Down this crowded way, it’s all shock and awe
London’s antidote to the
high street is tasty says
Toluwalase Ogundipe
B
efore the sun has finished its
leisurely ascent, stall men
quietly set up the stage for
the ordered disarray that is
Portobello Road Market. With this simple
act of preparation, one cannot help but
feel that there is something big coming
their way.
As the market prepares for its 150th
anniversary, its rich history and –
somewhat undeterminable – future will
be cast into the spotlight. The people in
this market are what give it character;
they are the very soul of the community.
Nestled in the borough of Kensington
and Chelsea in London, it lies down
the winding streets leading away from
Notting Hill Gate.
It is quite common to have visitors
stopping to ask for directions in one
tongue or another. Their obvious delight
when they arrive shows they believe their
‘arduous’ journey has been worth every
android-misguided step.
The Turn Out
People show up in droves to saunter
down the vibrant road, gazing at antiques
and munching on spicy paellas and
crepes slathered with decadent spreads
and fresh fruit, but few truly seem to be
buyers with a purpose. For the majority of visitors, the market seems to be a
pit stop on the ‘great tour of London’, a
novelty in comparison to the replicable
and ordered high street.
In the case of the well-seasoned
shopper, it’s a revelation. Some might
not have planned to be surprised by the
market. But everyone – no matter how
they got there in the first place – seems to
fall in love with this place.
Trader Graeme Fox sells CDs the only
way he knows how, out loud and with
considerable enthusiasm, come rain or
shine. “I think I’ve been here about 20
years, I used to work in another market.
Someone had been pestering me saying
‘You’ve got to come to Portobello Road’
and I said ‘no, no, no, I’m good where I
am’,” he says.
“Eventually I said ‘okay, I’ll try it’ and
then I thought ‘I’m not going back, I’m
staying right here’.”
The market has always been referred
to as a haven of sorts, a ‘road of
requirement’ one could say, satisfying
needs – both explicit and implicit. For
some, it fulfills the desire for a daily
adventure which may be harder to find
in more conventional fields of work. For
others, it started out as a last resort, but
became their all; a Camelot they fiercely
defend but readily share with the curious
and open-minded.
History of Portobello
Portobello Road had its humble beginning as a country path known as Green
Lane, which led up from Notting Hill to
Portobello Farm.
The name ‘Portobello’ comes from the
Caribbean town ‘Puerto Bello’, captured
during the War of Jenkins’ Ear by British
Admiral, Edward Vernon . It was the
severed ear of Captain Robert Jenkins, in
command of a British merchantman that
set the cannons rolling in the war against
the Spanish Empire from 1739 to 1748.
The market has always been somewhat
unusual. Its inhabitants seem to adopt
Capture the action – you’ll be spoilt for choice
FAN FAR E J U N E 2014• 13