Living in Fitzrovia: Long ago, revolving silently on nylon wheels 580 feet above the streets of Fitzrovia, Caesar Salads and Salmon Roulade’s would once circle the skies of Swinging London. While slurping their Strawberry Daiquiri’s and toasting their Tom Collin’s, diners would enjoy a futuristic culinary adventure, soaring above the Fitzrovia skyline sixties-style in the city centre.

They could view Battersea with their brioche and Camden with their crème brulee. They were dining in the first purpose-built tower to transmit high frequency radio waves, and what is now one of London’s most prominent landmarks.

The Fitzrovia B.T. Tower (formerly the Post Office Tower) was built to cater for the United Kingdom's mounting telecommunications needs, but its foremost fascination to the public was as the tallest building in London with its rotating restaurant turning full circle every 22 minutes. Construction of the Fitzrovia B.T. Tower began in 1961 and was completed in July 1964, but closed following a terrorist bomb incident in 1971.

Though communications and media are Fitzrovia's livelihood, and the B.T. Tower is Fitzrovia’s tallest attraction, it’s by no means the only one. There’s Charlotte Street which, during the week, is buzzing with television production squads, editing folk, new media types and ladies who lunch.

Punters spill out onto Fitzrovia’s pavements where Italian side-walk cafés lend a distinctly continental air to summer evenings. After-hours Fitzrovia resumes the distinctly bohemian aura of yesteryears when writers such as Dylan Thomas and George Orwell frequented the Fitzroy Tavern.

There the name ‘Fitzrovia’ was coined, and though the tag has varied, from ‘Upper Soho’ to ‘Noho’ (North Soho) nothing’s really stuck.

Whether you are looking to sell or buy a property, or wishing to let or rent, we realise it is an important and personal transaction for you. As established West End Estate Agents, our partners and staff have an in-depth knowledge of the Fitzrovia property market and will offer you honest and sensible advice. As members of the National Association of Estate Agents, Association of Residential Letting Agents and the Estate Agents Ombudsman Scheme, you can be assured of the highest standards of professionalism at all times

 Location of Fitzrovia

The area of London known as Fitzrovia is located on the border between the boroughs of Westminster and Camden, and is bounded on the east by Tottenham Court Road, on the south by Oxford Street, on the west by Portland Place and on north by Euston Road.

While only a few minutes walk from bustling Oxford Street, Fitzrovia enjoys a certain deserted charm. Tourists seldom wander north of the West End and in the weekends you’ll seldom see a soul, bar the odd advertising executive working overtime or pub crawler stumbling home from Soho.

Newman Passage is an innocuous little pedestrian thoroughfare which links Newman Street to Rathbone Street. Charlotte Street runs perpendicular to Goodge Street and is the main focal point for wining and dining, although gastronomic rivalry is close at hand in nearby Market Place and Great Portland Street.


Nearby areas include:

• Bloomsbury
• Camden Town
• Marylebone
• Soho
• Euston
• King’s Cross

 Transport

The area encircling Fitzrovia is dotted with tube stations. Bus routes regularly traverse Tottenham Court Road, Euston Road, Great Portland Street, Portland Place and Oxford Street.

Nearest Tube Stations:

• Tottenham Court Road (Central & Northern lines)
• Goodge Street (Northern line),
• Euston (Northern, Victoria & National Rail lines)
• Euston Square (Circle, Hammersmith & Metropolitan lines)
• Warren Street (Northern & Victoria lines)
• Great Portland Street (Circle, Hammersmith & Metropolitan lines)
• Regent’s Park (Bakerloo line)
• Oxford Circus (Central, Bakerloo & Victoria lines)
  

Architecture of Fitzrovia

Magnificent, substantial, stucco-fronted freehold houses surround Fitzroy Square and charming, period townhouses are located in pedestrianised streets such as Colville and Middleton Place. New build houses with garages can be found in Bourlet Close and various mews properties in Fitzrovia.

Penthouses with roof terraces exist in new developments, some with garage parking and balconies such as West One House, the Armitage, Sovereign House and Windmill Street. Period mansion blocks accommodate a range of apartment sizes from grand lateral conversions to compact studios, and both period and modern local authority properties offer excellent value for money.

The rental market remains hectic in Fitzrovia with prestigious properties being let to celebrities and corporate individuals alike, while the student market continues to grow due to the close proximity of universities and colleges, including UCL, LSE, the American College, and RADA.

Fitzrovia is being hailed as ‘the new Notting Hill’, but it has the extra advantage of being in walking distance of the West End and all of Central London’s sights. Consequently a variety of tenants are now flocking to Fitzrovia in abundance..


 History of Fitzrovia

The area of Fitzrovia was first developed in the 18th century by Charles Fitzroy following the Great Fire of London.

He purchased the Manor of Tottenhall and built Fitzroy Square to which he gave his name. The term Fitzrovia was used much later, summoned by the artists and writers who frequented the Fitzroy Tavern in Charlotte Street between World War I and II.

Famous Fitzrovian’s have included Augustus John, Nina Hamnett, Constant Lambert and Dylan Thomas, and blue plaques record the historic homes of the many writers, artists and statesmen who lived in Fitzrovia.

 Highlights of Fitzrovia

Being the advertising and broadcasting capital of London, Fitzrovia has scores of media firms dominating the cityscape. Television companies such as Nickleodeon, CNN and the Computer Film Company (and formerly Channel Four television) are based in Fitzrovia, as well as international advertising agencies like Saatchi & Saatchi, London TBWA and McCann-Erickson.

The real gems however are the little guys: independent, often family-run restaurants and cafés tucked away in Fitzrovia’s back streets and various mews. Gluttons, on Goodge Street, offer Italian hot dinners and salads to go, while across the road Itchizen is a smartly-designed, informal storefront Japanese eatery. The Newman Arms is a genuine old English tavern which serves up traditional pub grub in a homely environment.

On a grander scale the flamboyant design hotel The Sanderson is a theatrical creation with ethereal flowing curtains, a Salvador Dalí red-lip sofa and spaced-out galaxy-adorned lift.

The annual Charlotte Street Festival reclaims the streets early in July.


 Other places of interest in Fitzrovia

• Charlotte Street Hotel
  15-17 Charlotte Street, Fitzrovia, London W1T 1RJ
  Tel: 020 7806 2000
  
  
• Samuel French
  Theatre Bookshop
  52 Fitzroy Street, Fitzrovia, London W1T 5JR
  
  
• The Portland Hospital
  205-209 Great Portland Street, Fitzrovia, London W1W 5AH
  Tel: 020 7580 4400
  
  
• BBC
  56-58 Portland Place, Fitzrovia, London, W1B 1NJ
  Tel: 020 7307 8700
  
  
• Acupoint Chinese Herbalist Centre
  42 Goodge Street, Fitzrovia, London W1T 2QW
  Tel: 020 7436 9735
  
  
• The Aquatic Design Centre
  107-111 Great Portland Street, Fitzrovia, London W1
  Tel: 020 7636 6388
  
  
• Bang Bang
  Second-hand Designer Store
  21 Goodge Street, Fitzrovia, London W1
  Tel: 020 7631 4191
  
  

 Fitzrovia Bars and Pubs

• The Bricklayers Arms
  31 Gresse Street Fitzrovia, London, W1T 1QS
  Tel: 020 7636 5593
  
  
• Jerusalem
  33-34 Rathbone Place, Fitzrovia, London W1T 1JQ
  Tel: 020 7255 1120
  
  
• Mash
  19-20 Great Portland Street, Fitzrovia, London W1W 8QA
  Tel: 020 7637 5555
  
  
• Market Place
  1 Market Place, Fitzrovia, London W1W 8AH
  Tel: 020 7079 2020
  
  
• Ha! Ha! Bar
  43 Great Titchfield Street, Fitzrovia, London W1W 7DA
  Tel: 020 7580 7252
  
  
• CVO Firevault
  36 Great Titchfield Street Marylebone, London W1W 8BQ
  Tel: 020 7636 2091
  
  

Fitzrovia Restaurants

• Hakkasan
  8 Hanway Place, Fitzrovia, London W1T 1HD
  Tel: 020 7907 1888
  
  
• Bam Bou
  1 Percy Street, Fitzrovia, London W1T 1DB
  Tel: 020 7323 9130
  
  
• Rasa Samudra
  5 Charlotte Street, Fitzrovia, London W1T 1RE
  Tel: 020 7637 0222
  
  
• The Original Spaghetti House
  15-17 Goodge Street, Fitzrovia, London W1T 2PQ
  Tel: 020 7636 6582
  
  
• Villandry
  170 Great Portland Street, Fitzrovia, London W1W 5QB
  Tel: 020 7631 3131