A bookstore, which appeared in a movie, “Notting Hill”

In 2005, for the first time in 6 years, I decided to visit to England by myself. On this occasion, I didn't have a companion, so I thought that it would be cheaper to book a flight and hotel separately. I searched for a hotel in London using the Internet. I checked for a hotel near Victoria, Paddington, or Hyde Park, but the accommodation fee was expensive.Then, I found "Notting Hill" as an option. I researched some hotels. There were some reasonable hotels in Notting Hill. At that time, I remembered. Yeah, I have some regrets about "the blue door", which I couldn't find a few years ago. Therefore, I booked a hotel near Notting Hill.


My hotel was a few minutes from Notting Hill station. I arrived at around 6 pm. Soon after checking in, I walked around the station.
The next day. From the HP site, "London Notting Hill", I printed out the photo of that blue door. According to the site, there was no longer any blue door, but I thought I could find the actual house quite easily. There was a map to the bookstore where Hugh Grant had worked, on "Globe Trotter", a Japanese guidebook, so firstly, I looked for it. On the way, I went to the right and left in an attempt to find that blue door.
I was walking along Portobello Road.
On the map, the bookstore seemed to be near the station, but it was a little far. 15 minutes later, I could find it. When I was taking some photos, I saw a mother and daughter, who seemed to be Japanese, also taking pictures. About 5 years has passed since the movie, "Notting Hill", but many people still love it.
After that, when I walked back to Portbello Road, I found the Cafe Republic, where Hugh Grant spilt some juice on Julia Roberts soon after he had left the cafe.
"I've already found two spots, so maybe I can find that blue door very soon", I thought.

However, I sometimes walked off Portbello Road, but I still couldn't find the blue door. On that day, I gave up.
The next day was Saturday. I initially thought that I would go somewhere else instead of seeing Portbello Market. However, I was staying at Notting Hill. I soon changed my mind and decided to see the market a little before visiting other places. Again, I walked along the street where the stalls had been set up for the Saturday market.
When I walked by a restaurant, I saw a couple eating a full English breakfast at one of the restaurant's outside tables. "Wow! It seems to be tasty!!" I couldn't pass the restaurant without ordering a breakfast, as I hadn't taken breakfast that morning, therefore, I decided to have breakfast at this restaurant.

There were sausages, bacon, mushrooms, tomato, beans and black pudding on a big plate.
You can choose how you want your eggs cooked. I ordered scrambled.

However, on the day, I couldn't find that blue door.
The fourth day came. When I was walking in Piccadilly Circus in the evening, I remembered there is a Visitor Centre. I wanted to book a B&B in Torquay if possible, so I decided to visit. Moreover, I thought, "The employee maybe knows where that blue door is". It was easy to book a B&B, but after that, when I asked other employee about that blue door , she replied after searching the Internet a little, "I don't know why, but there isn't any data. Probably because it isn't open to the public."
The blue door house is owned by the private individual, so that might be the reason. "Should I give up?", I began to think.
However, I was staying in Notting Hill, so I really wanted to find that blue door. Then, I remembered I hadn't entered the bookstore because I had visited outside hours. Therefore, on the seventh day, just one day before my departure, again, I walked to Portobello Road. Ha ha ha.
Firstly, I went to the bookstore to see what time it would open. They open in the afternoon. I planed to go back again, next, I went to an Internet cafe in Kensington High Street. There, I tried to search for that blue door by "Notting Hill" and "blue door".
I found out that it was in Westbourne Park Road. I thought that I could find it soon because now I knew the street name. However, I was wrong. In the afternoon, I went back to Notting Hill and looked for that blue door walking in Westbourne Park Road from left to right, but I couldn’t find it. Oh, no!

The inside of the bookstore from the street.
I wanted to buy a book as a souvenir, but there wasn’t anything which I found appealing.

After I came back to Japan…I searched for that blue door again! At that time, I found the address, "280 Westbourne Park Road". I wish I had known it when I was in England!!
Therefore, in 2006, I went to Notting Hill to look for that blue door. Finally, I was able to find the door, but it wasn't blue any more because that door had been sold at auction. Do you think that I was obsessed? Ha ha ha!!

I finally found that blue door.
However, the door was sold at auction, so the blue door had become a black door.

to Notting Hill １

(2005.8.6, 2006.8.27)

to the TOP

Trip to England

I really love London!