For my lunchtime wander today, I decided to drift off towards Holland Park and Notting Hill. Again this is somewhere I've been before but not for a while now, and as with many places I visit there are always either new sights to see and photo, or vistas I have previously missed.
One thing I do particularly like about this area of London is the curved buildings on many of the street corners, mainly I suspect as a result of the roads not being a grid system like some other parts of London.
This first building has all the hall marks of being a pub at one time in its life. From similar buildings I have seen, I can imagine a sign with the pub name at the very top of the building and a list of various ales on the long grey plastered section. It looks like it may have had an entrance too which has now been covered. Worried that I may be completely wrong, I decided to conduct some internet research and came across this wonderful site called Lost Pubs in London which revealed that this indeed used to be a pub, called The Unicorn but has been a residential dwelling for some years now.
One thing I do particularly like about this area of London is the curved buildings on many of the street corners, mainly I suspect as a result of the roads not being a grid system like some other parts of London.
This first building has all the hall marks of being a pub at one time in its life. From similar buildings I have seen, I can imagine a sign with the pub name at the very top of the building and a list of various ales on the long grey plastered section. It looks like it may have had an entrance too which has now been covered. Worried that I may be completely wrong, I decided to conduct some internet research and came across this wonderful site called Lost Pubs in London which revealed that this indeed used to be a pub, called The Unicorn but has been a residential dwelling for some years now.
I was also curious about what this building, also in Penzance Place, could have been, but was not able to uncover any information.
Unidentified pink building, Penzance Place, Notting Hill, London
Again I'm quite sure what is now The Cross was something in a former life but despite doing, admittedly only a little, research I was unable to uncover anything on this one either.
The Cross, Portland Road, Notting Hill, London
Fortunately what is now The Cowshed was easier to discover its former function. This was also a former pub, called The Portland Arms.
The former Portland Arms pub, Portland Road, Notting Hill, London
The area in and around Clarendon Cross has some wonderful shop fronts or which these are only a couple.
L Maison shopfront, Clarendon Cross, Notting Hill, London
Summerill and Bishop, shopfront, Clarendon Cross, Notting Hill, London
This area also boasts something of a more industrial past, with a pottery and this former brick works, now a residential dwelling. The name of the building is clear to see, but look about half-way down and there are also the words BUILDERS and CONTRACTORS in the brickwork.
The former Clarendon brick works, Notting Hill, London
The former Clarendon brick works, Notting Hill, London
Old sign, Portland Road, Notting Hill, London
Finally on this wander, I found this wonderful, and very much in use, butchers.
Lidgate butchers, Holland Park Avenue, London
It's hard to make out in this picture but the LIDGATE is actually a mosaic.
It's hard to make out in this picture but the LIDGATE is actually a mosaic.
Mosaic, Lidgate butchers, Holland Park Avenue, London
There's an interesting history of the area here: http://www.housmans.com/booklists/Entrance%20to%20Hipp%20Vague%2044.pdf
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