Hot House: 132 Westbourne Grove, Notting Hill, London W11
Four story maisonette* in stucco terraced house with balcony and elevator. Three bedrooms, 2.5 baths over 2,057 sq. ft. Private front entrance, large ground floor kitchen and dining room, upstairs living room with floor to ceiling windows, office. Three bedrooms upstairs, top floor master has en suite bath and dressing room: £3,400,000 ($5,684,307)
What: At the end of August , there’s not much going on in the Baltimore real estate market. But never mind, we’ve found a perfect second home in Notting Hill, everyone’s favorite London neighborhood . A spacious three bedroom, it has a ground floor entrance hall, with a big sunny kitchen and separate dining room –(also a half bath, under the stairs). Second floor “reception” is a beautiful room, at once modern and traditional, with period moldings, built-in shelves and huge windows overlooking balcony and street. There’s a separate, smaller office/family room at the back. Upstairs, two nice sized bedrooms and full modern bath. Top floor master is luxurious. If you can’t be in Baltimore, it’s a nice option.
Where: Westbourne Grove is Notting Hill’s most fashionable street, where “yummy mummys” and West London celebs shop and dine cheek by jowl at pricey restaurants and boutiques. At its western end, Westbourne Grove crosses the Portobello Road where the weekend market can attract throngs of tourists. This house is just east of Needham Road, which is well away from the crowds, but an easy stroll for when you need an antique silver teapot. Nearest tube station is Notting Hill Gate, on the Central Line, “the backbone of London,” a fantastic tube line which speeds quickly to its many awesome destinations, including City of London, where many Notting Hill bankers made their pile. For travel back and forth to the States, the neighborhoods of west London (Notting Hill, Holland Park, Kensington, Hammersmith) are much more convenient to Heathrow Airport than others, so this is a good location on many levels.
Why: Impossible go wrong investing in London real estate. “Central London House Prices Rising By £729 A Day” (19% a year).
Why Not: House is being sold without the basement, so be sure to ask what’s down there. Also, no nearby park.
NB: The Notting Hill Carnival, dreaded by locals, winds its way through the streets around this time each year. For three days, the entire neighborhood throbs to a reggae beat and smells like jerk chicken.
* A maisonette (may-zuh-net) is an apartment, usually on two or more levels, with a private entrance.
Tom Conran’s great restaurant is there, and is the perfect place for a great English breakfast with a healthy spin.
Okay — that was awesome! What a terrific idea — to peruse real estate in the motherland, while simultaneously feeling better about the prices of B’more real estate! Brilliant! I am, however, the tiniest bit worried about what is down in that basement….I guess those posh Notting Hill-ers haven’t heard about the très chic Baltimore “club basement”