James Weller Ladbroke

James Weller Ladbroke (died 16 March 1847) was a nineteenth-century landowner and the principal developer of the Ladbroke Estate, a substantial parcel of land in Notting Hill, London, England. Many streets in Notting Hill still bear the Ladbroke name today, including Ladbroke Grove and Ladbroke Square, and the former Ladbroke Estate is now a conservation area.

Ladbroke Estate Thomas Allason's 1823 plan for the development of the Ladbroke Estate, consisting of a large central circus with radiating streets and garden squares, or "paddocks"

In the early nineteenth century the Ladbroke family were the principal landowners in Kensington, then a largely rural area on the western edges of London. The Ladbroke Estate was located north of the Uxbridge Road (now Notting Hill Gate and Holland Park Avenue), and development of the land began in 1821, continuing until the 1870s. Around six architects and many more property speculators were involved in developing the final layout of the area.

In the late 18th century the estate had been owned by Richard Ladbroke of Tadworth Court, Surrey. He died childless, and around 1821 his land passed to his nephew James Weller, who assumed the name Ladbroke in order to be able to inherit. James Weller Ladbroke held the estate until his death in 1847, though the actual development of the land was carried out by a firm of City solicitors, Smith, Bayley (known as Bayley and Janson after 1836), working in conjunction with the architect, landscaper and surveyor Thomas Allason.

Many streets in Notting Hill still bear the Ladbroke name today, including Ladbroke Grove and Ladbroke Square. The former Ladbroke estate is now a conservation area, and the Ladbroke Association is dedicated to preserving and maintaining its architectural integrity.