I rent a one-bedroom apartment on a road just off Westbourne Grove. It’s a cute size, but it’s just me, so it works.
I grew up in west London and lived in Holland Park and Notting Hill previously but was really drawn over this way. It’s a little more fringe, more grungy, more real.
The area is about to change a lot with the development of the old Whiteleys shopping centre site. They’ve kept the listed façade, but inside will be a new Six Senses hotel and lots of high-end retail.
Best eating and drinking
There’s a great cafe culture here. I go to 101 West on Westbourne Grove for great salads and roasted fish, but there’s also Ariston, and Beam.
I even spotted a dog cafe called Pawsitive, though I’m yet to go in. Farmacy is always lovely for vegetarian food and Sumi does great sushi and cocktails.
For some reason Bayswater has loads of juice places. Not fancy ones, pretty much just guys with juicers. My local is Fresco, which does pomegranate and amazing mixes like ginger and carrot. I can think of at least four independent juice bars within walking distance.
Where I work out
I run 5k in Hyde Park every morning. I used to do my school fun runs in the park so it feels quite funny to be grown up and still be running there.
I do Reformer Pilates at Bootcamp Pilates on Porchester Road, which is a lovely small studio. If it’s booked up I go to X-Club Pilates.
Because I run I also do reflexology at Reflexions and acupuncture at this really interesting new age-y clinic called Pricc, which all looks very LA.
To commune with nature
The Round Pond with the swans and the ducks is the most nostalgic part of Hyde Park for me, but I also love the Princess Di memorial garden.
I try to make the park a part of my commute. There are lots of garden squares in the area, of which my favourite is probably Porchester Square.
For a culture fix
It’s lovely to have The Serpentine within walking distance and I’ll often bump into colleagues when I’m running past.
There’s also an interesting gallery for modern crafts on Needham Street called Flow Gallery. The area used to be a hub of creativity and I think some of that energy is coming back.
There are a lot of pop-up spaces for exhibitions on the Notting Hill side.
Grocery shopping
The massive Waitrose on Porchester Road serves so much of west London.
I also go to smaller places for fruit and veg, like the Bens Greengrocers on Westbourne Grove. The corner shops around here tend to have great produce, which isn’t always the case in London.
Made in Little France is an incredible wine merchant that also does lots of mixed cocktails and liqueurs. I’m more of a ‘drink at home with an interesting bottle of wine’ person.
I also like to pick up flowers from the stall outside the Prince Alfred pub on Queensway.
Getting around
I spend around half of the year travelling so having Paddington a seven-minute walk away for the Heathrow Express is the best thing ever.
Otherwise I use all three of the Tube stations near me — Bayswater, Queensway and Royal Oak. I don’t know how the first two ended up next to each other.
Dream street
The villas on Westbourne Gardens with their black filigree railings against white stucco. My street’s sweet but it’s a real patchwork. Westbourne Gardens is grown-up vibes.
What’s the catch?
There are a lot of empty shops at the moment. The ever-shifting nature of the place can be exciting but it probably suggests some instability.
Something you only see in Bayswater
There’s an art deco building I love on Bishop’s Bridge Road, which is currently a Leyland. It could be so cool if it were turned into something cultural like a theatre or gallery.
In three words
In-between. Well-connected. Potential.
Aindrea Emelife is a presenter, art historian and curator at the Edo Museum of West African Art. aindrea.com
Schools
Hallfield Primary School and St James and St John Church of England Primary School are the area’s two primaries, both rated good by Ofsted.
There is a cluster of private schools on the Notting Hill side, including Kensington Park School, Pembridge Hall School and Wetherby Pre-Preparatory School.
What it costs
Buying in Bayswater
Average house price: £2,417,410
Average flat price: £1,127,930
Renting in Bayswater
Average house rent, pcm: £5,580
Average flat rent, pcm: £3,290
