Free guide to Fitzrovia pubs inside Fitzrovia Spring fitzrovia.org.uk/news Fitzrovia News Fitzrovia News is produced by residents and volunteers and distributed free to all businesses and residential addresses in Fitzrovia Issue 120, Spring 2011 Community Centre to open in spring The new £1.5 million Fitzrovia would make it easier to collabo - Community Centre in Foley rate with other projects. Street is due to open this spring. “We are very keen to retain It takes up a corner of the the FNA’s work with older peo - ground floor and basement of ple, its Bengali women’s art John Astor House, owned by projects, and its advice service, University College London for which there will be more pri - Hospital (UCLH). Rooms are vacy than at present,” she available for hire for a variety of added. community projects. There is also a courtyard The £1.5 million was provid - which Helena thinks “could be a ed by the UCLH through an proper garden involving lots of agreement with Camden different people.” The campaign Council to give Fitzrovia a new for allotments on the Middlesex community centre in return for Hospital site “was very popular permission to build the new hos - with all ages and ethnicities,” pital on Euston Road. she recalled. “Lots of climbing So although geographically plants could be grown here and in Westminster the new centre it could be a quiet green space comes under the jurisdiction of where people could garden or Camden, to whom it is leased by just read.” There will also be a the UCLH Trust. shed which could be used for The project co-ordinator, storing plants and other materi - Helena Roden, is optimistic als. about the opportunities afforded There are various sized by the new centre, although rooms which “could be used for recognising it is “a most difficult a film club or for dancing les - time to set up such an enterprise sons,” continued Helena, “but with funding in both Camden we hope local people come up and Westminster being with their own ideas.” reviewed.” The centre has to Overall the aim is for it to be “stand on its own feet financial - multi-use — hosting community Whitfield Gardens restored ly so modest charges for room as well as business projects. hire have to be made, to con - “This is a model that lots of tribute to the upkeep of such a community centres now use to valuable space,” she added. derive income,” she explained. to use after long closure The office and interview This could mean community Whitfield Gardens is open again after extensive refurbishments by Camden Council. The Friends of Open Spaces room which the Fitzrovia health projects, such as healthy Fitzrovia had worked with the council to approve designs. However, worry remains over maintenance of the planted Neighbourhood Association eating, drop-in play sessions for area and the nuisance caused by pigeons. The gardens re-opened shortly before the death of Bertie Dinnage who (FNA) is considering moving the under-5s, mixed with board sadly was unable to see the completed works which he worked so hard to realise with the people of Fitzrovia. See into, will amount to less space meetings, and public consulta - obituary on page 3. The Friends of Open Spaces Ftzrovia are looking for a secretary. Please contact Fitzrovia News. than it currently has in tion exercises. Tottenham Street, but says There are showers, a stain - Helena, it could have access to less steel kitchen, tea making other project spaces, and it facilities, toilets (including two Bertie Dinnage: 1932 – 2011 with disabled access), and stor - age spaces, in addition to the It is with great sadness that we report the death of Bertie rooms. Dinnage. He was a sportsman, architect, father, husband, The architect, Jim Monahan, lover of good food, community activist, and an associate edi - has added a completely new stairwell to the back of the cen - tor of Fitzrovia News . tre with coloured glass panels, Bertie had died peacefully at 11am Wednesday, 16 providing extra daylight and a February at the Marie Curie Hospice in Hampstead, with view into the courtyard. Keiko his wife at his side. Bertie had been very ill for the last “He has used top quality few months. materials and made the whole Friends, relatives and colleagues came together at the building look cared for. The funeral of Bertie Dinnage on Friday 25 February in the West builders, Kind & Co, have also Chapel of Golders Green Crematorium where they listened to done an excellent job,” conclud - a celebration of his life. Obituary on page 3. ed Helena. GIGS est. 1964 The home of traditional Fish & Chips Fully licensed Greek restaurant “The secret’s out. Gigs is back” 12 Tottenham Street 020 7636 1424 2 News and comment Fitzrovia News Spring 2011 Fitzrovia News Formerly The Tower Residents fall out established 1973 fitzrovia.org.uk/news after school twitter.com/fitzrovianews facebook.com/fitzrovianews Occupation in Fitzrovia highlights pressing social issues [email protected] By Chris Webb young men and women”. 020 7580 4576 However, support for the Squatters in Guy Ritchie's £6 Really Free School in Fitzrovia is million house in Fitzroy Square not fully inclusive. Edward have left the building following Turner, co-chair of the Fitzrovia Issue 120, Spring 2011/2011 a court order. The group calling Residents’ Association (FRA) 1 March 2011 themselves the Really Free was reported saying Mr Rees’ School had occupied the empty behaviour is “shocking”. FRA Fitzrovia News is published building for less than a week, member Aimery de Malet quarterly by the Fitzrovia MBE for local woman presenting public film screen - Roquefort echoed his sentiments Community Newspaper A Fitzrovia resident has received legacy of economic ings and lectures, in protest saying: “Many hard working Group, and supported by the an MBE in recognition of her prosperity. The investiture was against the government’s educa - and ordinary Fitzrovia residents Fitzrovia Neighbourhood campaigning work, writes Peter held on 17 December 2010 and tion cuts. Ritchie, bought the now fear leaving their properties Association Whyatt . she received the honour from house in May 2010. empty, even to go away at the (registered charity no. 1111649) Oku Ekpenyon (pictured Prince Charles. The Really Free School have weekend. Consequently, this sets 39 Tottenham Street, with her mother) has lived most Memorial 2007 aim to raise now made the Black Horse pub, a very dangerous precedent”. London, W1T 4RX of her life in Fitzrovia and money for a sculpture in the Rathbone Place their new home. Linus Rees, responded by ISSN: 0967-1404 attended All Souls’ School. She is Rose Garden in Hyde Park. The pub has been empty since accusing Mr Roquefort of “hys - both a historian and a teacher. Oku says “We need to raise November 2010 and the group teria”. He told the West End Editorial Team Oku became head of history at £1.5 million. This will help to have continued with their Extra : “I do not in any way con - Mike Pentelow: an inner London secondary pay for the landscaping of the timetable of activities. However, done people squatting private or editor and features editor school. In the Queen’s birthday site, the design and erection of they have now been served with public property that is being Linus Rees: honours list of June 2010 she was the sculpture, lighting, and the a notice to appear in court on used or is being occupied, but assistant editor and fundraiser awarded an MBE for ‘voluntary creation of a quiet garden area Wednesday 2 March which that is not what is happening in Pete Whyatt: services to the history of British (comprising seating, information could lead to their eviction. this case. news and production editor black people’. plaques and African flora) as an The media coverage of the “According to Camden’s sta - Fiona Green: Oku is Chair of Memorial oasis of remembrance. To ensure Fitzroy Square occupation has tistics, Bloomsbury ward has the arts and listings editor 2007, a project to create a perma - that the memorial does not fall provoked a more contentious highest number of vacant prop - Brian Jarman: nent memorial to honour of the into disrepair, a fund will be response than the actual occupa - erties in the whole of the bor - writer and sub-editor millions of enslaved Africans established for its continuing tion. Focussing solely on the ough. Barb Jacobson: whose enforced labour con - maintenance.” occupying of a well-known film “I am more concerned about associate editor tributed to the Industrial For more details: director’s house, the mainstream people losing their homes over Jennifer Kavanagh: Revolution and Great Britain’s www.memorial2007.org.uk press completely missed the the next few months as the associate editor point of the Really Free Schools’ housing benefit changes come Chris Webb: message and described Fitzrovia into effect and as people lose sub-editor as “Up-market” (The their jobs in both the public and Bloomsbury ward Independent) giving the wrong private sector, and Camden and Contributors: impression of our diverse neigh - Westminster will see a lot more John Axon councillors’ surgeries bourhood. homeless families in 12 months’ Sally Beerworth Linus Rees, chair of trustees, time. Our organisation is very Clifford Harper 6.00-7.00pm on the first and third Fridays of the month at Fitzrovia Neighbourhood concerned about that,” said Mr Clive Henderson Fitzrovia Neighbourhood Centre, 39 Tottenham Street, W1T 4RX Association (FNA) commented Rees. Denise Julien And on the second and fourth Fridays of the month at on the Fitzrovia News website: Max Neufeld Marchmont Community Centre, 62 Marchmont Street, WC1N 1AB “Fitzrovia as a whole is not uni - Charles New versally well off.