We are so close to all the action in Notting Hill and it's a very lively urban area with the market on Portobello Road and excellent places to eat on Golborne Road...
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What to know about North Kensington
Matt Biggadike is the Sales Manager of the North Kensington office of Marsh & Parsons, one of the longest established estate agents in North Kensington. The office sells flats and houses in the areas of North Kensington, Maida Vale, Queen's Park Estate, Kensal Rise, Kensal Green Notting Hill and parts of Queens Park. Matt believes it is diversity that makes his patch so popular with house-hunters. "The area has a fantastic variety of life," says Biggadike. "We are so close to all the action in Notting Hill and it's a very lively urban area with the market on Portobello Road and excellent places to eat on Golborne Road."
North Kensington's reputation as a bohemian haunt of fashionistas, media types and songwriters remains: Jimi Hendrix wrote Purple Haze at 167 Westbourne Grove which was then painted purple. As such, "the area attracts a lot of people moving out from Kensington and Holland Park looking for a bit more house for their money. There are a lot of people in the arts and media living here but it is becoming increasingly popular with people from the City."
There are good Tube links into the City including Ladbroke Grove on the Circle Line, and access to Paddington Station, as well as the Heathrow express to the airport just a short walk away. 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 local schools, according to the Good Schools Guide, include basset House School, Pembridge Hall School and Wetherby School. "Oxford Gardens Primary is also an excellent local state school," says Biggadike.
Notable residents of North Kensington have included David and Samantha Cameron, actor Joss Ackland, Sabrina Guinness, former girlfriend of Prince Charles and sportsmen Alan Mullery and John Murray.
Property types in North Kensington
Houses and flats for sale in North Kensington are as diverse as the residents. Property can range from the lovely Victorian conversion flats to ex-local authority blocks and from beautiful villas and cottages to large period family houses.
So, what will you get for your money in North Kensington?
As one of North Kensington's premier estate agents, Marsh & Parsons sells studio flats in the W10 area from £225,000 to £275,000 and Ladbroke Grove is particularly popular. Ex-local authority flats in low-rise blocks start at £250,000 for one-bedroom, but a one-bedroom conversion on Bassett Road or Oxford Gardens W10 ranges between £400,000 to £600,000 depending on size and specification.
Edwardian houses in the most popular streets, such as the St. Quintin's Conservation Area, a grid of streets off Bassett Road, range between £1.25 million and £2.25 million for a three bedroom terraced house and a three-bedroom mews house in Alba Place W11 will cost about £850,000. On Bassett Road for example, Marsh & Parsons has sold two-bedroom flats for more than £950,000. For the largest four-bedroom houses overlooking the park on the Queen's Park Estate house-hunters can expect to pay up to £2 million.
Marsh & Parsons will also sell flats and houses for sale in Kensal Rise and Kensal Green NW10, where prices are slightly lower including two-bedroom flats from £350,000 to £375,000 and three and four bedroom houses for between £750,000 and £1.25million where many feature loft conversions. Maida Vale W9, which is close to Westbourne Park Station, is cheaper still with one bedroom conversion flats for sale from £250,000.
What else can you expect from North Kensington?
The area is blessed with excellent shops, bars, restaurants and entertainment. Shopping in North Kensington is as diverse as the people who live in the area and ranges from EJ Barnes, a bicycle shop which is the oldest business in Ladbroke Grove, to De La Fluente, a sumptuous deli on Portobello Road. The area is renowned for its fashions and Paul Smith and Tonic are among its most popular boutiques.
There are also gyms, a leisure centre and climbing wall and 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, just off Golborne Road is very popular the acclaimed Metropolitan serves progressive Modern Cuisine. Anglo-French Bistro Goode & Wright serves delicious steak sandwiches and croque madame.
Eclipse has a beautiful garden in summer and a roaring fire in winter as well as the best burgers you could eat. We also recommend the Elgin Pub on Ladbroke Grove, W11 which accommodates all visitors, from those who just want to sit and watch the world go by in their large bay windows; to those who want to test their gin tasting skills by sampling their ‘Gin Palace’, which has 22 gins to tickle your fancy. For more formal 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 selling homes in the area, Marsh & Parsons prides itself on its local know how and we are able to supply a variety of local information including: the cost of a resident's parking permit, details of rubbish collection and where to find the nearest bank, florist or locksmith.
Green spaces in North Kensington
North Kensington offers access to some great open spaces. 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.
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. 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 North 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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