St John’s Hill is the summit of the high ground of Notting Hill.
When the Kensington Hippodrome was in operation before 1841, the grassy mound here formed a sort of natural grand-stand. Given railings since it was a right-of-way, it served as a free vantage point for pedestrians to watch the racing.
The summit of the hill is described by Florence Gladstone as being a point along ’Upper Lansdown Terrace’ rather than where the church was later placed.
