The Area

The Great Forest of Middlesex with wild boars and stags once covered this area. It was seized by Henry VIII and by the 18th Century became farmland. Urbanisation followed the opening of the Grand Union Canal in 1801 and in 1838 the Great Western Railway. By 1890 the area was covered by traditional Victorian terraced streets. In time they became known as "slum" houses. The racially motivated murder of Antiguan ex-patriot Kelso Cochrane, on the junction of Golborne Road and Southam Street in 1959, contributed to the advent of the Notting Hill Carnival. The area attracted many newcomers, Spanish, Portugese, West Indian, Somalian, Eritrean and Sudanese, creating the diverse character for which it is famous. It became home to the largest Moroccan population in England with many of them settling in the Golborne area.

Well, I particularly love our community of Portobello Road, I think it's the most diverse community in London and probably Europe ... I love the fact that there's the rich next to the poor, and there's communities from all over the world, and this one little borough ... it's a melting pot of creativity.”

 

Micky Pallant
Resident of Wornington Green Estate &
Founder of Portobello Live Music Festival

 

The historical photo's are courtesy of RBKC Local Studies and Archives.

A black and white photo of Wornington Road, looking east before Wornington Green Estate was built, depicting Victorian terrace houses. There is a young boy leaning against a wall as a man comes down the front steps behind him. A pram stands further up the pavement. There are three cars parked on the empty road. Photo courtesy of RBKC Local Studies and Archives, 1970.
A black and white photo of Wheatstone Road, looking east before Wornington Green Estate was built, depicting Victorian terrace houses. The road has tall trees, several pollarded, with numerous cars parked in the street. At the end of the road is Issac Newton Upper School on Wornington Road and in the background is Trellick Tower under construction with several cranes. Photo courtesy of RBKC Local Studies and Archives, 1970.
A black and white photo of Wornington Road depicting three shops: Henson Hairstylist, J&H Autos Ltd and Bill Cane Turf Accountant. A light coloured car is parked outside with a woman walking past carrying shopping bags. Photo courtesy of RBKC Local Studies and Archives, 1970.
A black and white photo of Issac Newton Upper School and Wornington Primary School on Wornington Road. The building is an imposing structure of four floors with large latticed windows. The school gate is closed and to the right three boys walk behind a parked car. Photo courtesy of RBKC Local Studies and Archives, 1969.
A black and white photo of Golborne Road's north side with the following shops: O’Mahony Bros (domestic store), Clarke (corn chandler), J Sugarman (ladies outfitter) and E. G. Hopwood (butcher). Several cars are parked on the street including a camper van. Photo courtesy of RBKC Local Studies and Archives, 1969.
Photo depicting a shop at 96 Golborne Road. At the top of the photo is the old fashioned signage saying E. Price & Sons, Fruiterers and Greengrocers in gold lettering on a blue background. Four green lamps hang over the closed shop front and black shutters. A silver ladder leans against the shutters. E Price & Sons was run as a family business since 1937, but has now been sold. Photo taken by Natasha Langridge, 2020.
A photo of the owner of Cut Price Liquor Store on Golborne Road wearing a brown cap. He stands behind a counter of confectionary and in front of a display case of wine and spirits. Photo by Tedra Clover, 2019.
A photo of two ladies smiling at the camera standing beside their flower stall on Golborne Road’s Friday Market. They are surrounded by a wide selection of colourful plants and flowers. In the background is Cafe O’Porto, the beloved Portuguese coffee shop. Photo taken by Darnell Da Costa, 2019.
A photo of a young man with a baseball cap leaning on antique mahogany cabinet on the Golborne Road. Beside him are other antiques chairs, tables, a china vase and lamp. In the background is Clarke’s antique shop. Photo taken by Darnell Da Costa, 2019.
A photo of a fishmonger in Golborne Fisheries on the Golborne Road. He wears a white apron and is scooping ice over haddock, salmon, halibut, tuna and plaice on the counter. A metal scale is in the background. Photo taken by Darnell Da Costa, 2019.
Photo depicting a shop at 355 Portobello Road, Portobello Girl Beauty, a beauty salon. Leaning against its glass front, a girl in shorts and an orange t-shirt checks her mobile phone while two men on either side of her, also in shorts, blow woofer horns during carnival. Photo by Natasha Langridge, 2019.
Photo depicts a rainbow over a brass eagle statue that sits on top of the Victorian built Eagle pub on the junction of Ladbroke Grove and Telford Road. In the background Trellick Tower is bathed in golden sunlight. To the bottom right is the Lloyd Williamson prep school. The trees of Wornington Green and Wheatstone House are seen between the pub and the school. Photo taken by Junior Tomlin, 2014.
Photo depicts the exterior facade and blue signage of North Kensington Centre, part of Morley College. This was formerly Kensington and Chelsea College and Issac Newton Upper School. Dappled light falls across the red brick building and its large latticed windows. Photo by Hannah Hutch, 2020.
Photo depicts an extreme wide angle shot of Golborne Road, looking north towards Trellick Tower. The white canopy of a flower stall is in the foreground right. Cars in the distance approach a pedestrian crossing between the rows of shops. There are Road Ahead Closed signs to the left at the junction of Wornington Road and Golborne Road. Photo taken by Darnell Da Costa, 2019.
Photo depicts a smiling Kris Parker on the pavement of Portobello Road outside Babajani, his Mesopotamian restaurant/cafe. A yellow awning sits above the shops glass frontage. In the background Union Jack bunting hangs across the street between buildings. Photo by Constantine Gras, 2020.