Nestled between the charming villas of Notting Hill and the amenities of Shepard’s Bush, Holland Park is one of London’s greenest and most picturesque areas. Once the sprawling grounds of a stately home, the area has blossomed into a central district with a unique residential feel, making it ideal for quieter living just a stone’s throw from central London.
From gentle strolls in the Park itself to wonderful dining experiences and extraordinary local days out, this beloved and prestigious part of west London has so much going for it.
Food and Drink:
Julie’s Restaurant on the Portland Road is a west London institution, serving the very finest French cuisine anywhere in the city. A real favourite amongst locals, its emphasis on traditional seafood dishes from fricassee to moules au roquefort leaves diners seriously impressed with its quality and attention to detail.
For a more ornate experience, the Belvedere restaurant in the Park itself is a lavish dining experience. Set in a near 300-year ballroom, the décor inside really is to be seen in order to be believed – not to mention the food itself.
And for those real foodies, Kitchen W8 boasts a Michelin-starred menu of European dishes bursting with flavour. The presentation is key here, so expect food to be served looking more art gallery than restaurant!
This being London, there are also plenty of coffee houses about Holland Park, especially on the area’s main thoroughfare Holland Park Avenue. From independent, artisanal cafes such as St. Clair or Bon’s, to more familiar high street chains by the Tube station, and to rarer international cafes like the Parisian chain Paul.
Things to do:
The area’s namesake is the 56-acre green space, resplendent with roaming peacocks, smartly kept gardens, and sports facilities. Kyoto Garden, with its koi ponds and Japanese Acer trees, is a hidden gem showcasing the unfettered beauty of natural Japan. The park is one of London’s more serene, with a woodland-type area and tranquil one-way paths that guide the visitor through its environment.
The surrounding architecture is just as gorgeous – rows of evenly-spaced townhouses in the Italianate style as well as striking Victorian villas make for a marvellous palette of white and brownstone.
Of course, the Park itself is a brilliant day out in of itself, but Holland Park has more still. Leighton House is the eponymous former home of Frederic, Lord Leighton, a groundbreaking Victorian artist who designed this palatial residency to suit his artistry. The most striking is the Arab Hall, a marvellous tribute to the cultures of the Turkish and Egyptian worlds he would visit.
For a more contemporary setting, the popular Desing Museum is also in Holland Park. With a wonderfully creative and crafty collection of textiles, fashion items, and furniture, the museum boasts a reputation for insightful displays and eccentric exhibitions – most recently with its Barbie Exhibit. The Design Museum is one of London’s most interesting and visually spectacular, and continues to push boundaries of art history.
For those of a shopaholic persuasion, Holland Park has a range of boutiques for both window-shopping and splashing the cash. Daunt Books, the famous London booksellers, has a store on the Avenue, whilst the Supermarket of Dreams provides a “gourmet grocer” service. Bursting Buds is one of the more established businesses in the area, having seen customers buy its vibrant and fragrant flowers since the 1990s, and Myriad Antiques has been selling its array of furniture and pictures since the 1960s. For a more conventional shopping experience, Westfield Shepard’s Bush, the UK’s biggest shopping centre, is handily located down the road.
Transport:
Because the area is so central, transport options are bountiful – optimally located between Holland Park station on the Central Line (a handful of stops along from Oxford Street) and Kensington Olympia station on the Overground. This means that most of London is in reach from this area.
From Holland Park Underground, it’s two stops west for the shopping at Shepard’s Bush, four stops east for Hyde Park and Oxford Street and a few more for the City. This makes the job of getting across London incredibly easy, and as Holland Park is optimally located between different lines, getting to mainline train terminuses such as Victoria or Paddington is made much less difficult.
