On the Streets of Notting Hill in London
If you ask a London visitor what is Notting Hill, you will most likely get an answer of it being a posh area where the famous film Notting Hill with Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts was shot. It is quite an accurate description, in fact, but one might think that London in the eyes of a foreigner has become stereotypical and it is not easy to sell something that has already been sold.
The Notting Hill area is actually anything and everything you want. It is as posh as it is bohemian, depends where you head and what you are looking for. You might really bump into such celebrities as supermodels Elle Macpherson and Claudia Schiffer, film director Richard Curtis or Robbie Williams who have their homes in Notting Hill.
But there is also another side of this popular area. Notting Hill is a home to Portobello Antiques Market, one of the most famous markets in the world which is internationally recognised for its second-hand and antique sections. Its history and culture span approximately 300 years of existence and Portobello area was originally a farm. Since then this unique area started to develop into a street market with new houses being built next to the growing number of shops and public houses.
Portobello Market is a real bonanza for jewellery, accessories, hand made goods, old-fashioned furniture and various decor details. You might also find new products mixed with antiques, so be cautious when you purchase something.
This famous road in Notting Hill is also great for secondhand purchases. Those who are passionate about collecting things might find Portobello Road a perfect place to buy something to add to their collection.
Off the road you will find many small and inviting second-hand shops for books, CDs, old records, truly the antiques of literature and music. There are also some great cafes next to the market road. Further you will find a cosy jazz bar surrounded by expensive jewellery antique shops that many want to have a peak at.
The article is written by Madhukar Shah for official website of London Town Hotels Limited, fastest growing London hotels group.
About London Town Hotels:
Website: Lth-hotels.com
Company: London Town Hotels Limited
Address: 162, Cromwell Road, Kensington, London SW5 OTT.
Country: United Kingdom
Phone: +44 (0)20 7244 2400
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Madhukar_Shah
The Intriguing Past of Notting Hill
By Andrew Regan 
In the past, if someone had offered you a good deal on a Notting Hill property, you would have run in the opposite direction, because part of the area used to be referred to as the Potteries and Piggeries back in the 1800s.
At this time, the main inhabitants of the Notting Hill area were pigs; there were in fact three times as many pigs living there as there were people. Small wonder people tried to get into more desirable areas. The area was also known for the amount of pottery that was made there, and memories of the area’s past can still be seen today – Pottery Lane is just around the corner.
Thankfully things have changed, and if you want to buy property in Notting Hill today, you will be buying into a much more attractive area. When you compare it to the Notting Hill of days gone by, you’ll find very few similarities between the two. Thanks to the hard work of the residents who live there, the area has been transformed from a place to avoid to a place to be seen.
In the past, many of the large houses for sale in Notting Hill were on offer because people could no longer afford them. Those that could afford to do so moved to more desirable areas such as Mayfair.
In order to make Notting Hill more accessible, these large dwellings were transformed into flats for sale in the area, and even today these make attractive places to live for the artistic and famous people who frequent the area.
But if you were to take a look at a sketch of the area back in the 1800s, you would be forgiven for thinking you were looking at a completely different area. Even some sixty years ago, Notting Hill properties were totally different to how they are today. This area has certainly gone through several huge changes over the last couple of hundred years. It could even be argued that it has reinvented itself more than once.
Nowadays it has replaced the pigs with the stunning Portobello Road market, and the dank, dark and dangerous surroundings are long since a thing of the past. Apart from some of the road names, however, there are still reminders of how Notting Hill used to be in the past. One of the large kilns used to make bricks in the 1800s still stands, and has been transformed into an attractive and unusual house.
So the next time you visit Notting Hill, watch out for the signs that reveal its unsavoury past – a complete contrast to what it has become today.
Andrew Regan is an online, freelance author from Scotland. He is a keen rugby player and enjoys travelling. houses for sale in Notting Hill
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Andrew_Regan
