Ladbroke Grove is located south of the Grand Union Canal. The area is cut off by the railway mainline, which connects up to the subsurface underground lines and goes on to Paddington. The area is linked to Kensal Town north of the canal, and features many council estates, built in the 1960s to 70s. North Kensington, which is located west of the postcode sector, sees a mixture of council estates and interwar terrace houses. Little Wormwood Scrubs, a neutral grassland, and a site of nature conservation, is also located here. The postcode stops short of the Victorian terrace housing of the south, close to Kensington Memorial Park. Overall, the area is heavily redeveloped, with council estates dominating a large part of it. North of the railway lines is the area’s main commercial sector, with industry, schools, fitness studios and courier services alike. There is a nice footpath along the canal, and it is feasible to walk to Little Venice in the east, though most of its length westwards passes through industrial estates.

Kensal Town was part of a Victorian suburban development in the 1840s. While the north has retained much of these features, W10-5 has gone through extensive redevelopment, particularly after the 1930s, when the council began a slum clearance programme. This was interrupted by the Second World War, and only continued in the 1960s, producing Brutalist structures such as Erno Goldfinger’s concrete 30-storey Trellick Tower, completed in 1972 and stands today as a Grade II listed building.

Particularly after WWII, the area attracted many immigrants from the Caribbean colonies. Landlords of the area, taking advantage of the discrimination faced by many of these immigrants during this time, charged them exorbitant rents while neglecting to maintain their habitations.

The area north of the neighbourhood is very industrial, with a large site based there, and it can be quite inconvenient to traverse as there are not many pathways north or south, and even fewer east to west, making the area seem very much like an island. To the south, the Westway and Overground line similarly block many passages. The main station in the area is Ladbroke Grove.

The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea has lobbied for years to have an Elizabeth Line station set up at Old Oak Common. Plans for a station have been in the works since the early 2010s, when it was still called Crossrail. The Elizabeth Line became operational in 2022 and the council has agreed to underwrite the projected £33 million cost for a station. This would provide the area with a direct connection to Heathrow, Paddington, Bond Street and Canary Wharf. That said, this as of now remains a proposal, not a plan, but that has not stopped a series of developments from emerging in the area, particularly around and along the canal, such as Grand Union Studios, a contemporary workspace development, and a a joint venture by Sainsbury’s and developer Ballymore to construct 2,800 homes and a new “town centre” built beside the Grand Union Canal on a brownfield site.