142 Portobello Road, London 1969

This authentic 1960s colour photograph captures the vibrant daily life of Portobello Road market during the summer of 1969. The street is bustling with local residents and shoppers, including a woman in a stylish white long-sleeved top and black mini-skirt walking past a parked car. To the right, a shop under a prominent green awning at number 142 – which would later achieve worldwide fame as the location for the travel bookshop in the movie Notting Hill – is seen in its original 1960s context as a local newsagent. Signs for “Woodbine” cigarettes and “Ice Cream” are visible above the fruit and vegetable stalls. Further down the street, signs for “W.A. Stout,” “Delehar Antiques,” and a large poster for the “Royal International Horse Show” at Wembley Stadium add to the rich period detail. The foreground shows a weathered older man in a brown suit jacket, capturing the diverse social fabric of the neighbourhood. This digital download is a wonderful historical record of West London’s cinematic and social heritage, perfect to print for yourself as a piece of vintage wall art.