Ladbroke Grove

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I went to Ladbroke Grove, but I didn't see anyone who'se looks turned me on. What is the cultural significance of Ladbroke Grove? And what of Westbourne Park? What are some good places to go around Notting Hill? We walked along Portobello Road, I didn't think it was that bad.

― Mary (Mary), Monday, 15 September 2003 23:08 (twenty-two years ago)

I don't know, but it's mentioned in Van Morrison's "Slim Slow Slider," which is just fine by me.

― Prude (Prude), Monday, 15 September 2003 23:45 (twenty-two years ago)

i've grown really fond of the strip of the golborne road in westbourne park with all of the portugese cafes (really good pastries at cafe lisboa) and middle eastern groceries. i mentioned it to someone recently, and he told me that it's actually a huge, notorious hotbed of drug activity. still, i like it and have never felt threatened when walking around there during the day. another bonus is that the weird apparation that is trellick tower stands at one end of it. it's a giant, narrow tower block that rises modernistically out of the housing estate about a minute's walk from the westbourne park tube. i thought it was ugly as sin the first time i saw it, but now it's worked its way into my heart.

― lauren (laurenp), Tuesday, 16 September 2003 00:05 (twenty-two years ago)

i'm not sure what you mean by 'whose looks turned me on' Mary - are you saying Ladbroke Grove is full of mingers? as for cultural significance, it's a key location at Carnival time and pretty much the base area for a large contingent of London's Caribbean community. sometimes just walking down the street you can almost taste the ganja, which is nice. the ugly old Westway at least provides an interesting dynamic as it tears across in parallel with the tube line (Ladbroke Grove may be unique as a station in that it's platform edge aligns perfectly with the train doors...i've mentioned this on ILX before but i'm mentioning it again because i just love this fact). Portobello Road is fun and the market is good. lots of lovely houses and trees on the southside. to the north and Westbourne Park there's a few skateparks and an abundance of hipster youths as a result. i used to hate the Trellick tower but i've warmed to it. the area as a whole was at one point in the mid 90s rather like Hoxton between '99-'01 i.e. achingly trendy despite being a bit of a crime-ridden dump. lauren is pretty much otm anyway.

― stevem (blueski), Tuesday, 16 September 2003 00:46 (twenty-two years ago)

I think the Ladbroke Grove looks turn me on is a lyric, possibly Pulp?
Golborne Road is indeed where it's at.

― Alan (Alan), Tuesday, 16 September 2003 07:58 (twenty-two years ago)

haha the best thing about trellick tower is RELLICK cowering swankily in its shadow

― Chip Morningstar (bob), Tuesday, 16 September 2003 08:52 (twenty-two years ago)

I have never been. Although my flatmate claims he saw someone get get shot there last week (from a distance, from his car, and from the top of a flyover, apparently). I assumed he was bullshitting.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Tuesday, 16 September 2003 09:17 (twenty-two years ago)

Pulp indeed, from "I Spy":

Your Ladbroke Grove looks turn me on, yeah.
With your frightened eyes and roach burns under your eyes and addresses
And thousands of tiny dryna-slides running a path,
running a path to the corner of your eyes.

What's this all about?

I didn't see any Caribbeans... though I had heard of the Notting Hill Carnival...

I was told Notting Hill was upscale but I was confused: second hand shops, okay so they were designer second hand, but the other stores were like cartoon T-shirts deluxe....

I guess the houses are really expensive but the area is aspirational artsy?

Jarv taught me to pronounce it Ladbrook not Ladbroke.

― Mary (Mary), Tuesday, 16 September 2003 09:43 (twenty-two years ago)

Blimey that is not the real lyrics is it? I thought:

Your Ladbroke Grove looks turn me on
With roach burns in designer dresses
And thousands of tiny dryness lines beating a path,
Beating a path to the corner of your eyes

― Archel (Archel), Tuesday, 16 September 2003 09:52 (twenty-two years ago)

In Pulp world Ladbroke Grove thus = posh but slightly raddled?

― Archel (Archel), Tuesday, 16 September 2003 09:52 (twenty-two years ago)

You're right: I thought those lyrics seemed a bit lazy. Here's another version:

Your Ladbroke Grove looks turn me on, yeah.
With roach burns in designer dresses,
skin stretched tight over high cheek-bones,
and thousands of tiny dryness lines beating a path to the corners of your eyes.

― Mary (Mary), Tuesday, 16 September 2003 10:09 (twenty-two years ago)

That's it.

― Archel (Archel), Tuesday, 16 September 2003 11:25 (twenty-two years ago)

Isn't Ladbroke Grove where Jerry Cornelius lives?

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 16 September 2003 14:38 (twenty-two years ago)

Ladbroke Grove is okay, I mean I wouldn't say it's much of anything.

― jel -- (jel), Tuesday, 16 September 2003 16:54 (twenty-two years ago)

it's the jewel in the west london crown!

― stevem (blueski), Wednesday, 17 September 2003 19:44 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm aghast at such a comment! It's not really west London for a start! East of Shepherd's Bush = not West London. Don't be fooled by W postcodes. Hehe.

― jel -- (jel), Thursday, 18 September 2003 16:13 (twenty-two years ago)

West London for me is everything west of Paddington and Earl's Court - a logical/reasonable definition. Going by the postcodes is a good idea, even though that would mean I'm technically not a resident of West or North-West London.

Ladbroke Grove has a bit of a nice vibe going on I've found, I'd rather hang out there than anywhere down the humdrum Uxbridge Road to be honest.

― stevem (blueski), Thursday, 18 September 2003 16:49 (twenty-two years ago)

Jerry Cornelius did indeed live in Ladbroke Grove. As did Michael Moorcock, throughout the 60s/70S, and lots of other bohos, hippies, junkies, punks, rastas, etc.

― Andrew L (Andrew L), Thursday, 18 September 2003 19:55 (twenty-two years ago)

Oh, I haven't read it, but I bet there's some gd stuff abt Ladbroke Grove as UK countercultural nexus in Mick Farren's autobiog 'Give the Anarchist a Cigarette' (the H/C of which has just been remaindered in London cheapo bkshps)

― Andrew L (Andrew L), Thursday, 18 September 2003 19:57 (twenty-two years ago)

one month passes...

Oh, I went to Ladbroke Grove today! Saw Minnie Driver when I was walking down towards Notting Hill.

― jel -- (jel), Saturday, 1 November 2003 15:50 (twenty-two years ago)

cool jel, you might be in a movie now

― stevem (blueski), Saturday, 1 November 2003 16:15 (twenty-two years ago)

she was probably thinking "is that louis theroux?"

― jel -- (jel), Saturday, 1 November 2003 17:00 (twenty-two years ago)

I used to live in Ladbroke Grove. In the old days.

― Lara (Lara), Sunday, 2 November 2003 20:19 (twenty-two years ago)

two years pass...

houses on western avenue still exist

― calderdale in the 70s (gareth), Friday, 2 December 2005 01:13 (twenty years ago)

i lived around there (powis square/all saints road)in the late 80's to mid 90's - left just as it was getting trendy beyond bearableness

search: 'the west eleven days of my life' published circa 1992
destroy: anything after 1995, the wretched curtis-isation et al

― Snowy Mann (rdmanston), Friday, 2 December 2005 01:52 (twenty years ago)

I'd like to meet someone who lives or has lived on Western Avenue. It always seemed like a really horrendous concept.

― Sororah T Massacre (blueski), Friday, 2 December 2005 11:05 (twenty years ago)

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