Four fire engines and around 25 firefighters tackled a blaze at a building site on Fitzroy Street in Fitzrovia on Wednesday 27 September.

An industrial boiler on the sixth floor of the building was destroyed by fire. Around 130 people left the building before the London Fire Brigade arrived and two men were treated on scene by London Ambulance Service crews.

Three workers received hospital treatment for smoke inhalation but were discharged the same day.

“The Brigade was called at 2:17pm and the fire was under control by 3:36pm. Fire crews from Paddington, Islington, Homerton and Shoreditch fire stations attended the scene. The cause of the fire is under investigation.” said the London Fire Brigade.

The site at 15 Fitzroy Street is being constructed by 8Build Ltd for Workspace Group Plc who gained planning permission from Camden Council for an extension and external alterations to the building in 2021. Work started on the site earlier this year and the project is due to be completed in the summer of 2024.

In a statement to Fitzrovia News, a spokesperson for 8Build said:

“At approximately 1pm, a hot melt boiler caught fire, extracting smoke across one of the floorplates. The fire was contained, and site staff attempted to extinguish it, following all training and site safety measures.

“The emergency services were called and the site was evacuated in line with the site procedures. The fire brigade extinguished the contained fire successfully. Three site staff who were working in close proximity to the incident attended hospital due to smoke inhalation. They were discharged on the same day and have returned to work since.

“We are grateful to London Fire Brigade for their prompt response, and we are now conducting a full investigation into the cause of the fire and responses taken on the day.

“Other works on the site will continue meanwhile. Ensuring the safety of our staff and the wider community is our top priority and our investigation will ensure we find out what happened so it can be avoided in the future,” said the spokesperson.

https://fitzrovianews.com/2023/10/03/fire-at-fitzroy-street-construction-site-leaves-three-workers-requiring-hospital-treatment/

#FitzroyStreet #LondonFireBrigade

Police appeal sign at Howland Street.

Police are appealing for information after a traffic incident at 5.20pm on Tuesday 15 August 2023 at the junction of Charlotte Street, Fitzroy Street and Howland Street in Fitzrovia.

Appeal signs have been placed by the police on Howland Street and Fitzroy Street but no other information has been provided.

Witnesses or anyone with information about the incident should contact the Metropolitan Police on 020 7230 7620.

#charlotte-street #fitzroy-street #howland-street #metropolitan-police #traffic

https://fitzrovianews.com/2023/08/23/traffic-incident-at-charlotte-fitzroy-and-howland-streets-police-appeal/

Back again. Scenes for a film about Amy Winehouse will be shot in Fitzroy Square. Photo: Fitzrovia News.

Film crews will descend on the northern part of Fitzrovia this week to shoot scenes for an Amy Winehouse biopic. They have promised to keep disruption to a minimum.

Starcross Films Ltd have written to residents and business owners to warn them of some disturbance from Monday 13 to Saturday 18 March as they set up, shoot scenes, then dismantle equipment for filming in and around 6 Fitzroy Square.

The film called Back to Black is about the last ten years of Winehouse’s life and has the backing and permission of her family, states a letter dropped through people’s doors.

A map shows locations of “technical vehicles” in more than 30 suspended parking bays at Fitzroy Street, Conway Street, Warren Street, Cleveland Street, New Cavendish Street and Great Portland Street. A generator is also to be positioned on Grafton Way at the corner with Fitzroy Square.

“We will personally be on site when filming and as with all filming, there may be a level of disruption, which we can successfully minimise with relevant information ahead of time, and endeavour to make this a positive experience for the community,” write location managers, Adam Sharp and Sam Seccombe.

Filming in Fitzrovia, and elsewhere in Camden, has been a bugbear of local residents with some crews using noisy and polluting diesel or petrol generators often dumped outside people’s homes.

In September last year Camden Film Office had to take action to remove noisy and polluting power generators and equipment outside of homes in Warren Street after they received complaints of late night and early morning nuisance by a film production company.

In May a film production company apologised to residents and businesses for the disruption caused by filming on Tottenham Street and Whitfield Street.

Film Fixer runs the Film Office on behalf of Camden Council and they claim to be mindful of the negative environmental impacts of filming due to the multiple use of generators.

“The Film Fixer contract working on behalf of Camden ensures positive mitigation as part of their license agreements with film makers,” states a council report.

“They have a strong environmental policy and evidence that their advice and contract for filming operations are performed in a way that minimises environmental impact. They have founded the Generator Project that ensures clean air thinking is part of all Film shoots in Camden.”

But whether this “thinking” is put into “practice”, is another matter. It is Camden, after all.

Preparation is due to take place between 8am and 6pm from Monday 13 to Wednesday 15 March; filming from 7am to 8pm Thursday 16 and Friday 17 March; removal from 8am to 6pm on Saturday 18 March.

For the Winehouse filming, Sharp and Seccombe say they can be contacted by telephone on 07971 474 043 or by emailing [email protected] if local people have any questions about the filming.

Camden Film Office is authorised by Camden Council to manage filming in the borough and they can be contacted on 020 7620 0391 (07919 002 115 which is a 24-hour number) or contacted by emailing [email protected] to deal with any concerns about the filming.

More information: copy of letter sent to residents; location map.

#camden-council #cleveland-street #conway-street #film-fixer #filming #fitzroy-square #fitzroy-street #great-portland-street #new-cavendish-street #warren-street

https://fitzrovianews.com/2023/03/12/film-crews-promise-to-minimise-nuisance-during-winehouse-shoot/

This is the ceiling of the #VictorianPrideCentre in #FitzroyStreet #StKilda #Australia.

It a masterpiece unto itself. It’s a new build; it was constructed prior to and throughout the covid period, and opened July 2021.

The architecture and style is stunning. So too the art works and history story boards of LGBTIQ+ within the centre itself.

An excerpt from the Pride Centre’s website:

“The Victorian Pride Centre is the first purpose-built centre for Victoria’s LGBTIQ+ communities. It is a place to pave new directions for the future of LGBTIQ+ communities, while honouring and celebrating our brave – and at times difficult – past.

It is home to practical and supportive services and will grow into a destination for visitors from across Australia, and beyond.

The Victorian Pride Centre is a not-for-profit organisation”.

You should see the views of #Melbounre in all directions from the open recreational rooftop as well.

I’ll revisit shortly and feature the rooftop.

🌈

For more info: https://pridecentre.org.au

#melbourne #aesthetichedonist #victoria #Australia #makesmehappy

September’s issue of Camden History Society’s newsletter has some interesting news and events coming up.

An extended article describes the various studios and lodgings in what is now the London Borough of Camden used by the artist Walter Sickert. He had “the great barn of a room” at the rear of 15 Fitzroy Street (now demolished). It was the same studio where in the 1850s William Firth had painted Derby Day. Across the street at number 8 (also demolished) Sickert taught art students in James Whistler’s former studio. The article notes that an exhibition of Sickert’s work is currently on at Tate Britain until 18 September 2022. Fitzrovia resident Matthew Sturgis is author of a biography of Sickert.

On Thursday 20 October 2022 John Cowley will give a talk on The St Pancras Rent Strike. The strike was in response to rent increases for council tenants in the borough implemented by the Conservative council. Subsequent evictions of two organisers of the protest led to a march of thousands of people on the town hall in Judd Street.

Camden History Society will hold its annual general meeting at Hampstead Parish church from 7pm, Thursday 15 September 2022.

Membership of Camden History Society costs £15 per year.

#camden-history-society #fitzroy-street #wlater-sickert

https://fitzrovianews.com/2022/09/11/history-notes-walter-sickert-in-fitzroy-street/