Fitzrovia

Photo of a leafy alleyway with a lamp post in the foreground. Photo of a leafy alleyway with a lamp post in the foreground.
Photo by me, Colville Place.

Splitting Bloomsbury from Marylebone, Fitzrovia feels, well, quite like both of them. You’ll find a continuation of Marylebone’s imposing mansion blocks to the west, while to the east Bedford Square is a magnificent example of a Georgian garden square.

The area gets its name from Henry FitzRoy, the illegitimate son of King Charles II. FitzRoy literally translates to King’s Son. A name lacking imagination if you ask me.

I think my favourite locale is around Great Tichfield Street but if you’re tired of my overly genteel suggestions then Tottenham Court Road can provide the chaos you seek.

Things to do

Photo of the interior of the Cartoon Museum, situated in a basement with cartoons on the walls. Photo of the interior of the Cartoon Museum, situated in a basement with cartoons on the walls.
Photo by me, one of my drearier efforts I fear.

Cartoon Museum

I can only imagine the number of dissapointed children who’ve been taken to the Cartoon Museum over the years, as when they say cartoon here they’re talking about the UK’s tradition of satirical cartoons, rather than anything that’d show up on Saturday morning TV.

There are a couple of token superhero mannequins, almost as an apology, but the place really isn’t for kids. Fortunately though I’m not a kid and had a great time!

You’ll see a gallery of cartoons stretching from the 1800s to the present day, satirising everything from the Napoleonic Wars to COVID-19. Above all you’ll leave with a feeling that that, in the world of politics, nothing ever changes. Many of the modern cartoons seem, if anything, a little tame compared to the biting caricatures of yore.

£9.50 - Children free

www.cartoonmuseum.org
Photo of the exterior of the Architectural Association, in a magnificent Georgian townhouse.
Photo by me, they have a strong banner game.

Architectural Association

The AA (no, not that one. Or that one.) has been teaching since 1847 and occupies eight of the terraced houses on Bedford Square.

If I were them I’d just tell the students to focus on building copies of Bedford Square across the country. Imagine if Milton Keynes was entirely Bedford Squares! It’d be… nice!

Anyway, the exhbition I went to was located upstairs in a bar which was full of students. As such it wasn’t really possible to see most of it and I fled the melee pretty quickly.

Free

Re-opens 6 Jan 25

www.aaschool.ac.uk
Photo of the interior of the Cartoon Museum, situated in a basement with cartoons on the walls.
Photo by me, I cannot promise year-round baubles.

Fitzrovia Chapel

Fitzrovia Chapel once belonged to Middlesex Hospital but is now stuck in the middle of a fairly nauseating psuedo-public square.

Opened in 1892, it is run by a charity and functions as an event and exhibition space.

The chapel reportedly features an impressive guilded mosaic ceiling and lots of Byzantine style architecutral flourishes - like a mini Westminster Cathedral. Sadly I saw none of this as it was closed when I was there. 😔

Free - Only open on certain days.

www.fitzroviachapel.org
Photo of a preserved pufferfish in the museum, mounted on a pole.
Photo by me, I felt sorry for this surprised fish.

Grant Museum of Zoology

This is the last University anatomy museum and it features a large number of animal skeletons and specimens preserved in jars.

I wasn’t really sure whether to be amazed or horrified by the jar of moles or the wall of mice. There’s a chimpanzee head, there’s a slightly squashed looking cat.

It is well worth visiting, but felt a bit light on information beyond what lurked within each bottle. I also couldn’t help but wonder exactly how some of the exhibits were obtained.

Free - £5 donation encouraged.

www.ucl.ac.uk

Speciality coffee

Photo of a flat white on a bar table created from a urinal. Lovely. Photo of a flat white on a bar table created from a urinal. Lovely.
Photo by me, It was a good flat white.

Attendant Coffee Roasters

The Fitzrovia branch of Attendant is located underground in a converted public toilet.

I’m inclined to be suspicious of coffee shops with a gimmick and I’m very inclined to moan about the lack of public facilities in London but my sniffiness was extinguished by the admittedly pretty flawless flat white. Food is available too but I didn’t try it.

Just be aware that, irony of ironies, they don’t have toilets. You couldn’t make it up.

www.the-attendant.com