Richard Ladbroke of Tadworth Court Surrey bought 170 acres of land, just north of the ancient road to Uxbridge (now Holland Park Avenue) between Portland Road on the West and Portobello Road on the east. This became known as the Ladbroke Estate. Not much is known about Richard Ladbroke himself, or precisely when he bought the estate. It is known that his brother, Sir Robert Ladbroke, was Lord Mayor in 1744 and a Member of Parliament for the City from 1754-1773, so the family was probably a wealthy one.
When Richard Ladbroke died, his son, also Richard Ladbroke, inherited the estate. He died childless in 1793 and he left the estate on trust to provide life interest to various relatives in turn. The last of these was a nephew, James Weller who was required by his uncle’s will to change his surname to Ladbroke before inheriting (which he did).
James Weller Ladbroke died in 1847 and was succeeded by a distant cousin Felix Ladbroke from Headley in Surrey. He was free of the restrictions in Richard Ladbroke's will and was free to sell the freehold of parts of the estate. During his lifetime Felix Ladbroke sold off the freehold of his Notting Hill estate to the various developers and builders who built the houses on it.