North Kensington's reputation as a bohemian haunt of fashionistas, media types and songwriters remains...
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What to know about North Kensington
Archie Orr-Ewing is the Lettings Manager of the North Kensington office of Marsh & Parsons, which lets flats and houses in the areas of North Kensington, Queen's Park Estate, Kensal Rise, Kensal Green and Notting Hill.
Archie believes it is diversity that makes his patch so popular with tenants. "The area is a real mix of people and property," says Archie. "We have a lot of young professionals moving out from Notting Hill and Kensington as well as young sharers attracted by the local night life and good transport links to the City and West End."
There are good Tube links into the City and roads leading out of the capital to Heathrow airport. North Kensington also offers a wide range of shops, boutiques, bars and fine restaurants, as well as parks and open spaces. Notting Hill Carnival, which was started by a social worker in 1965, is of course one of the area's best known events.
The best schools in the area, according to the Good Schools Guide, include Basset House School, Pembridge Hall School and Wetherby School. "Oxford Gardens Primary is also an excellent state school," says Archie.
Well known residents of North Kensington have included David and Samantha Cameron, actor Joss Ackland, Sabrina Guinness, former girlfriend of Prince Charles and sportsmen Alan Mullery, John Murray and Jade Jagger who also owns a jewellery shop in the area.
Property types in North Kensington
Property types in North Kensington are as diverse as the people who live in the area. Houses can range from spacious Victorian Villas to attractive railway-worker Cottages, while there is a broad range of flats and apartments from modern, new build developments to charming period conversions.
So, what will you get for your money in North Kensington?
"The price of a studio flat to rent starts at £225 a week," says estate agent Archie Orr-Ewing. "There are a lot of Victorian conversions in streets like St Helen's Gardens W10, which is ten minutes' walk from Ladbroke Grove tube station. "One-bedroom flats to rent range from between £300 to £425 in Cambridge Gardens W10.
Tenants looking for a two-bedroom flat to rent through Marsh & Parsons can expect to pay upwards of £400 a week in roads such as Bassett Road. A three-bedroom house with a garden starts form £750 a week in Balliol Road W10 and a four bedroom house in good condition will rent from £1,000 a week.
The Queens Park Estate is particularly popular for its small cottages and two bedrooms are available from £400 a week. Prices change further in Kensal Rise NW10, where a one-bedroom conversion flat to rent starts at £275 a week, and three bedroom houses with gardens are available to let from £550 a week.
Notting Hill on the other hand is pricier and Marsh & Parsons has one bedroom flats to rent from £300 a week and four bedroom houses from £1,650 a week.
What else can you expect from North Kensington?
Shopping is as diverse as the people who live in North Kensington and ranges from EJ Barnes, a bicycle shop which is the oldest business in the area, to De La Fluente, a sumptuous deli on Portobello Road, while Books for Cooks is an entire bookshop dedicated to nothing but eating! The area is renowned for its fashions and Paul Smith and Tonic are among its most popular boutiques. North Kensington is also within easy reach of the recently opened Westfield shopping centre.
There are also gyms, a leisure centre and climbing wall but if all that sounds a bit energetic, North Kensington and its surrounds have a range of great pubs and restaurants serving food from all corners of the globe.
Pizza East on Portobello Road/Golborne Road junction offers a modern take to a Pizzeria and the acclaimed Metropolitan serves progressive Modern Cuisine. French Bistro Goode & Wright offers excellent steak sandwiches and croque madame. For more informal dining, try The Grove Fish Bar or Sausage and Mash, which serves not only bangers but also Spanish and Thai meals.
As one of the premier estate agents letting and selling property in the North Kensington area, Marsh & Parsons prides itself on its local know how, including the cost of a resident's parking permit, details of rubbish collection and even where to find the nearest bank, florist or locksmith.
Green spaces in North Kensington
North Kensington offers access to some great open spaces. Wormwood Scrubs may be better known as a prison, but it is in fact a huge park with its own stables, and Little Wormwood Scrubs is another open space, popular with dog walkers and families, as it has a new children's playground. While, the lovely Avondale Park, opened in 1892, combines attractive formal gardens with children’s play areas, sports areas and a small wildlife section.
Nearby Holland Park offers 22.5 hectares of gardens which contain not only children’s play areas and sports facilities, but also a café, large areas of woodland and the beautiful Japanese Kyoto Garden. Meanwhile, the acclaimed Kensington Gardens are a short distance away which, covering 111 hectares boasts Kensington Palace, beautiful Italian Gardens and the reputed Serpentine Gallery.
Transport in North Kensington
There is a good selection of transport in North Kensington including London Underground services from the following stations:-
Ladbroke Grove (Circle and Hammersmith & City Lines, Zone 2)
Latimer Road (Circle and Hammersmith & City Lines, Zone 2)
Westbourne Park (Circle and Hammersmith & City Lines, Zone 2)
Paddington Station is also close by with London Underground links on the Bakerloo, Hammersmith & City, Circle and District Lines, while it also offers National Rail services and the Heathrow Express.
Click here for an Underground Map.
The road links are superb, with the A4 and M4 taking drivers west to Heathrow or east into central London while there are also excellent bus links.
For more information about the bus routes in the North Kensington area click here.
Which London Borough is North Kensington in?
The Kensington area is covered by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Please click here for more information relating to council tax bands, parking permits and healthcare services in Kensington.
How can I find out about schools in the North Kensington area?
For a comprehensive list of schools in the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea please click here.
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