Notting Hill: 25 years after the film, what is left of the district’s character?

The west London hotspot is famed for its bohemian, Afro-Caribbean character but, having lived through many changes already, locals are worried about plans for Portobello market

She was only a girl, standing in front of a boy asking him to love her, but would Anna Scott and William Thacker recognise the Notting Hill that exists today, 25 years on from their fictional meet-cute?

Parts of the west London district in which the film was set were down at heel and bohemian – a far cry from much of today’s Notting Hill, where it was revealed this week residents received more in capital gains from 2015 to 2019 than the combined populations of Liverpool, Manchester and Newcastle.