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Commercial Office Space to Rent in Notting Hill & Serviced Offices to Let in Notting Hill, West London

Notting Hill is a catch all name for an area in the west of London and within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is close to the north-western corner of Kensington Gardens and is covered by two postcodes W10 and W11.   It is a  vibrant and cosmopolitan district famous as the location for the annual Notting Hill Carnival; the setting for the 1999 film Notting Hill and for being home to the Portobello Road Market. 

As Notting Hill has no officially defined boundaries, the extent of the areas which make up Notting Hill vary considerably. The postcode W11, centered on the Post Office in Westbourne Grove, is the one most closely associated with Notting Hill.   However, the postcode immediately to the north, W10, covers that part of North Kensington, which would fall within a broader definition. The local historian Florence Gladstone, in her much reprinted work "Notting Hill in Bygone Days" defines Notting Hill as the whole of that part of Kensington which is north of the road known as Notting Hill Gate.  Notting Hill therefore forms the major part of North Kensington and is considered an alternative name.  However from a residential stand point estate agents take the view that North Kensington is a distinct area including the area to the east of Ladbroke Grove leading up to Harrow Road - that part of the area which is bounded on the north by Harrow Road and on the south by Notting Hill Gate and Holland Park Avenue and which includes all areas known as Notting Hill. David Cameron, leader of the Conservative Party is known as part of the "Notting Hill Set", though he states he lives in North Kensington.

The origin of the name "Notting Hill" is uncertain though the records of 1356 show it as Knottynghull while an 1878 text suggests that name derives from a manor in Kensington and noted in the court records of Henry V111 Kensington as "Knotting-Bernes,", "Knutting-Barnes," or "Nutting-barns.     For years, it was thought to be a link with King Canute, but it is now thought likely that the "Nott" section of the name is derived from a Saxon personal name Cnotta, with the "ing" part generally    What is indisputable even today is that the hill from which Notting Hill takes its name is still clearly visible, with its summit in the middle of Ladbroke Grove at the junction with Kensington Park Gardens.   The name Notting Hill Gate derives from the location of turnpike gate, which was constructed at the foot of the hill on the main road from London to Uxbridge in the west and was there for the sole purpose of toll collection and the proceeds were applied towards the maintenance of this important road. The gate was removed in the 19th century.

The area retained its rural culture whilst the central parts of London developed during the Industrial Revolution but in the early 19th century with the westward expansion of London, the modern Notting Hill began to emerge as a neighborhood in its own right and began its long association with the arts and crafts.  It gained a reputation as a hub for craftsmanship, with the development of large brick making industry founded on the large clay deposits in the area.   This source of materials helped fuel rapid development in Central London.  This also marked the emergence of the modern commercial and arts culture that now surrounds Portobello Road.

In the middle of the century, large land-holding families, such as the Ladbrokes, began to develop residential and commercial real estate.  The residential development set a standard at the time.  Instead of houses being set around a garden square, separated from it by a road, houses had direct access to a secluded communal garden in the rear, to which people on the street did not have access and generally could not see. These houses were large and opulent but they did not immediately succeed in enticing the very richest Londoners, who tended to live closer to the centre of London in Mayfair or Belgravia. However the houses appealed to the upper middle class, who could live there in Belgravia style at lower prices To this day these communal garden squares continue to provide the area with much of its attraction for its wealthiest inhabitants and the areas of unique architecture and colour still visible today can be traced to this era. 

Notting Hill began emerged as a prime neighborhood in the early 1900’s and while surrounding areas attracted a more edgy, urban culture Notting Hill developed its own unique culture as it absorbed the waves of immigrants who had been arriving in the area for at least a century, including, but certainly not limited to, Irish, Jews, West Indians, Spanish, Moroccans and many from the Horn of Africa and Eastern Europe. This constant renewal of the population makes the area one of the most cosmopolitan in the world. However, the reputation of the area altered as the 20th century unfolded. Middle class households ceased to employ servants, the large Notting Hill houses lost their market and were increasingly split into multiple occupation.  The area also had suffered from bomb damage during the Blitz of London in the Second World War.    Because of this decline, in the postwar period the name Notting Hill evoked a down-at-heel area of cheap lodgings, mean streets and social deprivation.  However, by the 1980s, single-occupation houses began to return to favour with families who could afford to occupy them, and parts of Notting Hill are today among London's most desirable areas.  In particular, the parts of Notting Hill near Holland Park are characterised by well-maintained stucco-fronted pillar-porched houses, private gardens, communal gardens and access to the public parks at Holland Park and Kensington Gardens.   Notting Hill supports a vibrant retail culture in and around the Portobello Market as well as shopping streets full of high street names as well as many smart independent shops; craft shops; art galleries; antique dealers; restaurants; cafes and bars all of which have helped Notting Hill remain true to its roots over the years.

The Notting Hill area is served by four London Underground Tube stations – Westbourne Park; Ladbroke Grove; Latimer Road and Notting Hill Gate.   Other stations are within walking distance of the area and include Shepherds Bush; Lancaster Gate and Marble Arch.    The area is also served by a comprehensive network of buses both local and cross London.   Notting Hill gives onward access to the west via links to the M40 and M4 the latter being the direct link to Heathrow Airport and to the M3 and the M25 and ultimately other London Airports including Gatwick and Luton.  

Notting Hill has a certain reputation to maintain and possesses a certain glamorous charm and notoriety which makes it a sought after area to both live and work attracting many media and design businesses as well as professional offices. The area has much to offer in terms of location and facilities including many flexible serviced offices; offices to let and virtual offices often housed in refurbished stucco fronted buildings as well as sympathetic new build. For help in securing the most competitively priced deal on office space to rent in this vibrant special area in West London or commercial offices in this prime London location, in the first instance please contact your local commercial property expert http://www.freeofficesearch.co.uk or call our London Head Office on 020 7788 1030.