We all know the scene. William Thacker (Hugh Grant) is standing at the till at the travel bookshop he runs in Notting Hill. Hollywood actress Anna Scott (Julia Roberts) walks in. She catches his eye.
“Can I help you at all?” says Will, starstruck.
“No thanks. I’ll just look around,” Anna replies.
“Fine,” says Will, immediately recommending Istanbul: The Imperial City over the hardback copy of Turkish Delights that Anna is holding.
She buys Turkish Delights anyway. He throws in an extra book for free; she thanks him and leaves.
So much chemistry, and yet it all comes to nothing – until, moments later, Will spills his orange juice on Anna in the street, conveniently kickstarting their relationship.
Notting Hill fans take note (and start saving): the apartment above The Travel Bookshop in the film is for sale for £2.375 million.
Located on Portobello Road, the three-bedroom maisonette covers 1,414 square feet of space.
On the first floor is an open plan kitchen and reception room, with a roof terrace.
There are two bedrooms and a bathroom on the second floor, while the vaulted ceilinged master bedroom and ensuite (which includes a steam room) covers the entire third floor.
“It feels very private and homely when you’re inside the flat, but you’re right in the heart of everything,” says Hermione Russell, sales negotiator at Russell Simpson.
“What’s particularly unusual is that you’ve got a very nice sized terrace off the reception on the first floor. It’s a lot more useable than most terraces and the outlook at the rear is very open, so you get a lot of light.”
The property was bought for £860,000 in 2006 by its current owner, who, over the past 16 years, has married, had children and relocated to the countryside. After using the flat as a London base, he has now decided to sell.
According to Russell, the flat would suit someone younger, in a similar position to the current owner when he purchased it.
“Quite often, we end up selling these flats to young, single women, because you’re in amongst life and the busyness of Notting Hill. It’s a very safe place to live,” says Russell.
The release of Notting Hill in 1999 has attracted fans to the area in number. Today, the shop below is a souvenir shop, retaining the name and blue façade from the film.
Will Thacker’s famous blue front door, on Westbourne Park Road, also continues to attract visitors since it was re-installed (the original door was sold at auction for £5,750 in 1999).
The flat itself last sold for £4,575,000 in 2014, while the new luxury flats opposite, also trading on their connection to the film, start at £1.95 million.
