Ladbroke Grove
Encyclopedia
Ladbroke Grove is a road in west London
, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is also sometimes the name given informally to the immediate area surrounding the road. Running from Notting Hill
in the south to Kensal Green
in the north, it is located in North Kensington
and straddles the W10 and W11 postal district
s. Ladbroke Grove tube station
is located on the road, at the point where it is crossed by the Westway
. The adjacent bridge and nearby section of the Westway (London) was regenerated in 2007 in a partnership including Urban Eye
, Transport for London
and London Underground
. It is also the nearest tube station to Portobello Road Market.
It is the main road on the route of the annual Notting Hill Carnival
in August.
The street is named after James Weller Ladbroke
, who developed the Ladbroke Estate
in the mid nineteenth century, until then a largely rural area on the western edges of London.
formed here in 1969, and eventually they bonded and worked with fantasy author Michael Moorcock
who then was a resident (and who also lamented the tendency of the band members to show up at odd hours in search of food, alcohol or drugs). The Deviants (formerly the Social Deviants) and Pink Fairies
were musical groups out of the Ladbroke Grove UK underground
movement, from which a number of bands would emerge, influenced by anarchistic singer/writer Mick Farren
. Punk group The Clash
also formed locally in 1976. The Roughler
magazine emerged in the 1980s and 1990s to chronicle the antics of the more Bohemian residents, including the legendary Portobello Panto
s.
's 1968 song "Slim Slow Slider
" from Astral Weeks
, and is mentioned in the 1970s pop hit "One Man Band" by Leo Sayer
. The Pulp
song "I Spy", from the album Different Class
, features the line "your Ladbroke Grove looks turn me on". The Blur
song "Fool's Day
" also features Ladbroke Grove in its lyrics. Killing Joke
have recently released an EP (In Excelsis) that features two mixes of a song called "Ghost Of Ladbroke Grove". The novels of author Michael Moorcock
often contain references to Ladbrook Grove, the location being the headquarters of his fictional character Jerry Cornelius
.
off Ladbroke Grove & Canal Way, as a turn-back facility will have to be built in the area anyway. Siting it at Kensal Rise, rather than next to Paddington itself, would provide a new station to regenerate the area. Amongst the general public there is a huge amount of support for the project and Mayor Boris Johnson stated that a station would be added if it did not increase Crossrail's overall cost; in response, Kensington and Chelsea Council agreed to underwrite the projected £33 million cost of a Crossrail station, which was received very well by the residents of the Borough. TfL is conducting a feasibility study on the station and the project is backed by National Grid, retailers Sainsbury's and Cath Kidston, and Jenny Jones (Green Party member of the London Assembly).
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is also sometimes the name given informally to the immediate area surrounding the road. Running from Notting Hill
Notting Hill
Notting Hill is an area in London, England, close to the north-western corner of Kensington Gardens, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea...
in the south to Kensal Green
Kensal Green
Kensal Green, also referred to as Kensal Rise is an area of London, England. It is located on the southern edge of the London Borough of Brent and borders the City of Westminster to the East and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea to the South....
in the north, it is located in North Kensington
North Kensington
North Kensington is an area of west London lying north of Notting Hill Gate and south of Harrow Road.North Kensington is the key neighbourhood of Notting Hill...
and straddles the W10 and W11 postal district
London postal district
The London postal district is the area in England, currently of , to which mail addressed to the LONDON post town is delivered. The area was initially devised in 1856 and throughout its history has been subject to periodic reorganisation, contraction and division into increasingly smaller postal...
s. Ladbroke Grove tube station
Ladbroke Grove tube station
Ladbroke Grove is a London Underground station on the Circle and Hammersmith & City lines, between Latimer Road and Westbourne Park stations, and in Travelcard Zone 2 set in The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea ....
is located on the road, at the point where it is crossed by the Westway
Westway (London)
The Westway is a long elevated dual carriageway section of the A40 route in west London running from Paddington to North Kensington. The road was constructed between 1964 and 1970 to relieve congestion at Shepherd's Bush caused by traffic from Western Avenue struggling to enter central London on...
. The adjacent bridge and nearby section of the Westway (London) was regenerated in 2007 in a partnership including Urban Eye
Urban Eye
Urban Eye is a London based charity which has been regenerating run-down parts of the inner city in London through imaginative design solutions, creative architectural lighting and public art since 1998. The charity has a strong record of forming partnerships with stakeholders , public and...
, Transport for London
Transport for London
Transport for London is the local government body responsible for most aspects of the transport system in Greater London in England. Its role is to implement the transport strategy and to manage transport services across London...
and London Underground
London Underground
The London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...
. It is also the nearest tube station to Portobello Road Market.
It is the main road on the route of the annual Notting Hill Carnival
Notting Hill Carnival
The Notting Hill Carnival is an annual event which since 1964 has taken place on the streets of Notting Hill, Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea , London, UK each August, over two days...
in August.
The street is named after James Weller Ladbroke
James Weller Ladbroke
James Weller Ladbroke was a Nineteenth century landowner and the principal developer of the Ladbroke Estate, a substantial parcel of land in Notting Hill, London, England.Many streets in Notting Hill still bear the Ladbroke name today, including Ladbroke Grove and Ladbroke Square, and the former...
, who developed the Ladbroke Estate
Ladbroke Estate
The Ladbroke Estate was a substantial estate of land owned by the Ladbroke family in Notting Hill, London, England, in the early 19th century that was gradually developed and turned into housing during the middle years of the century, as London expanded...
in the mid nineteenth century, until then a largely rural area on the western edges of London.
Musical history
The psychedelic rock band HawkwindHawkwind
Hawkwind are an English rock band, one of the earliest space rock groups. Their lyrics favour urban and science fiction themes. They are also a noted precursor to punk rock and now are considered a link between the hippie and punk cultures....
formed here in 1969, and eventually they bonded and worked with fantasy author Michael Moorcock
Michael Moorcock
Michael John Moorcock is an English writer, primarily of science fiction and fantasy, who has also published a number of literary novels....
who then was a resident (and who also lamented the tendency of the band members to show up at odd hours in search of food, alcohol or drugs). The Deviants (formerly the Social Deviants) and Pink Fairies
Pink Fairies
Pink Fairies were an English rock band active in the London underground and psychedelic scene of the early 1970s. They promoted free music, drug taking and anarchy and often performed impromptu gigs and other agitprop stunts, such as playing for free outside the gates at the Bath and Isle of Wight...
were musical groups out of the Ladbroke Grove UK underground
UK underground
The Underground was a countercultural movement in the United Kingdom linked to the underground culture in the United States and associated with the hippie phenomenon. Its primary focus was around Ladbroke Grove and Notting Hill in London...
movement, from which a number of bands would emerge, influenced by anarchistic singer/writer Mick Farren
Mick Farren
Michael Anthony 'Mick' Farren is an English journalist, author and singer associated with counterculture and the UK Underground.-Music:...
. Punk group The Clash
The Clash
The Clash were an English punk rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk. Along with punk, their music incorporated elements of reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap, dance, and rockabilly...
also formed locally in 1976. The Roughler
Roughler
The Roughler Magazine chronicled life in Ladbroke Grove in the 1980s and 1990s before the last Bohemians were forced out. The Roughler was single-handedly produced by Ray Roughler Jones, a refugee from Swansea, and contained contributions from The Clash, Will Self, Jock Scott, Shane McGowan, Neneh...
magazine emerged in the 1980s and 1990s to chronicle the antics of the more Bohemian residents, including the legendary Portobello Panto
Pantomime
Pantomime — not to be confused with a mime artist, a theatrical performer of mime—is a musical-comedy theatrical production traditionally found in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Jamaica, South Africa, India, Ireland, Gibraltar and Malta, and is mostly performed during the...
s.
Mentions in music and fiction
Ladbroke Grove features as the scene of Van MorrisonVan Morrison
Van Morrison, OBE is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician. His live performances at their best are regarded as transcendental and inspired; while some of his recordings, such as the studio albums Astral Weeks and Moondance, and the live album It's Too Late to Stop Now, are widely...
's 1968 song "Slim Slow Slider
Slim Slow Slider
"Slim Slow Slider" is the closing track on the 1968 album Astral Weeks by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison.-Recording and composition:...
" from Astral Weeks
Astral Weeks
Astral Weeks is the second solo album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison, released in November 1968 on Warner Bros. Records. It was Morrison's first album after Warner Bros. had been able to free him from his contract with Bang Records...
, and is mentioned in the 1970s pop hit "One Man Band" by Leo Sayer
Leo Sayer
Leo Sayer is a British singer-songwriter, musician, and entertainer whose singing career has spanned four decades. Sayer became a naturalised Australian citizen in 2009. Sayer was a top singles and album act on both sides of the Atlantic in the 1970s...
. The Pulp
Pulp (band)
Pulp are an English alternative rock band formed in Sheffield in 1978. Their lineup consists of Jarvis Cocker , Russell Senior , Candida Doyle , Mark Webber , Steve Mackey and Nick Banks ....
song "I Spy", from the album Different Class
Different Class
Different Class is an album by English Britpop band Pulp. It was released in 1995 at the height of Britpop, and led to the band being regarded as part of that movement. Two of the singles on the album – "Common People" and "Disco 2000" – were especially notable, and helped propel Pulp to...
, features the line "your Ladbroke Grove looks turn me on". The Blur
Blur (band)
Blur is an English alternative rock band. Formed in London in 1989 as Seymour, the group consists of singer Damon Albarn, guitarist Graham Coxon, bassist Alex James and drummer Dave Rowntree. Blur's debut album Leisure incorporated the sounds of Madchester and shoegazing...
song "Fool's Day
Fool's Day
"Fool's Day" is a song by English alternative rock band Blur. It was the band's first single since 2003's "Good Song". The track was released as a 7" for Record Store Day, with only 1000 copies made...
" also features Ladbroke Grove in its lyrics. Killing Joke
Killing Joke
Killing Joke are an English post-punk band formed in October 1978 in Notting Hill, London, England; other sources report the band formed in early 1979.Related news articles: Founding members Jaz Coleman and Geordie Walker have been the only constant members.A key influence on industrial rock,...
have recently released an EP (In Excelsis) that features two mixes of a song called "Ghost Of Ladbroke Grove". The novels of author Michael Moorcock
Michael Moorcock
Michael John Moorcock is an English writer, primarily of science fiction and fantasy, who has also published a number of literary novels....
often contain references to Ladbrook Grove, the location being the headquarters of his fictional character Jerry Cornelius
Jerry Cornelius
Jerry Cornelius is a fictional secret agent and adventurer created by science fiction / fantasy author Michael Moorcock. Cornelius is a hipster of ambiguous and occasionally polymorphous sexuality. Many of the same characters feature in each of several Cornelius books, though the individual books...
.
Crossrail
At a site just to the east of the Old Oak Common site, Kensington and Chelsea Council has been pushing for a station at North Kensington / KensalKensal Green
Kensal Green, also referred to as Kensal Rise is an area of London, England. It is located on the southern edge of the London Borough of Brent and borders the City of Westminster to the East and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea to the South....
off Ladbroke Grove & Canal Way, as a turn-back facility will have to be built in the area anyway. Siting it at Kensal Rise, rather than next to Paddington itself, would provide a new station to regenerate the area. Amongst the general public there is a huge amount of support for the project and Mayor Boris Johnson stated that a station would be added if it did not increase Crossrail's overall cost; in response, Kensington and Chelsea Council agreed to underwrite the projected £33 million cost of a Crossrail station, which was received very well by the residents of the Borough. TfL is conducting a feasibility study on the station and the project is backed by National Grid, retailers Sainsbury's and Cath Kidston, and Jenny Jones (Green Party member of the London Assembly).