Biased and opinionated news.fitzrovia.org.uk Fitzrovia News Fitzrovia News is produced by residents and volunteers and distributed free to all businesses and residential addresses in Fitzrovia Issue 129 Summer 2013 News in brief Legible London signs have been placed at several loca - Midsummer celebrations tions in Fitzrovia by Camden and Westminster councils. The signs are part of a city-wide June and July will feature festivals, fairs, exhibitions, and tours waymarking scheme to aid pedestrian navigation and By Laura Broderick and ties in the area on Saturday 22 encourage walking. Angela Lovely June. A plaque to commemorate For people who would like Charles Dickens’ first London The streets of Fitzrovia will this to see ‘behind the scenes’ in an home is to be unveiled at summer be alive with several architectural practice there will 5.30pm on Saturday 8 June by festivals and celebrations of life be a series of open studios to Lucinda Dickens Hawksley at and work in Fitzrovia. visit. NEX on Newman Street 22 Cleveland Street . The Friends will gather at the are opening up their roof terrace plaque will help historians Fitzrovia Neighbourhood Centre for people to make sculptures correctly identify the writer’s for the last time at 6pm and graphics, WATG on Fitzroy many London residences. Wednesday 12 June to say good - Square are inviting you to create The Bloomsbury Summer bye to the premises which was an animated flip-book and ESA Fete takes place at Bedford opened in 1975. on Wells Street would like you Square on Friday 14 June from There will then be a series of to play table tennis with them — 11am to 10.30pm. Entry is events to commemorate 40 years or just share a cup of tea and Free. since the first Fitzrovia Festival. chat! Camden Council has sub - The Fitzrovia Neighbourhood Also happening on the day is mitted the Fitzrovia Area Association is organising the new street festival project for Action Plan to the Secretary of Festival at its new premises in Great Titchfield Street — a sec - State for independent exami - Goodge Place over the weekend tion of which will be trans - nation. Public hearings will of Saturday 22 and Sunday 23 formed into a pedestrianised commence at 10.00am on June and during the evenings of haven on Saturday 22 June. Tuesday 2 July 2013 and take 25 and 26 June. There will be a Local restaurants and cafes are place at Camden Town Hall. photographic exhibition, a book invited to make the most of the Westminster City Council stall, guided walks and a cycle traffic-free street, whilst archi - is to create a new partnership ride (see page 5). tects and designers will explore to manage the West End fol - Following the success of last and enhance the extra space. lowing recommendations by year’s Fitzrovia Trail for the Local businesses and archi - the West End Commission London Festival of Architecture, tects are currently collaborating which published its report in RIBA London, local architecture on the project to programme a May. Children from All Souls School and residents in Fitzrovia were among those practices and associated organi - series of events and activities for Iain Bott (Conservative) at Market Place to celebrate the last of 600 trees to have been planted in sations will once again be organ - the Fitzrovia community and was elected as councillor for Marylebone by the W1W Tree Planting Initiative in May. ising a range of creative activi - visitors to enjoy from 12.00 to Marylebone High Street ward 18.00. J-J Lorraine from Morrow in a by-election held in May after the resignation of coun - + Lorraine Architects, the project the local community together in is holding its summer fair cillor Harvey Marshall . leader of the street festival said: what is set to be a fantastic between 12pm and 3pm. There'll Residents living near the “The Great Titchfield Street event.” be food stalls, games, a tombola, junction of Warren Street and Festival aims to turn the street Fitzrovia Community Centre a petting zoo. Cleveland Street are angry into an urban oasis and celebrate will also hold an open day on The PTA are seeking support about the loss of a healthy tree a ‘Time for Architecture’ by Saturday 22 June (page 3). local residents and businesses which was cut down by bringing the local community On Thursday 27 June opera who can provide a raffle prize, Camden Council because its and architectural practices returns to Fitzroy Square a donation, sell their raffle tick - roots were potentially a threat together. Gardens with a production of ets on their behalf and display a to a nearby building. “We are hopeful that this Carmen by Bizet (see page 3). a poster advertising the fair. Users of Crabtree Fields ‘Masterchef for buildings’ will On Saturday 6 July the Contact the PTA by emailing: open space have accused offer inspiration to spectators Parents and Teachers [email protected] if you'd like to and architects alike, and bring Association of All Souls School help. Continues on page 3... GIGS est. 1958 The home of traditional Fish & Chips Fully licensed Greek restaurant “One of London’s top fish & chip shops” (Metro, 2013) 12 Tottenham Street 020 7636 1424 2 Comment Fitzrovia News 129 Summer 2013 Fitzrovia News Formerly The Tower established 1973 news.fitzrovia.org.uk Your Letters twitter.com/fitzrovianews facebook.com/fitzrovianews Back in Fitzrovia for the first time in 62 years. [email protected] Lives and deaths on By Brian Jarman 020 7580 4576 His father met his mother as she was dancing Little Goodge Street on a table on a pub in Soho. He was born in an air raid shelter and named after the BBC newsreader Issue 129 Summer 2013 Bruce Belfrage who was on the radio at the time. Published 4 June 2013 My Mother (Clarice Ada Stressing) lived at 2 Goodge He left for Australia when he was ten and hasn’t Place during the 1920s when the street was called been back since – until now, 62 years later. Fitzrovia News is produced Little Goodge Street. It may sound like something out of a film, but quarterly by the Fitzrovia I visited London the other week tracing family his - Bruce Spence has been enjoying the trip of a life - Community Newspaper tory and found that No 2 was missing. Do you know time thanks to his son Gary. His granddaughter Group, and published by the happened to the original house which would have Tash has been working in The George in Great Fitzrovia Neighbourhood been number 2 in the 1920s or are there any pictorial Portland Street. Together with Gary’s partner Association fitzrovia.org.uk records around? Was the house bombed in WW2? Jayson they’ve been touring the country in a (registered charity no. 1111649) My Mother was of German descent and was born Picture by Charles New camper van but the highlight for Bruce was coming 39 Tottenham Street, in Northampton Buildings Finsbury in 1918. Her par - back to London. London, W1T 4RX ents Ethel & Rudolph moved to 2 Little Goodge Street "The thing I remember most was the air raids," says Bruce over a pint in The ISSN: 0967-1404 when my grandfather lost his job, being German in George. "Now I’m amazed at the number of people on the streets." 1918 was not good! My grandfather remained out of His mother Maisie was born in Meard Street, Soho. After marrying his father Editorial Team work for 10 years. Bill, she wanted to move to the country and settled in what was then the sleepy Mike Pentelow: It might have been a Boarding house and I was village of Cranham in Essex. editor and features editor told that before my Grandparents moved in to the As well as doing all the usual sightseeing, Bruce took a trip down memory lane Linus Rees: house my great grandmother lived there. She had pre - and went back to the place he left all those years ago. "It was all farming then," assistant editor viously lived in Goodge Street. says Bruce. "Now it’s all houses. The house I lived in was all different. But things Pete Whyatt: My mother described 2 Liitle Goodge Street as "a keep coming back." news and production editor hovel" next to a dirty bakery... She was dropped by He visited ‘the old man’s pub’ – The Plough - but remembered it being on the Clive Jennings: her first boyfriend when he found out where she other side of the road. One wag in the old local joked that it used to be. He used to arts and editor lived, he was never seen again. come into Central London with his father, a plumber, "to get out of Mum’s hair." Brian Jarman: My mother’s life dropped further when her moth - Then in 1951 his parents and three of his five brothers and sisters left to start a writer and sub-editor er committed suicide there, two weeks later a man liv - new life the other side of the world. He eventually settled outside Adelaide and Barb Jacobson: ing on the top floor also took his life as my grand - worked in the petrol and gas industries. His father and mother never returned. associate editor mother looked after him and was no longer alive to Bruce has wanted to come back before but for various reasons the trips were put Jennifer Kavanagh: give care. off. When Tash got the job in The George and Gary suggested he come over with associate editor My Mother informed me this was all in the them, he knew that now was the time.