Notting Hill fans fuming after finding famous blue door from 1999 film covered in graffiti
Notting Hill fans are outraged by the graffiti-stained state of the famous blue door from the hit 1999 film.
Thousands of tourists make the journey each year to see the iconic London door that was featured in the movie starring Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant.
But locals say it has regularly been the subject of vandalism with tags scrawled on it – ruining the picture for visitors.
Dozens of groaning comments have been posted to Google Reviews, where the site is given a 3.6 out of 5 rating for its pitiful appearance.
One visitor wrote, “William Thacker should be prouder of his home.”
Six months ago, visitor Jonathan Lau posted an image of the famous portal covered in graffiti, saying it has “seen better days.”
Thousands visit the iconic door every year that features in the movie starring Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts
Locals say it has regularly been the subject of vandalism with tags scrawled on it – ruining the picture for visitors
Perhaps the most famous performance was when William’s hapless roommate Spike – played by Rhys Ifans – appeared to paparazzi waiting outside in his pants
Hugh Grant can be seen filming at the blue door in London, made famous in the movie Notting Hill
“It’s heavily graphitized now,” he added. “The hooligans responsible are clearly not fans of the film.”
Valentino Odasso said: ‘It needs to be fixed and bring back the conditions for a good door.
“If you think you’ll just get to the door, not worth it.”
Adriana Couto said those who visited the door would find it a ‘disappointment’, adding: ‘It is possibly the dullest house on the block, now stamped with a brand that uses it for free advertising.
“I saw more people taking pictures next door than in the ‘official’ one.”
Others described the vandalism as “heartbreaking.”
Hannah Lightfoot said, “I know it’s just a door, but as someone who loves the movie, it was heartbreaking to see the graffiti. It is not difficult to repaint it. I wish I saw these reviews before going.’
Emerson Loureiro added, “The door is poorly maintained and has graffiti all over it.”
A still from the 1999 film Notting Hill showing the famous blue door
A visitor is pictured next to the door who has been grafted
White paint can be seen on the door – the picture shows a fan looking up at the famous place
Hugh Grant stood at the famous blue door of his character William Thacker’s flat
Another, named John, said, “It’s a bit shocking how badly this door is taken care of,” while Noémi Elizabeth added, “Not very special because the door is not well maintained with a lot of graffiti and is very different from film.” ‘
And Frederick Gunning said, “Pretty cool, but it’s heavily graffitied and unrecognizable. If you’re a fan it’s good to see, but be warned, you may be disappointed.’
Meanwhile, Max discovered on Instagram that the door had been daubed with white paint – and even photographed an empty paint pot lying nearby.
He said, “Every couple has their own romantic movie. Me and my wife have it too, it’s Notting Hill.
‘Some scenes of the film were shot in the house of protagonist William Thacker, which was in Notting Hill, London and had a beautiful blue door.
‘My wife and I always wanted to see where our favorite movie was filmed, but when we got to the location, we found this.
“The vandals did their best by smearing the blue door with white paint.
“I don’t know who did it or why, but it was a shame, especially given the disappointment of the couples who came to this iconic place.”
The rom-com became the highest-grossing British film of all time upon its release in 1999.
An Instagram user posted an image of an empty paint pot lying nearby
It stars Julia Roberts as American megastar Anna Scott and Hugh Grant as floppy haired bookseller William Thacker, alongside Rhys Ifans, Emma Chambers, Tim McInnerny, Gina McKee and Hugh Bonneville.
One day Anna happens to walk into William’s bookshop in London’s Notting Hill where she buys a book, and later he bumps into her in the street and spills his orange juice on her.
They then begin an unlikely romance, much of which takes place behind the famous blue door of William Thacker’s flat.
Legend has it that the door was chosen because Richard Curtis, who wrote the screenplay, lived in the flat behind it in Westbourne Park Road at the time.
Perhaps the most famous performance was when William’s hapless roommate Spike – played by Rhys Ifans – appeared to paparazzi waiting outside in his pants.
Records say the church behind was last sold in June 2014 for £4,575,000.
The movie has since gained something of a cult following with hundreds of people posting images featuring the famous door on Instagram every year.
At one point it was painted black – presumably to deter photo hunters – but it was soon repainted back to the famous blue.
People are complaining about the condition of the door on Google Reviews
It appears that the latest wave of graffiti – which took place earlier this year – has now been painted over
Jakub Nowacki, assistant manager of the nearby Royal Trinity Hospice, said the door had often been the subject of graffiti attacks.
He said, ‘Sometimes it’s graffitted and they paint over it, then it gets graffitted again.
“Honestly, people get pictures with it anyway. They care a little bit about the pictures, but people still get pictures.”
It appears that the latest wave of graffiti – which took place earlier this year – has now been painted over.
A spokesman for Kensington and Chelsea spokesperson said: ‘We are committed to making sure we keep the great spaces we have in Kensington and Chelsea.
“Our crews are working hard to remove graffiti and airposts and we have invested significant resources to address the problem where it occurs, including in Portobello and Notting Hill.
“We have a zero-tolerance approach to graffiti and litter.”
He added that the homeowner would be contacted if it happened again so the council could help them clean it up.