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Message started by Administrator on Sep 11th, 2017, 7:42pm

Title: "Fitzrovia"
Post by Administrator on Sep 11th, 2017, 7:42pm

We have received this email from Ann Basu. She is writing a book about the Fitzrovia area of London.

“Fitzrovia” includes the area around BH, Oxford Street and Langham Place.

Ann writes…



"I'm writing a book about everyday life in Fitzrovia 1900-1950. The book's very much about the experiences of working people who lived and worked in Fitzrovia at this time, not at all about celebrities or the artistic 'Fitzrovia set'. My mother's family lived there before the Second World War, so I have a personal interest in the place.

I'm very interested to find out about the daily experiences of people who worked at Broadcasting House in Langham Place or at 200 Oxford Street, or at any other venue in Fitzrovia, up till and including the 1950s. This is not really about the technicalities of the work, but about how it felt to work in Fitzrovia in the 1930s, 40s and 50s.

For those who remember Bush House, was the move to Fitzrovia a big contrast? I know much of Fitzrovia was quite poor and run-down at the time - what did people make of it? Where did they eat? Which pubs did they use? Did they have any interesting or strange experiences there?

Do you think that Broadcasting House and the BBC staff made any particular impact on the area and, if so, what kind of impact?

I'd also be interested in war-time experiences in Fitzrovia, and have already seen a few anecdotes about war-time on the web - are there any others?

I wonder if you'd be kind enough to describe your own experiences of Fitzrovia? And would it be possible to put me in touch with anyone else who wouldn't mind passing on their reminiscences? All will be credited in my book, of course.

The book is a social history with quite a lot of historical background material in it, and the stories of BBC employees would help to make it come alive. I'm sure they would be fascinating to everyone who might read it.”



If anyone has any memories of working (or living) in this area of London, please contact Admin via the ‘PM’ system (or add a post here), and we’ll forward your contact details to Ann.

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