Portland Road is one of the more delightful strips for shopping in London, but the cream of its crop is no doubt Virginia Antiques. Owner, Virginia Bates stocks ravishingly Romantic boudoir items, most impressively, Victorian and Edwardian night-dresses and frocks.

Vintage abounds on Portland Road, from the unusual kitchenware of Summerill & Bishop, which has a decidedly stylish and French look, to The Cross, a bohemian fashion boutique loved for its girly atmosphere and unusual trinkets. If this sounds like your antique china cup of tea, it’s worth having a gander – there are fantastic purchases to be made.