Notting Hill Living
Portobello Road
No one remembers it now but Admiral Vernon captured a town called Porto Bello in Mexico from the Spaniards in 1739 and some loyal Englishman named his farm in the area Porto Bello Farm and Porto Bello Road became the name of the track leading to it.
Nos. 9-13 on at the west side were built in 1852 by William Chadwick, who owned the area between Pembridge Road and Holland Park Avenue. These were generally small terraced houses, brick-faced but with stucco architraves.
Nos. 65-105 comprised a terrace between Chepstow Villas and Westbourne Grove. Thomas Pocock owned this part of the area and he allocated individual plots to various local builders in 1848-9. From 1852-3 he similarly granted leases of plots for Nos. 115-175, from Westbourne Grove up to Elgin Crescent.
William and Henry Cullingford were the builders of Nos. 2-80 even between 1854 and 1858, under leases from the executors of W K Jenkins.
