We all know the scene. Juliet, played by Keira Knightley, is sitting on the sofa with her new husband Peter (Chiwetel Ejiofor), when the doorbell rings. She rushes through her neutral-toned, wooden-floored Notting Hill home to the front door, where she finds Mark (Andrew Lincoln), her husband’s best friend. “Say it’s carol singers,” he instructs her, pressing play on his CD player and confessing his secret love for her on a — now much-memed — series of placards.
Since Love Actually was released in 2003, the pretty cobbled mews street, flanked by colourful houses, has become a popular tourist attraction, with people queuing up to take photos in front of Juliet’s pink house. In 2019, Kensington and Chelsea council even released a parody video, encouraging visitors to visit nearby attractions instead in a bid to protect residents’ privacy.
“I had no idea this house was in the film when I bought it before the Instragram craze and now I am living under a blanket of selfies, tour guides and a queue of tourists lining up to take photos on weekends. They even walk into my house if the door is open thinking it’s some sort of theme park,” said the owner of the pink house at the time, who requested that visitors make a donation to a homeless charity.
“Those who make money out of bringing tours round to the mews, sometimes in a blacked-out minibus, for their own personal gain should think twice. As the sign outside says: the Karma police will notice and so will Santa.”
Properties on St Luke’s Mews have shot up in value: according to Land Registry data, the average sold price in 2022 was £3 million, compared to £740,000 in 2002. Just 28 sales have been made on the street since Richard Curtis’ film was released.
Now, though, there’s another chance to live on St Luke’s Mews. A three-bedroom mews house has been listed to rent with Sandersons for £15,167 per month.
Like Juliet and Peter’s property in the film, the house has white walls and wooden floors. Downstairs, there’s an open plan kitchen and living area, with bi-fold doors opening on to a small courtyard garden. The kitchen features porcelain worktops, underfloor heating and a Liebherr wine fridge.
The house’s three bedrooms occupy the ground and first floors, while there’s another reception room and office on the top floor, along with a south-facing roof terrace.
The property is available on a short let with all bills included, and comes furnished.
“Live on iconic St Luke’s Mews, famously featured in Love Actually,” say the agents. “This beautifully refurbished three-bedroom mews home with a large office offers exceptional living and entertaining spaces, finished to the highest standard.”
Last December, a pastel-coloured mews house on the street hit the market for £2.75 million, while a stylishly decorated green property was listed for rent for £11,917pcm. The house directly opposite Juliet’s, with a cameo role in the film, was advertised for £3.35 million in 2021.
