‘Fantasy’ flat above romcom Notting Hill bookshop hits the market

The west London property from the 1999 film is up for sale for £2.4m

Still from Notting Hill, Julia Roberts browsing in a bookshop
The travel bookshop on Portobello Road was backdrop for the romantic comedy starring Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant
(Image credit: Landmark Media / Alamy Stock Photo)

The bright blue facade of The Travel Book Co has brought film fans flocking to London’s Portobello Road since Richard Curtis’s romcom Notting Hill hit cinemas in 1999.

In reality, the interior scenes where “posh-geeky bookshop owner” William Thacker, played by Hugh Grant, first meets Hollywood star Anna Scott (Julia Roberts) were filmed in a studio, said Time Out, and the retail space is now home to a gift store. But movie buffs are being offered the chance to live out their “romcom fantasy” in the flat situated above.

.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Portobello road with blue shop front featured in Notting Hill

Exterior of the bookshop on Portobello Road in west London
(Image credit: Penguins Egg Photo / Russell Simpson)

The “fantasy flat” situated over the bookshop where the “unlikely” film romance first begins is on the market for a “serious” £2,375,000, the magazine reported.

The apartment sprawls over 1,414 square feet and is split over three floors, the first of which features an open-plan kitchen, reception and dining area leading onto a generous terrace – “great for entertaining”, according to estate agents Russell Simpson.

The reception area is the “star of the show”, said House Beautiful, with an “original brickwork wall, fireplace, oak flooring and double sash windows” offering “the kind of character you don’t find in every home”.

Spacious living room area with couches and feature brick wall

The open-plan kitchen, reception and dining area
(Image credit: Penguins Egg Photo / Russell Simpson)

View of living area from open plan kitchen

The kitchen leads out onto a spacious terrace
(Image credit: Penguins Egg Photo / Russell Simpson)

Large terrace space attached to the Notting Hill flat

The Notting Hill property has a large, private outdoor terrace
(Image credit: Penguins Egg Photo / Russell Simpson)

The second floor features two bedrooms and a large bathroom, and the “entire” top level is “dedicated to the master bedroom, complete with an en-suite bathroom”, said the Daily Mail. The property is “truly a one-of-a-kind sales opportunity”, said Hermione Russell, sales negotiator at Russell Simpson.

Shot of red-tiled family bathroom

The flat features a family bathroom and an en-suite off the master bedroom
(Image credit: Penguins Egg Photo / Russell Simpson)

Two images side by side, each showing a separate shot of the smaller bedrooms

The maisonette has three bedrooms split over the two top floors
(Image credit: Penguins Egg Photo / Russell Simpson)

The seller bought the property in 2006 for £860,000, the London Evening Standard. Russell said similar properties in the area are often sold to “young, single women, because you’re in amongst the life and the busyness of Notting Hill” and “it’s a very safe place to live”.

Master bedroom

The master suite spans the entire third floor
(Image credit: Penguins Egg Photo / Russell Simpson)
Explore More

Julia O'Driscoll is the engagement editor. She covers UK and world news, as well as writing lifestyle and travel features. She regularly appears on “The Week Unwrapped” podcast, and hosted The Week's short-form documentary podcast, “The Overview”. Julia was previously the content and social media editor at sustainability consultancy Eco-Age, where she interviewed prominent voices in sustainable fashion and climate movements. She has a master's in liberal arts from Bristol University, and spent a year studying at Charles University in Prague.