I'm sharing my time these days between the capital and my secret lair, a few hours down the road. Because of this I seem to have a heightened awareness of change in London town. When I first got to London in 1991 it was all about Camden, Notting Hill and Soho - To be fair today its only Soho thats clinging onto excitement by the skin of its teeth.
The hub for all Soho-ness is probably Bar Italia opposite Ronnie Scotts Jazz Club. Bar Italia a classic cafe serves: alcohol, coffee and decent sandwiches with a terrace for people watching 24 hours a day. Al, Giles and I started Bar Italia Lambretta club here in 2001. Look for the sticker on the far left hand corner of the glass door next time you swing by. Everything seems to happen around this place like the pulsing heart of Londons Soho.
Camden and Notting Hill seem to have been exposed to the CBGB Bowery NYC curse. Whereby people were drawn to the neighbourhood, moved in, got older and then complained about the noise that attracted them to the zone in the first place. Camden is like a pastiche of its Punk days, Notting Hill I never really got into but I do sorely miss Kensington Market and even Hyper Hyper (granted not Notting Hill but close enough).
Soho in London W1 around 1991 really was a beautifully seedy place with a continental undertone, the mix was like nothing I'd ever seen. Italian cafes, Maltese wine merchants, Spanish Delis, French Restaurants all run by second generation mom and pop owners. Tables on the pavements and the narrow streets often blocked by Italian food delivery company trucks. The best cafe I frequented almost daily when I was working for Aquascutum on Regent St was The New Piccadilly Cafe on Denman Street, this place was that vision we all have of Formica style 1950's cafes but with a Pullman carriage finish, but not polished. The staff wore double breasted Bellboy style jackets, with complimentary egg yolk and espresso stains and tarnished gold buttons. They also had the most amazing original powder pink huge coffee machine, which I'd love to own.
"The special today Robert" they'd say is......."spaghetti & chips", delivered in a perfectly portioned 50-50 Italian London accent and deadly serious - "I'll just have the usual Lorenzo- please, grazie"
In one fell scoop it seems Soho has all been cleaned up. Only recently I Camisa & Son deli since 1929 has confirmed it will close its doors. I get that businesses close and people want to retire to enjoy their hard earned cash, trends change. But anymore cleaning up and I'm starting a petition to rename Soho. The name Soho should be given to an area that deserves the monocle. NYC does it well they seem to have new sub hoods each time I go back.
Apparently Soho began back in 1536, King Henry VIII developed the area from farmland for his personal hunting land. It has been said that the name Soho was a battle cry, that Henry appropriated as his hunting cry, chasing wild Boars through the clearings.
Soho urban myth continues that the four pubs all named The Blue Posts are the four corners of this ancient hunting ground. This might well be true, as Its a bit odd having four boozers in London W1: Rupert St, Kingly St, Berwick St and Newman St with the same name. Royally annoying when out of towner's go to the wrong Blue Post pub and you have to walk in November rain to meet them, because I only ever drink at the Berwick St pub.
Mods wouldn't be mods without the modernists. The modernists the OG's thrived off the continental look and feel of Soho as far back as the late 1950's. The north London modernists would buy imported clothing from specialist shops nestled between exotic book stores. Stopping off at Italian Caffe's and French restaurants they could see the bum freezer jackets and casual style worn by the waiters. Looks that they had only glimpsed on New Wave cinema reels in black & white. As we all know now, the casual style from this period is engrained in the mod look.
Venues such as 2i's Cafe and live music was very popular at the time (you can see part of the original 2i's wall mural at Poppies fish & chip shop on Old Compton St). Some say one of the fledgling spots for British beat music.
One of the most modernist films you can watch is 'The Small World of Sammy Lee' brilliantly depicting Soho and everynow and then Bethnal Green in East London, Anglozines stomping ground. Theres a hard knock villain towards the end of the film that is undoubtedly attired in 1963 modernist clothes. To be honest you don't even need to watch the film, the 3 minute intro is mesmerising- its still on Youtube. Slow rolling early morning footage of the grimy Soho streets I know and love like the back of my hand. I could watch the monochrome intro to this film on a loop quite happily.
The director Ken Hughes must have made an impression on Frank Norman & Jeffrey Bernards book Soho Night & Day, there are a few photographs in the book that look like stills from the Sammy Lee film.
This TOWN magazine from May 1966 has a sneak peek of the Soho Night & Day book here is the article in its entirety with a smattering of London listings further on:
A few pages from the Soho Night & Day book
The French House aka The York Minster still going strong today.
The famous 2i's now a fish & chip shop on Old Compton St, wall markings still there.
I've also dipped into the Anglozine archive to show this Observer April 1965 London guide
The York Minster again, be warned its half pints only!
My Soho 1990's
Coach & Horses pub, Bar Italia, La Boheme (pre-Soho House), The Astoria and the Keith Moon bar, Kettners (again pre-Soho House), New Piccadilly cafe (Formica Cafe Utopia), Rays Jazz, Milk Bar pre club bar (next door to the Astoria), Freuds Bar, St Moritz Gaz's Rockin' Blues, Arts Club Frith St (next door to Ronnie Scotts), The Phoenix, Le Centrale, Stockpot, Cafe Roma, Lina Stores (pre-roll out), Maison Bertaux, La Sicilia Restaurant Windmill Street with their mountians of candles, Cafe Roma, Bradleys Spanish bar on Hanway St and The Hideaway club next door for Lordy Lord mod night, Limelight, The Wag for Blow-Up, Helter Skelter bookshop Denmark St, Sportspages Cambridge Circus for zines, The Purple Pussycat mod night, Intrepid Fox, The Endurance, Abigails Party, Riky Tik Bar Greek St, Milk & Honey, Eves Club for Smashing, The Photographers Gallery, Robot, St Martins Evolution, Jones, Duffer St George, Aquascutum, Interstate.
Soho today
Coach & Horses pub (alas no longer £1 cheese rolls on the bar, I lived on), Ronnie Scotts, La Boheme, The Phoenix, Trisha's New Evaristo club, Franks Caf', Bar Bruno, The Blue Post (Berwick St!!) just wish the Fish & Chip shop was next door. Gerrys Dean St and of course Bar Italia.
Thats your lot, the cut throughs and back alleys of Soho don't even smell of piss anymore. There is obviously a desire to claw back the squaller and sensationalism of Soho, The Colony Club has been revived albeit much neater and maybe too easy to get into, but at least there is someone on the crusade to save Soho.
My absolute favourite formica cafe The New Piccadilly cafe was pulled down for a new swanky hotel called The Ham Yard hotel. The original modernist club The Scene 1963-66 located at Ham Yard is still in the basement of the hotel. According to those lucky enough to visit the site recently there are still signs and markings from the iconic club. There have been rumours for a few years now that it might be revived, which would be bonkers amazing.
Save your Soho's wherever you are!