Film & TV Locations
The Royal Borough has been a backdrop for some of Britain's most beloved films and television series. Here's where to find the real locations.
Films
Notting Hill (1999)
Portobello Road & Notting Hill · Notting Hill
The romantic comedy starring Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts immortalised Notting Hill on screen. The famous blue door at 280 Westbourne Park Road (Grant's character's house) became a global pilgrimage site, though it was later painted black by its owners who tired of the tourists. The travel bookshop that inspired the fictional 'Travel Bookshop' was at 142 Portobello Road. Scenes were also filmed on Blenheim Crescent and in the communal garden of Rosmead Road.
280 Westbourne Park Road, London W11 1EJ
Paddington (2014)
Portobello Road Market · Notting Hill
The beloved bear from Peru made his home in the Paddington films, but many scenes were filmed in and around the Royal Borough. Portobello Road Market features prominently, as do several streets in Notting Hill. The Brown family home was created on location in the area, capturing the colourful Victorian terraces that define the neighbourhood.
Portobello Road, London W11
James Bond series (1962)
Various Royal Borough Locations · Chelsea & South Kensington
The James Bond franchise has returned to Kensington and Chelsea repeatedly over six decades. The Chelsea Embankment, the streets of South Kensington, and various private members' clubs in the area have featured across multiple films. The real-life Royal Geographical Society on Exhibition Road has appeared in several scenes requiring a grand London exterior.
Chelsea Embankment, London SW3
An American Werewolf in London (1981)
Kensington Underground Station · Kensington
John Landis's horror classic used the tunnels and platforms of the London Underground for some of its most terrifying scenes. Kensington (Olympia) station and other nearby underground locations provided the atmospheric late-night settings for the film's unforgettable attack sequences.
Kensington (Olympia) Station, Olympia Way, London W14 0NE
Nanny McPhee (2005)
Holland Park · Holland Park
The family film starring Emma Thompson as the magical nanny used Holland Park for several exterior scenes, taking advantage of its woodland glades, formal gardens, and the atmospheric ruins of Holland House. The park's combination of manicured gardens and wilder woodland areas made it ideal for the film's whimsical aesthetic.
Holland Park, Ilchester Place, London W8 6LU
Television Series
The Crown (2016)
Kensington Palace · Kensington
Netflix's acclaimed drama about the British Royal Family used numerous locations around the borough. Kensington Palace itself, home to various members of the Royal Family and a key setting in the later series covering the Diana years, is a constant presence. Lancaster Gate and the streets around Kensington Gardens have doubled for royal residences and diplomatic settings.
Kensington Palace, London W8 4PX
Bridgerton (2020)
Royal Albert Hall & South Kensington · South Kensington
The hugely popular Regency-era romance series used several locations around the borough to depict London high society. The exterior of the Royal Albert Hall stood in for various ballrooms and society venues, while the streets around South Kensington and Kensington provided the Regency-era streetscapes of the ton.
Royal Albert Hall, Kensington Gore, London SW7 2AP
Doctor Who (2005)
Natural History Museum · South Kensington
The BBC's long-running sci-fi series has made good use of the borough's dramatic Victorian architecture. The Natural History Museum's Gothic Waterhouse Building has featured in multiple episodes, most memorably when the museum itself becomes the setting for alien encounters. The grand scale of the building, with its ornate terracotta facade, provides an ideal backdrop for the show's ambitious storytelling.
Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD