also gains you access to the interactive Arsenal Museum, packed full of trophies and the memorabilia of great players and famous matches – the perfect way to conclude a memorable tour.
Tickets are valid up to 3 months after purchase. Book now at arsenal.com/tours
UNIQUE TOURS OF BRITAIN
Choose from 12 All Inclusive 10-day Theme Tours on your preferred dates, throughout England, Wales and Scotland in a luxury MPV. A maximum of 6 people with myself, Michael Osborne BA Hons (London) History, as your personal chauffeur guide. Accommodation is in unique, historic hotels.
Theme Tours Mayflower Pilgrims: American Connection: English Village Pubs: Industrial Heritage: Steam Trains: Ghosts, Curiosities and Eccentrics: Classic Literature: Historic Houses, Castles and Gardens: Highlands and Isles of Scotland: God’s Own Country: Welsh Marches.
Day Tours (Not All Inclusive) are also available throughout Sussex, Surrey and Kent.
Black Cab Heritage Tours
There can be no better way to get up close and personal with ALL of London’s famous landmarks than in a traditional London Black Cab with a knowledgeable and affable London cabbie, who is also an experienced London Tour Guide accredited by City, University of London. The vehicles can accommodate up to six passengers including wheelchairs – and are licensed by Transport for London. Tours available all-year from 7am to 10pm. Tour rates start from £170 per service (not per person).
7 Bell Yard, London WC2A 2JR T: +44 (0)7853 128823 E: contact@blackcabheritagetours.co.uk www.blackcabheritagetours.com
Canterbury Guided Tours provide entertaining 90-minute walking tours led by expert Green Badge Guides. Explore the charming cobbled streets, dotted with historic buildings and brimming with stories of pilgrimage, famous characters and literary figures. This thriving and celebrated city is a wonderful location for visiting families and groups. The daily public tour and pre-booking for groups are available to reserve online. Other European languages are also available. Open: All year, except Christmas Day. For tour information, pricing and booking visit the website for details
Book online www.canterburytouristguides.co.uk 01227 459779 | guides@canterburytouristguides.co.uk
Tour & Explore London & Beyond
T: +44 (0)794 710 3318 E: vaniabr@brasilianguidelondon.com www.brasilianguidelondon.com Instagram: @brasilianguidelondon
Hello, my name is Vania and I am a qualified Blue Badge Tourist Guide. I offer bespoke tours in both English and Portuguese across London and its surroundings. My tours are engaging, fun and informative and can be tailored to suit your requirements, whether you want to visit royal palaces, galleries, museums, parks, or the shops and entertainment venues of the West End. Tours can be adapted to suit to the first-time visitor or the London enthusiast.
If you wish to venture outside London, I can plan a wonderful trip to some of England’s most charming destinations, such as Windsor, Bath or the Cotswolds.
I have been certified by Visit England as having the “We’re Good to Go” Covid-19 Industry Standard to conduct my in-person tours. If you are not able to visit London, I can bring London to you in the comfort of your own home via one of my customised Virtual Tours.
