Crossrail - a small positive...

Those of you who read this blog will know I am not a fan of the Crossrail development - particularly as I have watched from my office window whilst a whole Soho block (including some really cool old warehouse buildings and a proper old Soho boozer) was demolished.  Don't even get me started on the Astoria.... Anyway, trying to look on the bright side - the demolition of the block bordered by Dean and Great Chapel Streets has revealed a better view of the old St Patrick's Schools Soho building - now one of those slightly shady English language colleges but originally I assume (I can't find any info on it) a school for local Soho RC children, perhaps associated with St Patrick's church in Soho Square?  I have always liked the building, in particular the writing on the front, but I had never realised there was a covered basketball court on the roof - I thought they only existed in New York.  Whilst I really like the building, it does have a certain grim quality so (perhaps unfairly) I imagine it was not exactly fun and games for the 19th century pupils.  At some stage though (most likely in the 20th century) they got a covered sports area (I imagine it must have been for football originally?) so at least that's something.  So one fringe benefit of the relentless Crossrail destruction/construction is these little glimpses into parts of Soho that have been hidden up until now.

Crossrail and the end of a Soho block (or two)

I have ranted about Crossrail before - I mourn the passing of the Centrepoint fountain, don't even get me started on the Astoria and now I am faced daily with the destruction and complete removal of a whole block of Soho, specifically the block bordered by Oxford St, Dean St, Great Chapel St and Carlisle St.  Gone forever is the Bath House pub that used to be on the corner of Fareham St, the cool old building that housed the Black Gardenia bar just opposite and the amazing red brick warehouse on Fareham St with the arched windows (if you look closely at the photo above you can see the arches coming down).  You know what's kinda cool about Google Street View is that it's all still there - obviously their cameras went around Soho some time ago so you can actually see what it used to look like, which is sad...but cool.  And what will we get in return for losing this chunk of W1?  From the looks of the drawing a Canary-Wharf style station entrance for the new Tottenham Court Road tube and Crossrail station.  Is that worth the loss of a piece of "real" Soho?  I dunno - for me it's a definite no, but perhaps I am just being resistant to change/evolution.  What do you think?