Valerie’s London: A Stroll Down the Lane at Portobello Road Market

Today Valerie takes us on a day tour of Portobello Road Market and gives us an insider guide to the top 5 places to search for the best finds.

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Portobello Road Market (known locally as “the lane”) seems to have begun in the late 1860’s or early 1870’s at a time when much of the road had been built. Before 1850, Portobello Road was little more than a country lane connecting Portobello Farm with Kensall Green in the North and what is today Notting Hill in the South.

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As this is also a residential area, parking is tough, so I take the London Underground (the tube) and get off at Notting Hill Gate station. It’s a short walk from the tube – just follow the crowds. You will notice the beautiful meandering road with its brightly painted mid to late Victorian architecture; terrace houses and shops predominate, squeezed tightly into the available space, adding intimacy and a pleasing scale to the streetscape. Check out the mews houses just off the Portobello Road – these used to be stables and nowadays are highly sought after homes.

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The outdoor antiques market is open every Saturday – come rain or shine! The street traders start setting up their stalls around 6.15am but the majority of people (like me!) enjoy a lazy breakfast and start arriving around 9am to get the first bargains of the day. A lot of people think they are going to get ripped off because the market is so famous – but I have never felt that way. I believe if you fall in love with an object and agree on a price – then all parties should be happy.

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The stalls are a mix of antique/vintage furniture, books, art, maps, globes, chandeliers and kitchenware, along with fashion items and jewelry – both new and second–hand, hot food stalls with cuisines from around the world, and finally fruits and vegetables. There’s lots of noise too as the people selling their produce (known as Barrow Boys) shout at the top of their lungs to attract customers! You may even pick up some Cockney Rhyming slang.
There are way too many stalls and shops to list but here are my top 5:
1. Antique knives and forks – Bill Brown, 153 Portobello Road

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2. Small kitchen and country wares – Kim Sinclair, 300 Westbourne Grove

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3. Photographs and prints – 117 Gallery, 117 Portobello Road

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4. Victoria and Edwardian furniture – Judy Fox Antiques, 81 Portobello Road

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5. Silverware – Atlam Silver, 111 Portobello Road
After a day of antiquing, my friends and I always meet for dinner. Notting Hill is packed with fabulous restaurants. But a huge favorite of ours is a hidden gem called the First Floor, it’s at the end of the Portobello Road. You walk up the stairs to a beautiful bohemian dining room with miss-matched chairs and peeling paint on the walls, candelabras light the tables and the food is heavenly. On a Summer evening, it’s nice to look out of the huge Victorian windows and watch the stall owners packing up for the day and the Portobello Road becomes quiet again, until next Saturday!

Valerie Wills is a British born designer now living in San Francisco and running her own design firm, Valerie Wills Interiors. Valerie Wills studied interior design at London’s Westminster University. Valerie enjoys mixing old and new, be it from an existing piece, treasures from her client’s travels, books or art work, to build a uniquely personalized space - turning a house into a home.