The following aggregated statistics and area review are provided for general information purposes only

Review of the area

Fitzrovia is a fascinating, vibrant and Bohemian area of central London, just north of the West End. It is an informally designated area lying partly in Camden and partly in the City of Westminster; it is a wonderfully hidden gem of London where people actually talk to one another!.

It is bounded by Euston Road to the north, to the east by the Tottenham Court Road, to the south by Oxford Street and by Great Portland Street to the west. Nearby areas are Bloomsbury, Covent Garden, Soho, Mayfair, Marylebone and Camden.

The beautiful Regents Park (the best one in London!) is only a short walk away from Fitzrovia and is a haven of tranquility in a sea of noise and busyness.

Fitzrovia is named after the Fitzroy Tavern, a pub on Charlotte Street which sadly is not as good as it used to be. The name was adopted during the inter-war years initially by and later in recognition of the artistic and bohemian community habitually found at the public house.

The public house was named after the Hon. Charles FitzRoy, (later Baron Southampton), who built Fitzroy Square, to which he gave his name.

The square is the most distinguished of the original architectural features of the district, having been designed in part by Robert Adam (who designed Pulteney Bridge in Bath and Stowe House in Buckinghamshire.) It has seen both Virginia Woolf, George Bernard Shaw and more recently Ian McEwan as residents.

Fitzroy Square is home to the embassies of Liberia and Mozambique. The embassy of Croatia is located on Conway Street, just off the square.

The most prominent feature of Fitzrovia is the BT Tower, which is one of Londons tallest buildings at 620ft tall. Although slightly odd looking, it is held in affection by locals and is a very useful landmark for finding your way home to Fitzrovia (assuming you live there) if you get lost in central London. When the sun goes down and given the right light, the tower can look amazing!

Nowadays property uses are diverse, but Fitzrovia is still well known for its fashion industry, now mainly comprising wholesalers and HQs of the likes of FCUK.

Charlotte Street was for many years the home of the British advertising industry and is now known for its many and diverse restaurants, Today the district still houses the illustrious Saatchi & Saatchi and TBWA advertising agencies.

A number of television production and post-production companies are based in the area. MTV Networks Europe, Nickelodeon and CNN Europe also headquartered in the area.

Londons Time Out magazine and City Guide is created and edited on Tottenham Court Road on the eastern border of Fitzrovia.

On Fitzroy Street is the world headquarters of Arup, the renowned structural engineering company who designed the Pompidou Centre, 30 St Mary Axe (the Gherkin) and the Channel Tunnel Rail Link.

Retail use spills into parts of Fitzrovia from Oxford Street and Tottenham Court Road, which are two of the principal shopping streets in central London.

Fitzrovia was a notable artistic and bohemian centre from a period dating roughly from the mid 1920s until the current day. Amongst those known to have lived locally and frequented public houses in the area such as the Fitzroy Tavern and the Wheatsheaf are Augustus John, Quentin Crisp, Dylan Thomas, and George Orwell.

Another pub in the area, the Newman Arms, features in Orwells novels Nineteen Eighty-Four and Keep the Aspidistra Flying. In addition, the rock band Coldplay formed in Ramsay Hall, a University College London hall of residence on Maple Street in Fitzrovia.

Fitzrovia is home to many small and fascinating pubs and restaurants. Notable pubs worth visiting include the Bricklayers Arms (excellent), Bradley’s Spanish Bar (a quiet little gem), The King and Queen (a bit old skool but nice), the Yorkshire Grey (quiet and intimate) and the George and Dragon (was my local so I wont have a bad word said about it!).

Fitzrovia being where it is means you are never far away from transportation. The nearest main line railway station is Euston to the north and the nearest tube stations; well, take your pi