I stumbled across this book quite by chance, and as someone who has paid more than his fair share of visits to the wrong end of Notting Hill police station, I was a touch dubious about a history of the area written by a former police officer. I was delighted to have been proved wrong, Mr Moore navigates some extremely sensitive areas with a balanced eye, He is more than prepared to admit shortcomings in police strategy and indeed culture which gives him weight as a fair historian and he gives a real feel of the currents, frustrations, economic problems, racial strife and housing issues that gave the area such volatility.
It feels like a 'street history' of an area that is sadly now effectively moribund thanks to gentrification. North Kensington's position on the fringes of Holland Park always made it a real curiosity. Unlike Hackney etc, this 'ghetto' was cheek by jowl with million pound houses and the geographic divisions came down to a few metres on the hill of Ladbroke Grove. It was thus inevitable that it would ultimately be 'cleansed' by economic expansion and the inevitabilities of capitalism, and having a history that really explores the period during which, for better or for worse, Notting Hill had a real character, is invaluable.
This book covers both macro shifts and micro tales in the fabric of an area that lived everything from race riots to the upmarket bohemianism of swinging London. This is the story of the world that lay behind the carnival, the hustlers, the pimps, the landlords, the hookers and the coppers. It is a fascinating look behind the scenes at police strategy and the initiatives that were taken in the area, and while it has the factual, perhaps unromantic tone you would expect from a senior officer looking back, it is as real an account as you will find of a very special place. I thank Mr Moore for writing it
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Top reviews from other countries
David Herriman
A great insight in to the real Notting Hill
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 2, 2014Myrtle
A remarkable and well researched history
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 13, 2023
Ben. Owen
I bought this for a Notting Hill friend who grew ...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 4, 2014