I always knew Notting Hill was a pretty part of London, but I’d forgotten just how lovely it is to grab a takeaway coffee and explore this area. Walking up and down all the streets and little mews, seeing all the painted houses, they are so bright and cheerful.
We visited just as KURO Coffee were opening up their new café (right beside their eatery) & it was lovely. It’s a small space, but they have a bench outside for nicer days and a few seats upstairs too. The matcha, coffee and pastries were 10/10. I highly recommend, and you can spy on all the people queuing to get in Egg break which is just across the street. I do hear that it is not worth the wait, have you been?
I loved this building, it is Hillgate House which was built in 1851 by James Betts of St Pancras and was originally a chapel but is now used as offices. The building is so charming and looks impressive on the street with its iron railings, red brick and mosaic tiled entrance. There are so many incredible buildings in this area.
The streets of Notting Hill are so charming and inspiring to explore, you can just walk up and down, taking in all the colours and the fun front doors. I know it costs millions to purchase one, but you can dream and be inspired. It inspires me, that’s for sure. Even when the sky is typically British grey and the weather wet and damp, Notting Hill is a happy place.
We did visit in October, so a few houses had their Halloween decorations up, which were fun to see. Compared to where I live they go all out & make quite the effort, it was cool to spot the houses with the pumpkins, skeletons and spooky scenes. If you can visit during Halloween, you have to, it’s such a vibe.
I also really liked the old Dunhill pipe and tobacco factory (1916–1946) on Uxbridge street which has since been converted to beautiful flats. What a slice of history to live in, it is such a beautiful building. There’s so much rich history in this area if you look closely, a real mix of modern and traditional and so many green spaces and rich cultural history. You can spend days just exploring this area.
What is your favourite part of London to explore? Let me know if you have any café / restaurant recommendations for the Notting Hill area, as I can’t wait to head back in the warmer months. You can see part one of my London trip here.
I do pop up to Manchester to see family, It’s nice to have an excuse to leave the county and enjoy one of my favourite cities. We always try to visit a couple of times a year, we always squeeze in a trip in August, as we got married in Manchester 17 years ago (and lived there for many years). We love visiting all our favourite places and seeing how the city has changed in the last 20+ years.
