The commencement of the northern section of Ladbroke Grove occurred during the latter part of Queen Victoria’s reign. It is uncertain whether the route north was a deliberate plan or a fortuitous alignment, but it ultimately led to the intersection of a footbridge over the canal, located south of the Kilburn Lane/Harrow Road junction. Subsequently, a road was constructed, initially named Ladbroke Grove Road in its northern portion.
By 1859, the repercussions of the excessive construction in early 1850s Notting Hill began to diminish. Vacant houses were gradually occupied for the first time, and previously unfinished structures were completed, particularly in proximity to the Ladbroke estate. Early in 1860, new financial supporters were secured, instilling renewed confidence in the area. The maintenance of the development boom in northern Kensington was predominantly due to the reopening of the West London Railway for passenger traffic in 1863, followed by the inauguration of the Hammersmith and City Railway in 1864, which passed through the fields of Notting Dale. In anticipation of these significant events, builder Charles Chambers entered an agreement in 1862 to construct 238 houses on the Holland Estate near the West London Railway. Concurrently, Blake, a director of the Hammersmith and City Railway Company, undertook the purchase of the remaining portion of the Portobello estate in Notting Dale, encompassing around 130 acres. Subsequently, he orchestrated the construction of several hundred houses, many of which were small terraced dwellings.
The sharp decline in building activity that commenced after 1868, affecting London as a whole, might have been a delayed response to the general loss of confidence caused by the collapse of the bill discounting firm Overend and Gurney in May 1866. After almost a decade of continuous growth in construction, the supply of houses had exceeded demand once again. This was evident at an auction conducted by Blake in 1870, where reserve prices for thirteen houses in Ladbroke Grove were not met. As a result, capital began to shift from building projects to more enticing investment opportunities, including ventures abroad.
During the 1870s, the rate of building in northern Kensington declined by over fifty percent.
By the mid-1880s, the majority of building development in northern Kensington had reached its culmination. With the exception of a few remaining fields in the northwestern extremity, the entire open countryside had been transformed into a network of streets, crescents, squares, and thousands of houses.
