The 'new Notting Hill': more wine, more cafés, and the same old gardens where Hugh Grant kissed Julia Roberts

Much has been written recently about ‘the new Chelsea’, real-estate speak for an area whose fortunes are turning after falling out of favour with the young and beautiful. Some have put the area’s newfound chutzpah down to Martino’s, a recently opened restaurant from the team behind The Dover that has induced a westbound migration among London’s see-and-be-seen foodies. Others have explained it via the pendulum effect: now that Hackney house prices are about the same as Earl’s Court’s, young people have decided that, actually, the Royal Borough ain’t so bad after all.

The true reason, however, comes down to downsizing. Long-time residents of the area have decided they don’t wish to pay mansion tax and are better off converting their houses into flats to sell to plucky youngsters for less than £2 million. This is, ironically, a good thing: it means that supply in central London can finally catch up with demand and that young people are flocking back to areas they’d previously deserted in order to rent before they buy — a test drive, of sorts.

According to the Financial Times, however, we really ought to be looking at ‘the new Notting Hill’: four little words that might well trigger an eye roll, not least because it's not so long ago that Bruton in Somerset had that exact same title conferred upon it. Unlike Bruton, however, the 'new Notting Hill' turns out to be the same old Notting Hill, but experiencing a resurgence in popularity.

As with Chelsea, the tide is once more turning in favour of a younger crowd. On Golborne and Portobello Roads and the perennially fashionable Westbourne Grove is a spree of new shops (sorry, ‘boutiques’) for the clever and the curious — or, at least, those who look the part. Just down the road on Arundel Gardens — one of Notting Hill’s most picture-perfect streets — a pair of apartments are for sale at the moment.

Two bits of good news: firstly, all are way below the mansion tax threshold, and secondly, the pastel-hued buildings beloved by tourists are on the opposite pavement. You can rest easy knowing that the Instagrammers’ heads, and camera lenses, will all be turned in the other direction.

The example on the market via Strutt & Parker at £1.05 million is a ground-floor apartment (wretched words! but read on) that benefits from its own private entrance.

This is a flat which enjoys remarkable ceiling height, a generous entertaining space, a kitchen and a master bedroom, with built-in wardrobes and a bathroom with both bath and shower. The private, south-facing garden backs onto a larger, communal garden where a certain American film star and English bookseller might once have had a dalliance.

What really makes this apartment stand out, however, are the finishes. This is a soulful and thoughtfully designed flat that’s perfect for a second or third-time buyer moving up in the world. Or, indeed, for anyone downsizing.

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For those who need a little more space, an extra £50,000 will see you move up to the other flat on the market at the moment, being sold by Knight Frank and Marsh Parsons. It’s not quite so exotic inside, but has around 20% more floor space and an extra bedroom.

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And either way, you’ll have one of the most sought-after addresses in west London, and easy access to the rest of the capital via the stations at Ladbroke Grove (which offers quick access to Paddington and King’s Cross via the Circle Line) and Notting Hill Gate (10 minutes to Bond Street on the Central Line).

The one-bedroom flat on Arundel Gardens is for sale at £1.05 million via Strutt & Parker. The two-bedroom flat is being sold by Knight Frank and Marsh Parsons at £1.1 million.

A version of this feature appears in the January 7, 2026 issue of Country Life. Click here for more information on how to subscribe.