Wednesday 14 June
We were treated to three fantastic tours of The Fitzrovia Chapel by the chapel's director Madeline Boomgarten. From the chapel's beginning as a central part of Middlesex Hospital, and its design by architect John Loughborough Pearson in the 1890s, to its most recent refurbishment in 2015, the chapel has always been a space of repose and reflection in the heart of Fitzrovia.
Mark Gazaleh, leader of the Marylebone and Fitzrovia Street Tree Planting Initiative, and Chris Colwell, Senior Arboricultural Officer for Westminster Council. Taking in the great streets of Fitzrovia and outlining the fantastic work they have done over a decade in Fitzrovia, Mark and Chris highlighted the power of dedication and determination, when seeking to make change and green our city spaces.
We gathered once more in The Fitzrovia Chapel for a mesmerising evening of music and words, performed by the guitarist and singer David Ogilvy and the poet Edward Barker. Telling tales of artists and musicians varied and multifaceted connections to Fitzrovia, we heard beautiful songs by Bob Dylan, Leonnard Cohen, and some of David Ogilvy's own creations. Edward Barker treated us to poetry from the Neo-Romantic and Naturalist movements. Edward recited work by Geoffrey Hill, Dylan Thomas, his father George Barker, and his own words.
