Did you know that...
The Design Museum won the 2018 European Museum of the Year Award. It was founded in 1989 by Sir Terence Conran near Tower Bridge. In 2011, it moved to a larger location which used to be the Commonwealth Institute, a grade II listed building.
John Gawsworth grew up in Colville Gardens. In 1947, he became King Juan I of Redonda. Aubrey House, also known as Notting Hill House, is a grade II listed building from the 17th century. Lady Mary Coke and Sir Edward Lloyd are former residents.
Holland House is a 17th-century Jacobean country house. It was built by diplomat Walter Cope and it was initially called Cope Castle. The house had the largest private grounds of any London houses. Opera Holland Park is a summer opera staged in front of the Holland House.
Notting Hill is the place where one can take part in the Notting Hill Carnival. The event has been held on an annual basis for the past 50 years. With more than one million participants, the street festival is one of the most popular European metropolitan events. The Notting Hill Carnival celebrations feature numerous floats along the parade route, plenty of performers, and, of course, a strong Caribbean theme. The festival served as the source of inspiration for the White Riot song from The Clash, a rock band that is considered among the greatest artists of all times.
The Notting Hill’s street festival has been taking place since 1966 and nowadays there is a need in about 40,000 volunteers and 9,000 police officers to arrange this high-level event and ensure public order and security. The size of the venue is truly overwhelming!
Notting Hill was the location where the same-name movie was made in 1999. Richard Curtis lived here and expressed his memories in the screenplay.
The famous blue door from this romantic comedy film actually existed and was located on 280 Westbourne Park Road.
The largest park in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, Holland Park, has one of the most beautiful gardens in London, The Kyoto Garden, along with 54 acres of fresh air and greenery.
The Kyoto Garden, the absolutely fabulous traditional Japanese garden, was opened in 1991 as a symbol of the long friendship between Japan and Great Britain. It is a great place for both locals and visitors to relax and lighten the mood wandering around stone lanterns, tranquil tiered waterfalls, a serene pond full of beautiful koi carp, Japanese maple trees, and even peacocks if you’re lucky.
