Talk:Notting Hill/Archive 1

Quote

Regarding this quote in the "character" section:

"Residents are typified as young and affluent, and many people who conform to such stereotypes are often referred to as "The Notting Hill Set", "The Notting Hillbillies", and "Trustafarians" (White rastafaris, but with a trust fund left by their Parents or family)."

A "Trustafarian" is invariably not a white Rasta. It is quite likely that the term was invented in Notting Hill, due to middle class young people mingling with its large West Indian community. However, received wisdom has it that it really just sarcastically means someone who perhaps would like to be considered bohemian or "street" but in fact does not have to endure hardship due to a trust fund. Its quite likely that perhaps once there were rich kids in Portobello (one local name for the Notting Hill area) that sported dreadlocks and tried to talk using patois, but the term now very rarely refers to white rastas. The inference in the term is really that a trustafarian is "slumming it", perhaps for the sake of appearance.

history unbalanced

The stuff on the nineteenth century is interesting, then there is almost nothing on the twentieth century, and particularly nothing on the riote of 1958. This gives a very unbalanced article Johncmullen1960 14:14, 9 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Virtual Interactive Streetscapes not useful?

I would like to appeal yesterday's removal of the link Virtual Notting Hill from this page. Up until yesterday the link had proved exceptionally useful to Wikipedia visitors for months and had taken them onto the world's only hi-res Virtual Interactive Streetscape to discover more about this road. What better way to research a street than to walk along it thanks to Wikipedia from anywhere in the world! (Boy I wish my Children's Britannica Encyclopedias had miles of virtual streetscapes when I was a kid!)

Would you be able to agree that Wikipedia users researching a city or street would find a virtual streetscape effictively allowing them to walk down that city's street useful? Is that not within the spirit of Wikipedia? This site is also recommended by the local Council's own short and carefully picked list of links.

If this is not agreed, then it raises the issue of contradicting the previous editors who felt this was within the spirit of the site, and which led to the link being in place for months. We then have a question of inconsistency and removing useful content from users.

Assuring you of my best intentions for my fellow users. --Ewik 11:37, 7 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Demographics not well researched

Two of the other discussion topics all point out that the information on Notting Hill has failed to inform about the very large Carribean community which has shaped Notting Hill into its main heart and soul. Colin Macinness' trilogy of Absolute Beginners relates to the African and West Indian communities in Notting Hill in the 1950's and 1960's. The affluent white community is only a very recent (late 80's and more the 90's) addition to the makeup of the area. Most of the affluent white middle class community have emigrated from chelsea etc in recent years because of the gentrification of the area. Quite frankly they were fearful of the area even in the early 90's. The race riots pointed out in another discussion (also feature in Macinness' books) were probably the most significant historical event of the area. The whole trustafarian thing rightly pointed out was due to affluent young whites with trust funds slumming it in a neighbourhood that had bohemian appeal due to its edginess and the only reason the term was coined trustafarian was because of the large amount of Carribeans(Jamaicans etc)in the area and a few of the new white young affluent artists and general trust fund party people who dared live in the once pseudo-dangerous area. The Notting Hill Carnival is the biggest defining event of the area and its completely rooted in the Afro-Carribean community and tradition. Sadly all the new white converts to the area can all be seen in mass exodus from the area in the days leading up to the Carnival. I point this out as the whole reason the area has become affluent was because of the bohemian charm of the Afro -Carribean communities there and the new arrivals to the area are slowly erodinga lot of that charm with the bland high street mentality homogenisation of the area albeiton a pseudo-luxury tip. Gentrification is not evil necessarily but it is when it erases the roots of charm and soul of an area. London does not need Notting Hill to become stale like Chelsea. If you dont like the locals and Carnival move back to Fulham! 81.159.29.95 12:43, 4 December 2006 (UTC)KK[reply]

G.K. Chesterton

Per WP:BOLD, I added a reference to The Napoleon of Notting Hill in the "See Also" section. If anyone has any objections, please let me know. ExOttoyuhr (talk) 15:27, 5 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]