As well as being the location for several movies including "The Lavender Hill Mob", "Blow Up" and "Notting Hill," the area is also a great place to see a film with three fantastic small independent cinemas serving the local community.

There are two cinemas on Notting Hill Gate which carefully coordinate there screenings, the only time both cinemas programmes have coincided was in May 1999 when both showed "Notting Hill." Just outside of the tube station at number 87 is the dull gray exterior of The Gate Cinema, opened in 1911 as the Electric Palace. The cinema is housed in the premises of a former restaurant which was converted by the architect William Hancock. The Gates programme draws heavily on the Foreign Language and art-house releases and can get very packed in the evenings.

Further up the road at number 103 is the far more ornate exterior of The Notting Hill Coronet built in 1898 by architect WG Sprague the Grade II listed former opera house now houses a two screen cinema. Screen one retains much of Sprague's original charm, with a large domed ceiling, a curved balcony and red velvet seating all awash with ornate gilt work. The recently added screen 2 is somewhat cramped and squalid by comparison and is best avoided. The Coronet tends to show more main stream releases, though screen 2 often plays host to some more obscure releases. This is also the last cinema in London to allow smoking.

A ten minute walk up Portobello Road lies the latest addition to the Notting Hill cinema scene. Constructed in 1910 this is the oldest operating purpose built cinema in England. It has a wonderful art deco exterior covered in cream tile with a sculpted fruit a theme which is continued within. As cinema declined in popularity the cinema survived by screening porn films and local serial killer John Christie, subject for the movie "10 Rillington Place," served as projectionist here for a while. Recently refurbished and re-opened the cinema now boasts a cafe and a private club as well as a solid programme of art-house films.

Afternoon matinees at the Coronet, packed evening performances at the Gate and Lazy Sunday double bills at the Electric have long been my way of escaping the cold winters, balmy summers and drizzly spring and autumns of West London.