We just unearthed some fantastic footage from an episode of Lovejoy that was filmed at our old Westbourne Grove showroom. Okay, so it happened in 1992 so it hardly constitues 'news' but we got really excited that it's up on YouTube.
For non-UK readers, Lovejoy was a famous series set in the antiques world that ran in the late 80s and early 90s. It was immensely popular and Lovejoy entered common parlance as word for a loveable rogue antiques dealer. Ian McShane played Lovejoy and it launched him onto many great roles and worldwide fame.The producers of Lovejoy contaced us to shoot a number of scenes in our old showroom on Westbourne Grove in Notting Hill Gate. The shop was chosen as it had a large warehouse at the back which was great to shoot in - in the scene the heroine gets accidentally locked in a backroom only to be rescued by Lovejoy. Looking at the footage I can see the warehouse is a lot emptier than it is now as we are currently packed to the rafters with goodies!At the time Westbourne Grove was a famous street for antique dealers - at one end it intersects with Portobello Road. Many happy years were spent on Westbourne Grove and it's a fabulous part of London. Slowly from the late 90s most of the antique dealers moved out as the street was overtaken by expensive boutiques, designers, delicatessens and high end restaurants. I think it's fair to say Westbourne Grove is now one of the trendiest streets in London.
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