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WRITING A NEW CHAPTER AT FITZROY PLACE
THE POET, DYLAN THOMAS, FOUND FITZROVIA SOMETHING OF A PERSONAL BERMUDA TRIANGLE. THIS WAS LARGELY DUE TO HIS PROFOUND PENCHANT FOR PUBLIC HOUSES.
In 1936 he wrote: “When I come to Fitzrovia, bang go my plans in a horrid alcoholic explosion that scatters all my good intentions like bits of limbs into the saloon bars of the tawdriest pubs in London”.
Nearly 80 years later there is still much that Thomas would still recognise. The Fitzroy Tavern – from which the area takes its name – is still doing a roaring trade in the middle of Charlotte Street although its clientele today are more likely to be web developers, TV producers and advertising executives than writers, actors and musicians.
The King & Queen on Foley Street still has the occasional music night but is unlikely to play host to anyone quite as iconic as Bob Dylan who made his London debut there.
From a commercial property perspective, the area bounded by Euston Road, Oxford Street, Tottenham Court Road and Great Portland Street has been steadily attracting more office occupiers – particularly from the TMT sectors – but is now about to undergo a step change through major development.
On the site of the former Middlesex Hospital, a joint venture of Exemplar, Aviva Investors and Kaupthing is building Fitzroy Place – a massive development encompassing nearly 1 million sq ft of offices, shops, restaurants and homes. The challenge for the developers is to create an environment that incorporates the special ambience of Fitzrovia whilst providing the space that business and residents want.
Exemplar’s Daniel Van Gelder is conscious of the opportunity:
“One of things that really attracted us to Fitzrovia is the fact that it’s not a carbon copy of everywhere else in London. It’s independent and unique – the word ‘bohemian’ gets batted around a lot but Fitzrovia really is. Unlike most of the West End, its identity hasn’t been defined by a single person or a single estate.
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