Image from http://www.thenottinghillcarnival.com/
Oh, who am I kidding. What else could I possibly highlight about Notting Hill today but the impending Carnival. This is essentially the sole feature to be had in the neighbourhood this weekend anyway. Be a part of it, enjoy it, leave it with a strong desire to live in Notting Hill, then call us to schedule an appointment to view your new Notting Hill flat. So simple!
Image from http://www.thenottinghillcarnival.com/
It’s Notting Hill Carnival! At the risk of being redundant with our earlier post, we would be remiss not to comment on this grand fete going into the weekend of its occurrence. This is just one of those events that makes me give a double-take to the Notting Hill neighbourhood. Just when you might fear it will become too gentrified to appease tourists, its diverse background rears its head and strikes out with a lashing of eccentric, multicultural festivities to remind us of the Caribbean demographic that once dominated these streets and celebrate the general joy and debauchery of life. This is a time when Notting Hill really lets its hair down and decks itself out in color and glitter, entertaining the masses with vibrant costumes and ethnic music and cuisine. Sunday is Kid’s Day, which will appeal to you if you’re looking for a lower-key experience of Carnival; otherwise, if you’re ready to swim in the sea of parade-watchers, mark down the bank holiday Monday in your diary.
If you come to the area this weekend, commit to the Carnival experience–your other favourite shops and eateries will likely be closed if not boarded up to brace against the onslaught. Cheers to those of you moving to the neighbourhood this week–what better way to kick off your new tenancy! If you’re looking to move to the area after things settle down a bit and you can actually view the buildings, Notting Hill Properties will have braved the eclectic storm and still be here for your call!
Mind your allergies.
Having recently swapped my Tube ride for the bus to enjoy the lovely outdoors as much as possible during the remainder of these fine summer days, the Churchill Arms has become my favourite eye candy on the way into Notting Hill! I reckon one of these days I’ll have to venture in for a frosty brew (twist my arm), but, until then, cheers to the pub for its almost obscene investment in a third of the UK’s flora used in adorning its exterior! Hmm, perhaps Notting Hill Properties needs to organise an open-house social there…
The stage production of Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens runs through 13 September 2009.
You’re strolling along on a calm, breezy summer day. Perhaps it’s afternoon, perhaps the cusp of evening. You have just been popping in and out of the shops, be it Westbourne Grove, Portobello Road, or High Street Kensington, when your inner child compels you southward to Kensington Gardens. You wind your way along the footpaths when you suddenly behold an unusual sight: a pristine white tent, looking something like a futuristic circus pointing in peaks to the open sky. Hesitantly, you step off the pavement and soon find the soft wild grasses underfoot as you venture closer to this secluded oddity. As you get closer, you see picnickers dotted along its side, enjoying fruits, crackers, juice or wine…voices are raised in merriment, and children play their lawn games…and then the tinkling of a bell sounds. All are heeded to come within. It is then that you step out of your everyday reality and into the promise of Neverland.
All this summer, Peter Pan is gracing London and playing to its fancies. Set within the very park that JM Barrie frequented and inspired his tale (can you find the Peter Pan statue he commissioned himself? It’s there…you just have to believe…or maybe just look at a map), this innovative production is a theatrical experience unlike any other I myself have had–how appropriate that I should fly to Neverland with the Boy Who Would Never Grow Up on the very day I technically turned another year older. It may have been my birthday treat, but you need no special occasion to justify buying a ticket to behold the eye candy of whimsical costumes, flying actors, and 360-degree, 3D virtual environment–it’s an occasion in and of itself, the moment when you reconfirm your oath that, yes, you DO believe in fairies!
Looking to live near the magic this summer? Let Notting Hill Properties help ease the burden of that serious Grown-Up stuff.
The Travel Bookshop was the inspiration for the bookshop in the 1999 hit movie 'Notting Hill' feat. Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts.
Another little feather in Notting Hill’s cap is this little treat of a book shop on Blenheim Crescent; The Travel Bookshop. Offering a multitude of literature, from Children’s books to Adult novels and from light-hearted fashion to moving world photography, this store really does have something for everyone. Furthermore it was this bookshop that gave inspiration to Hugh Grant’s ‘Travel Bookshop’ in the hit Notting Hill. My advice is to check this place out during the week because as soon as the weekend arrives you will not have any room to move amongst the waves of tourists seeking out the film’s ‘hotspots.’
Do not forget that once you have stocked up on your books, if you also need a home to put them in, contact Notting Hill Properties.
The Carnival Floats are a Must-See
The largest street carnival in Europe originated in 1964 as a means for Afro-Caribbean communities to celebrate their own cultures and traditions. Taking place every August Bank Holiday weekend in the streets of London W11, it is a dazzling display of both social solidarity and artistic expression (not forgetting some stunning costumes).
At the roots of Notting Hill are the Caribbean carnivals of the early 19th century. The very first carnival was an attempt to showcase the steel band musicians who played at the Coleherne pub in Earls Court every Sunday. Carnival usually gets under way on the Saturday with the steel band competition. Sunday is Kids’ Day, when the costume prizes are awarded. On Bank Holiday Monday, the main parade takes place. It generally begins on Great Western Road, then wends it way along Chepstow Road, on to Westbourne Grove, and then Ladbroke Grove.
So come along this year and bring a healthy appetite along to Carnival, as there are patties, curries, jerk chicken and fried plantain from the street stalls to go at, accompanied by the essential lubrications – Jamaican Red Stripe beer and rum punch.
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