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In London’s upscale Notting Hill neighborhood, residents are turning to private security to manage the influx of social media influencers drawn to the area’s stunning cherry blossoms.
Social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram have been flooded with videos showing groups of people obstructing streets and sidewalks, striking poses against residential walls, and even scaling walls to capture the perfect shot.
A particularly popular spot is the cherry tree on the corner of Stanley Crescent, known for its beautiful pink blooms, attracting a throng of photo enthusiasts.
Fed up with the constant stream of visitors, local homeowners have taken action by employing a private security guard.
The security officer, clad in black with a bright yellow vest, is stationed under the cherry tree to deter individuals from sitting on the wall or entering the nearby garden.
Noting the nuisance to residents, one Londoner wrote on Threads: ‘Every spring, this cherry blossom house in London goes viral.
‘And the people who live here, whose street was once quiet and peaceful, might not agree that virality is a good thing.’
Cherry blossoms are such a popular backdrop for influencer pictures that one of the world’s most popular hanami (or flower-viewing) attractions in the world more than doubled the price of tickets for foreign visitors.
Residents in affluent Notting Hill hired private security guards to handle the influx of snap-happy influencers flocking to the picturesque cherry blossom tree on Stanley Crescent
A TikToker in a pink dress poses by the blooming cherry blossom tree on Stanley Crescent
Videos posted to social media show prior to the security guard’s introduction show hordes of people milling about the area, posing for photos against the walls of a residential property – and even climbing walls to secure the perfect shot
As of March 1, entry to Himeji Castle in Osaka will cost ¥2,500 (£12) for non-residents, as opposed to ¥1,000 (approximately £5).
But there is no need to travel all the way to Japan with social media starlets eagerly flocking to the ritzy neighbourhoods of west London instead.
Peter Lee, 80, said his home in Notting Hill is visited daily by people using it as a backdrop for their social media pictures.
The former fashion designer, who has lived in his home for 47 years, said he’s seen people doing the splits in front of his steps – and even balancing on his railings.
Mr Lee said: ‘I don’t really mind the crowds. I have cameras so it does amuse me to just watch their antics.
‘One time, a company seemed to be having a whole photoshoot. They had a little outfit change tent and everything.
‘They actually left a bunch of brand new clothes here – tags and all. I put up a sign, saying to knock on my door to collect them.’
But not everyone is so accommodating. Some owners have even started painting their famously colourful homes black in a bid to stop ‘rude’ selfie-taking influencers from posing outside.
Yesterday’s sunshine and warm temperatures saw dozens flocking to Stanley Crescent – where the average value of a property is £1.2million – for that perfect Instagram page snap
Hordes of tourists pose in front of the cherry blossoms in the trendy neighborhood
At nearby Lancaster Road, just metres from Portobello Road Market, homeowners have reported influencers even undergoing multiple outfit changes outside their doors to get the best shots
Cherry blossoms are a popular backdrop for influencer pictures
Homeowners on Lancaster Road – located just metres away from Portobello Road Market in west London – say they are constantly swamped with people taking photos in front of their properties
One video showed a large group of people outside the house in Notting Hill, as the TikTok user @angela_j asked for alternative recommendations to enjoy hanami in London.
‘Came to Notting Hill for the cherry blossoms, so did everyone else,’ the text on the clip read – adding ‘I can’t deal with the crowds’.
Another clip showed tourists snapping pictures of each other and hanging around the house.
In the wake of the house’s social media popularity, some people suggested ‘that living in Notting Hill is a nightmare’, while others advised the homeowners to start ‘charging for pics’.
One comment read: ‘This is why Notting Hill is a nightmare… people are filming or taking photos [while] walking on the road. No road sense whatsoever.’
Another added: ‘I’ve seen “influencers” there shouting at a woman who was trying to get to her own house that she should stand in line if she wants to have a photo.’
A third person wrote: ‘If that was my house, I would start charging for pics.’
Residents also have claimed that brazen tourists will enjoy lunchtime picnics on their doorsteps and often peer through their windows ‘forgetting that people actually live there’.
A cyclist weaving through a group of Instagram addicts was recently spotted shouting: ‘You are all f***ing sheep. These are normal houses.’
Two houses on the road have now ditched their previous bright exterior – in the hopes that black walls are ‘less Instagrammable’ – and will therefore stop people coming there.
Previously, a purple and pink home sat either side of an already-black house but now they have joined forces with their neighbour.
A ‘quiet zone’ sign was also put up – and one property further down the street even strung a rope across their front steps.