Everything about Portobello Road totally explained
Portobello Road is a road in the
Notting Hill district of the
Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in west
London,
England. It runs almost the length of Notting Hill from south to north, roughly parallel with Ladbroke Grove. On Saturdays it's home to Portobello Road Market, one of London's notable street markets, known for its second-hand clothes and
antiques, and for the location of one of the scenes in
Bedknobs and Broomsticks. Every August since 1996 the
Portobello Film Festival has been held in locations around Portobello Road.
Portobello Farm
Portobello Road was known prior to 1740 as either Green's Lane or Turnpike Lane - a winding country path leading from Kensington Gravel Pits, in what is now Notting Hill Gate, up to
Kensal Green in the north.
In 1740 Portobello Farm was built in the area near what is now Golborne Road. The farm got its name from a popular victory during the
War of Jenkins' Ear, when Admiral
Edward Vernon captured the
Spanish town of
Puerto Bello (now known as
Portobelo in modern-day
Panama).
Green's Lane became known as Porto Bello Lane; the title which it still held in 1841.
The Portobello farming area covered the land which is now St. Charles Hospital. The farm itself was sold to an order of nuns after the railways came in 1864. They built St Joseph's Convent.
History
Portobello Road is a construct of the
Victorian era. Before about
1850, it was little more than a country lane connecting Portobello Farm with
Kensal Green in the north and what is today
Notting Hill in the south. Much of it consisted of hayfields, orchards and other open land. The road ultimately took form piecemeal in the second half of the nineteenth century, nestling between the large new residential developments of
Paddington and Notting Hill. Its shops and markets thrived on serving the wealthy inhabitants of the elegant crescents and terraces that sprang up around it, and its working class residents found employment in the immediate vicinity as construction workers, domestic servants, coachmen, messengers, tradesmen and costermongers. After the
Hammersmith and City Railway line was completed in
1864, and
Ladbroke Grove station opened, the northern end of Portobello Road was also developed, and the last of the open fields disappeared under brick and concrete.
George Orwell lived in Portobello Road in the winter of 1927 after resigning as Assistant Superintendent of the Indian Imperial Police in Burma.
Portobello Road today
Portobello Road's distinctiveness doesn't just rely on its market. A range of communities inhabiting the street and the district contributes to a cosmopolitan and energetic atmosphere, as do the many restaurants and
pubs. The
architecture plays a part, too, as the road meanders and curves gracefully along most of its length, unlike 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, adding intimacy and a pleasing scale to the streetscape. The Friends of Portobello campaign seeks to preserve the street's unique dynamic, as the potential arrival of big-brand chain stores threatens the locals.
It is the setting for
Paulo Coelho's 2007 novel,
The Witch of Portobello.
Geography
The road descends from 84 feet (25.6 metres) above sea level at the northern end, the highest point, to a lowest point of 65 feet (19.8 metres), just south of the
overpasses, after which road rises and falls, before reaching a high point of 78 feet (23.8 metres) at the southern end. The average
grade of ascent or descent between the northern end and the lowest point is about 1.77 percent.
Portobello Road Market
Portobello Road Market draws
tourists. The main market day for
antiques is Saturday. However, there are also fruit and vegetable stalls in the market, which trade throughout the week and are located further north than the antiques, near the Westway Flyover.
The market began as a fresh-food market in the nineteenth century; antiques dealers arrived in the
1960s.
The market section of Portobello road runs in a direction generally between the north-northwest and the south-south-east. The northern terminus is at
Golborne Road; the southern end is at
Westbourne Grove, to the east. The market area is about 3,080
feet (0.58
miles or 940
metres) long.
About one third of the way from its north end, the market runs beneath adjacent bridges of the
A40 road and the
Hammersmith & City line of the
London Underground.
The market was featured in the 1971 musical film,
Bedknobs and Broomsticks in a scene involving a song and dance in and around the market. The lyrics refer to the market and the people who live and work there.
It is also referenced in the song "Blue Jeans" by Blur (from the album "Modern Life is Rubbish) in which the opening lyrics are "Air cushioned soles, I bought them on the Portobello Road on a Saturday.."
Dire Straits also sang about the road in "Portobello Belle".
Portobello Road Market in the Media
The cult British character
Paddington Bear, featured in the books written by Michael Bond, enjoys visiting Portobello Market on a daily basis. His friend Mr. Gruber owns an antique shop on the Portobello Road, with whom Paddington has his elevenses every day.
The boardgame
Portobello Market is named for this market.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Portobello Road'.
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