London Districts: Fitzrovia (Documentary)

Subtitles available under video via CC button. Series Soundtrack available at yeththar.bandcamp.com/follow_me. Watch #LondonDistricts on TV @ Sky 117, Freeview 8, Virgin Media 159 and YouView 8 via London Live.
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Episode Transcription (Truncated):
The district of Fitzrovia straddles the City of Westminster and the London Borough of Camden. It's 1 mile from the centre of London; Charing Cross, and is sandwiched between Tottenham Court Road and Euston Road.
2nd Duke of Grafton, Charles FitzRoy, purchased the Manor of Tottenham Court with surrounding Tottenhall and built Fitzroy Square for aristocratic families, mostly designed by architect Robert Adam and erected by Robert's two brothers in 1798.
The façade is made of Portland Stone, a type of stone quarried from the Isle of Portland in Dorset. Charles gave his name to the square along with Fitzroy Street. His grandson, 1st Baron Southampton, later developed the northern portions of the district.
The 189m concrete BT Tower was commissioned by the General Post Office, and took 5 years of construction at a cost of £2.5 million. When it opened in 1966, a million visitors came that year to marvel at the structure famously overtaking the Millbank Tower as the tallest building in the UK.
The first 16 floors were originally used for power and housing technical equipment. The slimmer 35-metre section above that held the microwave aerials used to transmit telecommunications traffic across the country and all that was topped off with a revolving restaurant on the 34th floor providing panoramic City views and making one revolution every 23 minutes.
Most of the building is covered in a special tint to prevent heat build-up and the narrow cylindrical shape was chosen to limit the building shifting anymore than 10 inches in the wind. Its height was surpassed by the NatWest Tower in 1980.
The national communications being sent across the network were so important; the building's very existence was declared an official state secret for years. One university student won a race up the stairs in 4 minutes and 46 seconds. The high-speed lifts will get you to the 'Top of the Tower' within 30 seconds at 16 mph.
At turn of the century, a display made up of over half a million LED lights in 177 vertical strips wrapped themselves around the 36th and 37th floors to form the "Information Band".
Fitzrovia has about 8,000 residents. 1,500 are over 65, 1000 of them live in student halls of residence and about 40 are homeless and sleeping rough on the streets.
The Saint Charles Borromeo is a Roman Catholic Church on Ogle Street in the Diocese of Westminster named after a 16th-century Italian saint.
The architect; Samuel Joseph Nicholl, designed the outside in a Gothic Revival style. It was built in 1862 and opened the next year at a cost of £4000 pounds sitting on land that was gifted by an anonymous donor.
Attendant’s co-founders, Ryan and Bosh, want quality brunch cafés serving fresh, local and ethically sourced food.
Their first site is in this disused Victorian toilet. They pay higher prices for their coffee beans based on its quality and they're skilful roasting, releases the inherent flavour of the beans, honouring the hard work the farmers and growers put in on the field.
Since opening in 2013, the Attendant has developed into a coffee roastery, café and kitchen, with the intention of bringing permaculture to the UK café scene.
Until the 1930's, the manor of Tottenham Court and its immediate surroundings were known as London's Old Latin Quarter. This was popularised by a book of the same name authored by Edwin Beresford Chancellor.
Fitzroy Tavern started out as a Coffee House in 1883 before eventually being re-opened with its current name by Russian tailor Judah Kleinfeld in 1919. It's named after the Fitzroy family but it is this pub which made their surname well-known and actually gave the district of Fitzrovia its title.
Iconic literary figures Dylan Thomas, Virginia Woolf, Jacob Epstein and George Bernard Shaw, to name only a few, were all locals to the pub and were bound to have raised a few glasses there inside their bohemian lifestyles.

[@itsjustme114]

Brilliant episode! The streets are noticeably empty, very sad to see London like this.

[@LondonDistricts]

I expect this is the case in every major city. The city will bounce back though. Stay safe

[@suzannehawkins383]

You have such a calm soothing voice. Love your tours.

[@LondonDistricts]

Oh thank you!

[@holdenmexico]

Dewyne... Im from mexico and i really enjoy your videos.... it´s a pleasure to watch something curated with so much patience and love... thanks

[@monicagilbert4766]

Once again well done Dewyne! The amount of knowledge this man puts into a matter of minutes is unbelievable, sad to see the streets of London so empty😪 catch the Notting Hill video, fantastic👍🏾

[@LondonDistricts]

Thank you for the kind words Monica, happy you are enjoying the content. It does have that ghost town feeling lately for obvious reasons and very its interesting to see how Central London looks without tourists.

[@StarWarsJay]

I lived here in the early 90s for a short time. It has a magical atmosphere, especially at night.

[@DavidM2002]

We just came back from 2 weeks in London, 1 of which was at the Rathbone Hotel in Fitzrovia. The Marquis of Granby soon became of 4:00 pint stop as it was just down the street. This neighbourhood is a foodie's dream.

[@ArbHunter]

Love these videos - professionally done, well researched thanks

[@blchamblisscscp8476]

Great video. My family stayed in Fitzrovia for a week, on Mortimer Street. It was surprisingly quiet being so close to the noise of Oxford Street just a short walk away.

[@kclew3414]

Dewyne I hope to visit London one day and have a pint with you. Simply brilliant. I love your work. You love them angles and as you capture the front of stores and motorways, you never miss an opportunity to highlight the movement of time and space. Great juxtaposition of new and old. Wonderful soundtrack as usual. Yeth Thar has such a British feel. That's only was I can explain it. Bravo my brother. Can't wait to catch up on all the other new videos you posted.

[@LondonDistricts]

Please do! And, thank you for you the sentiments my friend. Seems that pint will have to remain virtual for now in these times we find ourselves in. Stay tuned as I imagine you will.

[@kclew3414]

@@LondonDistricts ​ @London Districts Always a joy to see your videos. Hey I wanted to also tell you I discovered an astonishing fact the other day. I won't tell anyone here but I found out the true identity of that fantastic music composer Yeth Thar. I wish I can buy his 2 CDs on Amazon in America. Can you find out from Yeth how I can get my hands on them? Cheers!

[@lyndacole5676]

Love the music.

[@LondonDistricts]

Check out the new London Districts Soundtrack here yeththar.bandcamp.com/follow_me

[@RonRicho]

What a wonderful video essay of one of London's most interesting districts. Thank you so much.

[@LondonDistricts]

Thank you Ron :)

[@elizabethelrod2816]

Oh my goodness I am so glad I found this channel I always wanted to visit London and thru your channel I can 😁 Thank you so much for your wonderful and informative videos

[@LondonDistricts]

You are so welcome!

[@seanmartin699]

Great video. Looking forward to more areas 🙏👍

[@londonlore5881]

Absolutely love these Dewyne - excellent work, and every day is a school day when I watch one. 👍🏽

[@SteveHughesMusicT-hex]

Such a quality series. Love it. A wonderful new discovery. The music is so infectious too. Great Edutainment!

[@zulkiflijamil4033]

Hello Dewyne. I really enjoy watching this documentary video. Well researched and excellently presented. And yes the soothing voice of yourself simply added to the very high value of this channel. Respect!!!

[@alanjacks9081]

Another great video and narration Dewyne, very professionally done!

[@LondonDistricts]

Glad you think so!

[@deanmatthewclegg28]

Terrific, again. Thank you.

[@LondonDistricts]

My pleasure!

[@Petecope]

What a delight for a Saturday night. Great stuff (as ever). Love learning so much about places I think I know about

[@LondonDistricts]

Are you a poet who doesn't know it? Thanks for comments - More to come!

[@Petecope]

London Districts Ha! I am many things, mostly good, but poet isn’t one of them. Sadly.

[@camt9967]

Thanks mate. Great channel.

[@LondonDistricts]

Welcome!

[@paulmorris3613]

Never even knew this one existed! well done, balanced and informative and I enjoyed the video a lot.

[@LondonDistricts]

Thanks a ton!

[@DrBrazell]

Excellent work on these documentary pieces!

[@LondonDistricts]

Many thanks!

[@rogerpancake6803]

Love the narration..just watched the one on Richmond and subscribed ..

[@lydan5808]

Passyunk Avenue is a great spot for anyone wanting to visit the area. Lovely staff, great service and amazing Buffalo wings.

[@lydan5808]

I have to add, another great video

[@mayena]

One of the four major quadrants of the West End area mainly centred around the highly active commercial thoroughfare, Oxford Street. Others are Marylebone, Mayfair, Soho.

[@lyndacole5676]

Excellent content, charming voice. Thank you.

[@LondonDistricts]

Thank you kindly!

[@ABMW-tech]

Great.. thanks

[@LondonDistricts]

Most welcome!

[@thisisstuart7951]

Seeing those streets reminds me of my couriering days

[@LondonDistricts]

Nostagia is powerful. Thx

[@themindbubblesproject5874]

Love these videos it must take a lot of work bro.hoping you can do one on dalston

[@LondonDistricts]

Coming soon!

[@earlymodern2007]

Sat in Fitzroy Square only last week. I agree: sad to feel London so empty. Thanks for snapshot.

[@LondonDistricts]

Any time! :(

[@mawhinney2.026]

Not bad good coverage 🙏

[@LondonDistricts]

Thank you 🙌

[@maxrichardson6272]

Would you consider doing a video on bromley one day

[@LondonDistricts]

I will make certain Bromley is one of the first I do next year.

[@atom999]

Awesome vid

[@LondonDistricts]

Cheers!

[@AJ74196]

I live in Fitzrovia in the red building at 4:02 in front of the church ! Best neighborhood in London ! This video is my daily life !

[@jimmya.2300]

Good stuff again Dewayne. It’s an odd part of London. Very central but always felt quiet and detached. Yeth I aspire to make music like yours. Great sounds.

[@LondonDistricts]

Go for it! Who knows, we may even be able to use it.

[@jimmya.2300]

Blimey that would be amazing.

[@avinashbhogun]

7:32 good memories ❤

[@krissmgvlogs]

Can anyone go up the BT tower! I want to do it one day. Great video, great channel.

[@LondonDistricts]

Unfortunately, it's not easy for the public to get up there anymore. Special functions take place though but they are reserved for certain groups.

[@londonbuildingbybuilding6143]

This was one of my haunts when I slept rough.

[@LondonDistricts]

Sorry to hear that. Sounds like you are in a better place now though. Bless

[@backwards7]

@@LondonDistricts At the time there was a temporary exhibit of outdoor architecture on Store Street, just off Tottenham Court Road. I was sleeping in the churchyard of St Sepulchre without Newgate, in Holborn. Everyday I used to limp across London to this exhibit (I'd lost so much weight my trousers had slipped down, and the crotch had flayed all of the skin off my inner thighs). There was library trolley of books and one of them was H V Mortons' London. I used to sit with that book for hours. Then I'd put it back and return and pick up where I left off the previous day. It kept me going.

[@joolsclarke1864]

Greetings from Cali...🏄‍♀️🏄‍♀️🏄‍♀️....you have such a great eye, soothing voice and always full of info, places I was able to experience 1967-1977.....not forgetting the great music & vibes...🤓👋🏻🏄‍♀️🤙🏻

[@LondonDistricts]

Oh thank you! We do try our best to make things as engaging as possible and it's certainly worthwhile when that is noted by viewers.

[@benitopussolini544]

Wow,giant propaganda on the tower! they really are trying hard.

[@Bigwave2003]

Ditch the terrible music.

[@LondonDistricts]

What type of music do you suggest we use?

[@kclew3414]

No way Bigwave, Yeth Thar is perfect for the video. Go back and watch the entire series and listen how the soundtrack flows with the visuals.