This neighbourhood sits in the central and southern pocket of the coveted West Kensington area. Home to the iconic Olympia London, the area has a history of being a destination for arts and culture. There’s more to the neighbourhood than just its ties to Olympia though. Visitors come through every week to gawk at the gorgeous art at the Leighton House Museum, followed by a stroll through the lush Holland or Marcus Garvey Parks. Most of the homes are high-end Victorian masterpieces, making the neighbourhood financially out of reach for many Londoners. Still, for visitors as well as employees at the local Universal Music Group office, it’s a delightful area to stroll through and grab ramen at Hare & Tortoise or a pint at Hand & Flower. Seeing all that the neighbourhood has to offer, it’s easy to understand why the area is as desirable as it is!

Olympia London is possibly the focal point of this part of the neighbourhood. Built in 1886, its first event was the Paris Hippodrome. Throughout the following couple of decades, Olympia hosted many important shows and events - including the London International Horse Show. Due to its enormous popularity, additional space was needed. In 1923, the New Hall was built and designed by Joseph Emberton. Eager to display cutting edge trends, in 1958, the venue hosted the first computer exhibition. Today, the space is undergoing a major renovation project in order to transform it back into a world-leading arts venue.

Famous composer, Sir Edward Elgar, once lived in the neighbourhood. He was most well known for composing Pomp and Circumstance, which has been used at graduation ceremonies throughout the United States for years.

With lengthy improvement plans surrounding Olympia Centre, residents should expect to have construction noise and interference for several years to come. This might deter some Londoners from moving there now. Some, on the other hand, feel that the noise will be worth the long term benefits to the neighbourhood.

The venue was acquired by YOO Capital in 2017. The redevelopment is valued at £1.3 billion and the high number comes with high expectation. With the goal of converting it into a world class cultural hub, they are partnering with Heatherwick Studio to allow for more event and innovation space. Rebranded as ‘Future Olympia’, the project includes the redevelopment of the existing listed exhibition halls – the Grand Hall and the National Hall – and the creation of new offices, a four-screen cinema, a 4,000-seat music venue, a 1,500-seat theatre, two new hotels, new retail outlets and public realm space. It is expected to be completed in 2024 and work is already well underway. In the meantime, the exhibition halls have been kept operational and Olympia has hosted a number of fairs and expos, despite its redevelopment.