Colville Place has always been a favourite of mine. I used to work in Charlotte Street and the first time I discovered it (when I was cutting through to Whitfield Street) I was won over. A fairly standard row of 18th century houses is given extra charm by being located on this little oasis just off busy Charlotte Street and metres from crazy Tottenham Court Road. You really feel like you have entered another world when you turn into Colville Place and the fact that the residents have turned the areas in front of their houses into makeshift gardens with loads of pot plants makes it even more magical. A lot of the houses look like they have extensive roof terraces as well - you can see the vegetation peeping over the tops of the houses. I have often thought I should stalk someone who lives here just to get access to one of the roof terraces - what a great venue for a Summer party. However in all my years of lurking on Colville Place I have never seen anyone come out of these houses. The Movie Poster Art Gallery is located here as well as a tiny park that in Summer is crammed with media types soaking up Vitamin D. So next time you are buying your lunch in Charlotte Street or Goodge Street, trundle on round to Colville Place and munch your sandwich on one of London's most charming streets.Monday 22 February 2010
Colville Place W1
Colville Place has always been a favourite of mine. I used to work in Charlotte Street and the first time I discovered it (when I was cutting through to Whitfield Street) I was won over. A fairly standard row of 18th century houses is given extra charm by being located on this little oasis just off busy Charlotte Street and metres from crazy Tottenham Court Road. You really feel like you have entered another world when you turn into Colville Place and the fact that the residents have turned the areas in front of their houses into makeshift gardens with loads of pot plants makes it even more magical. A lot of the houses look like they have extensive roof terraces as well - you can see the vegetation peeping over the tops of the houses. I have often thought I should stalk someone who lives here just to get access to one of the roof terraces - what a great venue for a Summer party. However in all my years of lurking on Colville Place I have never seen anyone come out of these houses. The Movie Poster Art Gallery is located here as well as a tiny park that in Summer is crammed with media types soaking up Vitamin D. So next time you are buying your lunch in Charlotte Street or Goodge Street, trundle on round to Colville Place and munch your sandwich on one of London's most charming streets.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
My grandfather lived in this street in the latter part of the nineteenth century. A real London oasis.
ReplyDeleteHow fantastic - lucky him!
ReplyDeleteMy great great grandmother was living at 11 Colville Place in 1942.
ReplyDeleteI lived in number 3 in the 90s. The view from the terrace was extraordinary.
ReplyDeleteI lived at No.6 (the one with the lamp post outside the front door) with 3 mates from 1993 to '95 and we were all students studying design at Central St. Martins College on Southampton Row. Such an amazing place to live in at such a great time in my life.
ReplyDeleteThe closest home to college meant that once the student bar had closed (at 10pm!!) it was back to our place for a party! Two of the guys worked behind the bar at Riki Tik's, so we would be out in the Soho bars most weekends (and even on school nights too!).
I remember having a fry up one Sunday morning at the greasy spoon on Goodge Street, when Jimmy Page and Robert Plant sat down next to us. They had been rehearsing for the No Quarter album, so were covered in beads and moroccan scarves and bracelets. The main thing I recall about them was how wrinkly they both were, still both going for the long haired rock god look! They were both a good laugh and couldn't stop talking.
Lots of good memories and good times with Larry, Chris and Barney at Colville Place, The Fitzrovia and the Fitzroy Tavern. Despite the hangovers we all passed our degrees, amazing really considering the miniscule amount of work we did. If I remember correctly, the rent was £240 per month split between 4 of us.