As cherry blossom season arrives in London, Stanley Crescent in Notting Hill has once again become a magnet for crowds seeking the perfect photograph.
The annual pilgrimage to a famous flowering tree has transformed this quiet residential street into an impromptu photoshoot location.
Young women wearing pastel dresses and heels strike poses beneath the pink and white canopy, which stretches from a private garden over the pavement.
Partners armed with smartphones and cameras capture the moment while bags and coats pile up along the roadside.
Passing motorists slow down to observe the spectacle as the tree blooms.
However, not all neighbours share enthusiasm for the yearly spectacle.
One resident, speaking anonymously to The Telegraph, described the visitors as a “plague” that has descended on the street over the past three years.
A resident described the visitors as a ‘plague’
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“Most of the people hop up onto the balustrading,” she said. They plonk all their stuff there, they fill up the pavement, and there’s no pleases or thank yous to us or our neighbours. There’s no common good manners. They think it’s just up for grabs.”
The woman criticised what she called “wanton feasting” on the neighbourhood, with some visitors arriving with suitcases full of outfit changes and others turning up scantily dressed.
She added: “By and large, this is commercial. This is all out for Instagram, out for influencing people.”
The influx reflects a broader pattern of overtourism affecting the affluent neighbourhood, long popular with visitors drawn to its colourful terraced houses, Portobello Road antiques market, and connections to the 1999 Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts film.
Cherry blossom season has arrived in London
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Social media has intensified the problem, with platforms prioritising picture-perfect content over genuine experiences.
Last year, some fed-up Notting Hill residents took drastic action, repainting their brightly coloured homes black or plain white in hopes of deterring influencers from posing on their doorsteps.
Two students from Blackfriars said they discovered the tree through Rednote, a Chinese social media network, and dressed specifically for the occasion.
Yan, 22, said she had already spotted around 20 photographs from friends taken at the same spot, believing the blossoms were unique to Notting Hill.
Despite the frustrations, some residents take a more welcoming view of the seasonal crowds.
Charlie Teviot, a 54-year-old businessman who lives opposite the tree, said he embraced the visitors.
“If I was in Tokyo and there was a street of something I really loved, I would go and see it,” he commented.
“Some people get grumpy, but we don’t. It adds to the flavour of the street, having all these tourists around.”
Mr Teviot said he had witnessed more than 100 visitors at once, noting they typically formed orderly queues for photographs.
“It’s celebrating the spring and it’s a beautiful street, and if people want to share the beautiful street, I think that’s great,” he added.
His wife Fiona, a 58-year-old art psychotherapist, offered a more nuanced perspective, acknowledging she would feel frustrated living directly opposite the tree.
“They basically trespass on the wall. They sit on the wall; they pull the branches down and everything,” she said.
Kim Taylor-Smith, deputy leader and lead member for culture of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, previously said: “Notting Hill is one of the most charming neighbourhoods in London, if not the country. It has a unique character with the world-famous Portobello market, brilliant local businesses, wonderful people and of course, very beautiful buildings.
“We love seeing visitors from all around the world, but we ask that they are respectful to the people who live here. Notting Hill is not only a tourist destination, it is also a community and the buildings are people’s private homes.
“Our street enforcement team patrols the borough and where any behaviour is anti-social or constitutes a nuisance and we can intervene, then we will take action.”