Streets of Sin

Notting Hill was not always an upmarket residential enclave and celebrity hotspot. Streets of Sin delves into the district’s murky past and relates the deplorable scandals and shocking crimes that blighted the area from its development until the late twentieth century. Best-selling London historian Fiona Rule sheds new light on notorious events that took place amid the leafy streets, including the horrifying murders at Rillington Place, the nefarious career of slum landlord Peter Rachman, the Profumo affair and Britain’s first race riots. She reveals what life was like in ‘Rotting Hill’ during its dark years when murder, extortion and disorder were everyday occurrences, and explores the price its residents have had to pay to climb up out of the ghetto.