| In 1801 the populate of Paddington was | 1,881 |
| In 1831 ,, ,, | 14,540 |
| 1881 ,, ,, | 107,098 |
In 1811 I see the inhabitants of Kensington were very unequally divided.
| Males | 4,244 |
| Females | 6,642 |
I cannot say if this inequality still exists.
PART II.
“REMEMBRANCES” OF KENSINGTON, NOTTING HILL & PADDINGTON, 38 YEARS AGO.
The first time I heard of Notting Hill was many years since. I was asked to sign a petition, the prayer of which pleaded for Parliamentary interference to stop the action of the Proprietors of the Hippodrome at Notting Hill from running horses on Sundays. I have heard since that races were not run upon that day, but horses were tried as a preliminary step to the races during the week.
In 1844, when I first became acquainted with the neighbourhood, I enquired what had become of the race-course and was shown an open country,—the place now occupied by St. John’s Church, Notting Hill, being the spot on which the grand stand had been erected, and the course as nearly as I can describe is now covered by Clarendon Road, Cornwall Road, Portobello Road, Horbury Terrace and Ladbroke Square. I found that the inhabitants had insisted upon a right of way across the grounds, and taking the law into their own hands, with hatchets and saws had removed the barriers and thus by maintaining their right to cross the ground when they pleased caused the racing men to abandon it.
The changes which have taken place in the parishes are to my mind so marvellous that I think it will not be uninteresting to those whose acquaintance is of a later date to record what I remember of the locality 38 years ago.
Starting from Edgware Road and passing down what was then called the Uxbridge Road, now known as the Bayswater Road. On the south side Hyde Park was enclosed by the old iron railings which were pulled down by the mob a few years since. Kensington Gardens were enclosed by an old wall which I esteemed to be a disgrace to London.
The narrow pathway outside the wall was used by the parish authorities as a suitable place to keep reserved heaps of broken granite for repairing the road.