Rough Guide

  Throughout Rough Guide project, I have discovered another side of Notting Hill, an area in West London. My previous visit to this area has given me an impression of attractive and massive Victorian houses on streets with trendy restaurants, bars, and clothing shops. However, my second visit on one Saturday has made me have another fantastic view that is totally different from what I had seen before.
   Portobello Market on Saturday is an exception in this quiet and residential area. This is held on the entire Portobello Road which approximately stretches about two miles. Buildings were simple yet colorful and they are on each side sharing pretty much the same heights which made me feel cozy and fun while walking along the road.
  Not only the buildings but also little shops and fresh fruits and bread on the market stalls grabbed my attention. Everything was so fresh that they looked as if they were artificial at some point (although they were real!). It was also fun to watch many people were squeezed in order to buy them while owners were yelling out the price. This scene has brought me a bit of warmth and kindness in the busiest and the most thriving city, London.

  In contrast to Notting Hill today, it used to be one the notorious parts of the borough of Kensington and Chelsea. The image of the area was totally different from those of today.

  Two centuries ago, the area was little more than wasteland. It was only in 1840 that the area became more residential with the construction of the Ladbroke and Norland estates. At that time, Notting Hill was either known as the Potteries (because of the nearby pottery works) or the Piggeries (after the three-to-one ratio of pigs to people - how glam!). These large houses were carved up into multiple dwellings, and after World War II the area worsened to become slums.

  Notting Hill also became home to a large number of Afro-Caribbean immigrants, and racial tension often arose - Britain's first race riots occurred in the area in August 1958. However, the following year the Notting Hill Carnival emerged as a unofficial reply to the riots; by 1965 it took to the streets and has grown ever since. Its presence in the last weekend of August sees around one million people joining the party, backing up the claim that it is the world's biggest street festival outside Rio. Although the carnival has seen some trouble in the past, it is a relatively safe event now.