Portobello Road Market is the largest antiques market in the UK. The place began as a fresh food market in the 19th century. Antiques dealers arrived in the late 1940s and 1950s, and now there are a large number of them trading mainly on Saturday mornings. The market runs between the north-northwest and the south-southeast. It’s about 940 m long.
The market was featured in the 1971 musical film, “Bedknobs and Broomsticks” in a scene involving a song titled “Portobello Road” and dance in and around the market staged on sets built at Disney’s Burbank studios. The lyrics refer to the market and the people who live and work there.
The 1950 Ealing Studios police thriller, “The Blue Lamp”, starring Dirk Bogarde and Jack Warner, was partially filmed in the area. It features a thrilling car chase along largely traffic-free roads, including Portobello Road.
Yet, it is probably best known for being the setting for the 1999 film “Notting Hill”, with much of the filming taking place on the street. However, the famed blue door no longer exists, having been sold.
Portobello Road Market draws tourists. Though the main market day for antiques is Saturday, there are also fruit and vegetable stalls which trade throughout the week and are located further north than the antiques, near the Westway Flyover.
About one third of the way from its northern end, the market runs beneath adjacent bridges of the A40 road and the Hammersmith & City line of the London Underground. This is the section focusing on second hand clothes as well as trendy couture. A passage way from Portobello Road all the way to Ladbroke Grove is being filled out with the hippest stalls on the entire market where you can find fashion similar to that available at Camden Market.