A bombed-out
Rackham Street, looking down from the junction with
Exmoor Street.
The huge bomb crater which actually had its epicentre on the north side of
St Charles Square, one block south, can be seen. This one bomb fell in September 1940 and caused so much destruction that it was decided, after the war finished, to redevelop the whole area. Most of the street plan was changed utterly.
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence
Photographed just after the Second World War, this is the bombed-out Rackham Street, London W10 looking down from the junction with Exmoor Street.
Kensington and Chelsea library
Adair Road, W10 Adair Road is a street on the Kensal Town/North Kensington borders. Alperton Street, W10 Alperton Street is the first alphabetically of the named streets of the Queen's Park Estate in W10. Appleford Road, W10 Appleford Road was transformed post-war from a Victorian street to one dominated by housing blocks. Banister Road, W10 Banister Road just scrapes being classed as belonging to the Queen's Park Estate. Bard Road, W10 Bard Road lies in the area of London W10 near to Latimer Road station. Blake Close, W10 Blake Close is one of the streets of London in the W10 postal area. Blenheim Crescent, W11 Blenheim Crescent one of the major thoroughfares in Notting Hill - indeed it features in the eponymous film. Bosworth Road, W10 Bosworth Road was the first street built as Kensal New Town started to expand to the east. Bramley Mews, W10 Bramley Mews become part of a redelevopment of the area north of Latimer Road station in the 1960s. Bramley Road, W10 Bramley Road is the street in which Latimer Road station is situated. Bruce Close, W10 Bruce Close replaced the earlier Rackham Street in this part of W10. Brunel Mews, W10 Brunel Mews, a tiny cul-de-sac, is the northern extension of Sixth Avenue. Calverley Street, W10 Calverley Street, one of the lost streets of W10 is now underneath a motorway slip road. Canal Way, W10 Canal Way was built on the site of the Kensal Gas Works. Codrington Mews, W11 This attractive L-shaped mews lies off Blenheim Crescent between Kensington Park Road and Ladbroke Grove. Cornwall Crescent, W11 Cornwall Crescent belongs to the third and final great period of building on the Ladbroke estate and the houses were constructed in the 1860s. Dalgarno Way, W10 Dalgarno Way is one of the streets of London in the W10 postal area. Darfield Way, W10 Darfield Way, in the Latimer Road area, was built over a number of older streets as the Westway was built. Darfield Way, W10 Darfield Way is one of the streets of London in the W10 postal area. Droop Street, W10 Droop Street is one of the main east-west streets of the Queen’s Park Estate. East Mews, W10 East Mews was lost when the Westway was built. It lies partially under the modern Darfield Way. East Row, W10 East Row is a road with a long history within Kensal Town. Elgin Crescent, W11 Elgin Crescent runs from Portobello Road west across Ladbroke Grove and then curls round to the south to join Clarendon Road. Farrant Street, W10 Farrant Street is the missing link in the alphabetti spaghetti of the streetnames of the Queen's Park Estate Golborne Road, W10 Golborne Road, heart of North Kensington, was named after Dean Golbourne, at one time vicar of St. John's Church in Paddington. Hewer Street, W10 Built as part of the St Charles’ estate in the 1870s, it originally between Exmoor Street to a former street called Raymede Street. Humber Drive, W10 Humber Drive is one of the streets of London in the W10 postal area. Huxley Street, W10 Huxley Street is the only street beginning with an H on the Queen’s Park Estate. Kensal House, W10 Kensal House (1936), was designed to show off the power of gas and originally had no electricity at all. Kensal Road, W10 Kensal Road, originally called Albert Road, is the heart of Kensal Town. Kilburn Lane, W10 Kilburn Lane runs around the edge of the Queen’s Park Estate in London W10. Kingsdown Close, W10 Kingsdown Close is one of a select number of roads in London W10 lying south of Westway. Ladbroke Crescent, W11 Ladbroke Crescent belongs to the third and final great period of building on the Ladbroke estate and the houses were constructed in the 1860s. Ladbroke Grove, W10 Ladbroke Grove runs from Notting Hill in the south to Kensal Green in the north, and straddles the W10 and W11 postal districts. Lavie Mews, W10 Lavie Mews, W10 was a mews connecting Portobello Road and Murchison Road. Lionel Mews, W10 Lionel Mews was built around 1882 and probably disappeared in the 1970s. Lockton Street, W10 Lockton Street, just south of Latimer Road station is so insignificant that nary a soul know's it's there... Malton Mews, W10 Malton Mews is one of the streets of London in the W10 postal area. Manchester Road, W10 Manchester Road is one of the lost streets of North Kensington, now buried beneath a roundabout. Maple Walk, W10 Post war development on the Queen’s Park Estate created some plant-based street names. Middle Row, W10 Middle Row is one of the original streets laid out as Kensal New Town. Munro Mews, W10 Munro Mews is a part cobbled through road that connects Wornington Road and Wheatstone Road. Nursery Lane, W10 Nursery Lane is one of the streets of London in the W10 postal area. Oakworth Road, W10 Oakworth Road dates from the 1920s when a cottage estate was built by the council. Oliphant Street, W10 Oliphant Street was the final alphabetical street on the original Queen’s Park Estate naming scheme. Peach Road, W10 Paach Road is one of the newer streets of the Queen’s Park Estate in London W10 Pember Road, NW10 Pember Road is one of the side streets to the west of Kilburn Lane, NW10 Rackham Street, W10 Rackham Street is a road that disappeared from the streetscape of London W10 in 1951. Raymede Street, W10 Raymede Street, after severe bomb damage in the area, disappeared after 1950. Regent Street, NW10 Regent Street, otherwise an obscure side street is one of the oldest roads in Kensal Green. Ronan Walk, W10 Ronan Walk was one of the streets constructed in a 1970s build parallel to the Harrow Road. Rootes Drive, W10 Rootes Drive is one of the streets of London in the W10 postal area. Severn Avenue, W10 Severn Avenue is a newer thoroughfare in the Queen's Park Estate, London W10 St Andrews Square, W11 St Andrews Square is a street in Notting Dale, formed when the Rillington Place area was demolished. St Marks Road, W11 St Marks Road, W11 is the southern extention of the W10 street and in the Latimer Road area. Station Walk, W10 Station Walk is one of the streets of London in the W10 postal area. Walmer Road, W10 Walmer Road is the great lost road of North Kensington, obliterated under Westway. Walmer Road, W11 Walmer Road is the oldest street in the area, dating from the eighteenth century or before. Waynflete Square, W10 Waynflete Square is one of the newer roads in the vicinity of Latimer Road station. Webb Close, W10 Webb Close is one of the streets of London in the W10 postal area. Wedlake Street, W10 Wedlake Street arrived as the second wave of building in Kensal Town was completed. Wornington Road, W10 Wornington Road connected Golborne Road with Ladbroke Grove, though the Ladbroke end is now closed to through traffic.
North Kensington lies either side of Ladbroke Grove, W10.North Kensington was rural until the 19th century, when it was developed as a suburb with quite large homes. By the 1880s, too many houses had been built for the upper-middle class towards whom the area was aimed. Large houses were divided into low cost flats which often degenerated into slums, as documented in the photographs of Roger Mayne.
During the 1980s, the area started to be gentrified although areas in the north west of the district at
Ladbroke Grove and Westbourne Park remain deprived and run down to this day.
Waves of immigrants have arrived for at least a century including, but certainly not limited to, the Spanish, the Irish, the Jews, the West Indians, the Portuguese, the Moroccans and many from the Horn of Africa and Eastern Europe. This constant renewal of the population makes the area one of the most cosmopolitan in London.
The Notting Hill carnival was first staged in 1964 as a way for the local Afro-Caribbean communities to celebrate their own cultures and traditions. After some rough times in the 1970s and 1980s when it became associated with social protest, violence and huge controversy over policing tactics, this is now Europe’s largest carnival/festival event and a major event in the London calendar. It is staged every August over the Bank holiday weekend.
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