Westbourne Grove, W11

Road in/near Notting Hill, existing between 1842 and now.

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(51.51447 -0.19971, 51.514 -0.199) 
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Road · * · W11 ·
September
11
2022
Westbourne Grove is one of the main roads of Notting Hill.

Westbourne Grove runs from Kensington Park Road in the west to Queensway in the east, crossing over Portobello Road. It contains a mixture of independent and chain retailers.

Westbourne Grove’s development commenced in the 1840s, progressing from its eastern end located in Bayswater to the west, ultimately becoming the primary route from east to west into the Ladbroke Estate. The area situated at the far west end of the street only acquired the name Westbourne Grove in 1938, formerly being referred to as Archer Street. The remaining part of the street was Westbourne Grove West for some time. Additionally, Westbourne Gardens became part of Westbourne Grove in 1866.

In 1929, A.J. Cronin, a renowned novelist, launched his own medical practice at 152 Westbourne Grove.

Westbourne Grove ultimately takes its name from Westbourne Green - a settlement that developed to the west of the bourne that later took the name River Westbourne.

North of what is now Westbourne Grove was Westbourne Farm. This was the home, between 1815 and 1817, of the actress Sarah Siddons and her daughter. This building was at the point where the Harrow Road, the Westway and the canal converge. Mrs Siddons was buried at St Mary’s Church, the main church of Paddington on Paddington Green.

Westbourne Grove underwent a significant transformation in its character after being named by 1842 when it was still a vacant stretch. By 1846, the area had been developed by W. K. Jenkins and was filled with several cottages and semi-detached villas. Even by 1850, the street was lined with trees and had front gardens. However, in 1854, the first shop was opened, and by 1859, the area’s villas were swiftly being replaced by shops: "unsurpassed by any in London".

Despite its current popularity and high property values, much of the area had deteriorated by the 1950s. During this period, it was the hub of activities conducted by the infamous slum landlord, Peter Rachman, who gave rise to the term "Rachmanism". Rachman was notorious for his use of violent evictions against tenants with legally fixed rents. He replaced them with individuals, mainly recent migrants from the West Indies, who were unable to secure accommodation due to discrimination and council tenant restrictions. Overcrowding in multi-occupied housing became commonplace, and Rachman operated his business from an office in Westbourne Grove. Consequently, a part of the area, including streets between Ledbury Road and Shrewsbury Road, south of Westbourne Park Road, fell into disrepair and was eventually compulsorily purchased and demolished.

The Notting Hill Carnival passes along the central part of Westbourne Grove.




Main source: Ladbroke Association
Further citations and sources


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CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE LOCALITY

Comment
EMC   
Added: 10 Jul 2023 22:35 GMT   

Ossington Street, W8
correcting the date on my existing comment

Source: Paddington: Bayswater | British History Online

Reply

Ken Herlingshaw   
Added: 17 Jun 2023 18:34 GMT   

St John the Evangelist - Spire
The top of the church spire fell off during WW2 (presumably during a bombing raid ?) and for many years after that the spire had a flat top.
I don’t know when it was restored.
Definitely not in the early fifties when I went to Sunday School there.

Reply
Comment
EMC   
Added: 10 Jul 2023 22:31 GMT   

Correction re Ossington Street
In the Wikipedia date of 1837 for the renaming of Victoria Grove as Ossington Street, the two last figures appear to have been transposed from the likely source, London County Council, Names of Streets (1905) quoted in T F T Baker, Diane K Bolton and Patricia E C Croot, ’Paddington: Bayswater’, in A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 9, Hampstead, Paddington, ed. C R Elrington (London, 1989), pp. 204-212. British History Online ptth;:’www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/middx/vol9/pp204-212 [accessed 10 July 2023]. "During the 1830s Victoria Grove (renamed Ossington Street in 1873) (fn. 48) was laid out from the Uxbridge road close to the boundary, on part of Gravel Pit field." This makes sense, as John Evelyn Denison, a former Speaker of the House of Commons, was created 1st Viscount Ossington in 1873.

Source: Paddington: Bayswater | British History Online

Reply

LATEST LONDON-WIDE CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE PROJECT

Comment
Wendy    
Added: 22 Mar 2024 15:33 GMT   

Polygon Buildings
Following the demolition of the Polygon, and prior to the construction of Oakshott Court in 1974, 4 tenement type blocks of flats were built on the site at Clarendon Sq/Phoenix Rd called Polygon Buildings. These were primarily for people working for the Midland Railway and subsequently British Rail. My family lived for 5 years in Block C in the 1950s. It seems that very few photos exist of these buildings.

Reply

Steve   
Added: 19 Mar 2024 08:42 GMT   

Road construction and houses completed
New Charleville Circus road layout shown on Stanford’s Library Map Of London And Its Suburbs 1879 with access via West Hill only.

Plans showing street numbering were recorded in 1888 so we can concluded the houses in Charleville Circus were built by this date.

Source: Charleville Circus, Sydenham, London

Reply
Comment
Steve   
Added: 19 Mar 2024 08:04 GMT   

Charleville Circus, Sydenham: One Place Study (OPS)
One Place Study’s (OPS) are a recent innovation to research and record historical facts/events/people focused on a single place �’ building, street, town etc.

I have created an open access OPS of Charleville Circus on WikiTree that has over a million members across the globe working on a single family tree for everyone to enjoy, for free, forever.

Source: Charleville Circus, Sydenham, London

Reply
Comment
Charles   
Added: 8 Mar 2024 20:45 GMT   

My House
I want to know who lived in my house in the 1860’s.

Reply

NH   
Added: 7 Mar 2024 11:41 GMT   

Telephone House
Donald Hunter House, formerly Telephone House, was the BT Offices closed in 2000

Reply
Comment
Paul Cox   
Added: 5 Mar 2024 22:18 GMT   

War damage reinstatement plans of No’s 11 & 13 Aldine Street
Whilst clearing my elderly Mothers house of general detritus, I’ve come across original plans (one on acetate) of No’s 11 & 13 Aldine Street. Might they be of interest or should I just dispose of them? There are 4 copies seemingly from the one single acetate example. Seems a shame to just junk them as the level of detail is exquisite. No worries if of no interest, but thought I’d put it out there.

Reply
Comment
Diana   
Added: 28 Feb 2024 13:52 GMT   

New Inn Yard, E1
My great grandparents x 6 lived in New Inn Yard. On this date, their son was baptised in nearby St Leonard’s Church, Shoreditch

Source: BDM London, Cripplegate and Shoreditch registers written by church clerk.

Reply
Comment
Vic Stanley   
Added: 24 Feb 2024 17:38 GMT   

Postcose
The postcode is SE15, NOT SE1

Reply



LOCAL PHOTOS
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Notting Hill
TUM image id: 1510169244
Licence: CC BY 2.0
Pembridge Road (1900s)
TUM image id: 1556889569
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Munro Mews, W10
TUM image id: 1453906723
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In the neighbourhood...

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Children of Ruston Close This road was the renaming of Rillington Place. Even after renaming, this street, where notorious murders had taken place, proved too much to avoid subsequent demolition.
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Notting Hill
Licence: CC BY 2.0


Pembridge Road (1900s)
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The Tabernacle is a Grade II*-listed building in Powis Square, W11 built in 1887 as a church. Photographed here in 2010.
Credit: Asteuartw
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Duke of Cornwall, Ledbury Road W11, around 1990. Later the Ledbury restaurant, holder of two Michelin Stars
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St Peter's Notting Hill
Credit: Asteuartw
Licence: CC BY 2.0


Kensington Hippodrome, about 1840, showing St John’s Hill in the background.
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SARM Studios, a recording studio, was established by Chris Blackwell, the founder of Island Records. They were originally known as Basing Street Studios. It has also been known in the past as Island Studios. SARM is an aconym of Sound and Recording Mobiles. At the studios, built inside a former church that had been deconsecrated, Blackwell recorded a number of artists there for Island Records, such as Iron Maiden, Bob Marley, Steve Winwood, Free, Bad Company, Robert Palmer, Jimmy Cliff, Nick Drake, Fairport Convention, King Crimson, John Martyn, Mott the Hoople, Quintessence, Roxy Music, Brian Eno, Sparks, Cat Stevens, Spooky Tooth, Traffic, If, Jethro Tull, the Average White Band, and the Sensational Alex Harvey Band.
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Arundel Gardens
Credit: Barbara Avis
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Boyne Terrace Mews, W11
Licence: CC BY 2.0




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