Greek Street is a street in

Soho SoHo, short for "South of Houston Street, Houston Street", is a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan, New York City. Since the 1970s, the neighborhood has been the location of many artists' lofts and art galleries, art installations such as The Wall ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, leading south from

Soho Square Soho Square is a garden square in Soho, London, hosting since 1954 a ''de facto'' public park leasehold estate, let by the Soho Square Garden Committee to Westminster City Council. It was originally called King Square after Charles II of Engla ...

to Shaftesbury Avenue. The street is famous for its restaurants and cosmopolitan nature.

History

It is thought to take its name from a Greek church that was built in 1677 in adjacent Crown Street, now part of the west side of

Charing Cross Road Charing Cross Road is a street in central London running immediately north of St Martin-in-the-Fields to St Giles Circus (the intersection with Oxford Street), which then merges into Tottenham Court Road. It leads from the north in the direc ...

. The church is depicted in

William Hogarth William Hogarth (; 10 November 1697 – 26 October 1764) was an English painter, engraving, engraver, pictorial social satire, satirist, editorial cartoonist and occasional writer on art. His work ranges from Realism (visual arts), realistic p ...

's 'Noon' from '' Four Times of the Day''. Although the street has several houses from the 18th century and earlier, it is mainly 19th-century in appearance. No. 1 Greek Street is the House of St Barnabas, built in 1746. It became the offices of the Westminster Commissioner for Works for Sewers in 1811. This is where Chief Engineer Sir Joseph Bazalgette started to work on the construction of the

London sewerage system The London sewer system is part of the water infrastructure serving London, England. The modern system was developed during the late 19th century, and as London has grown the system has been expanded. It is currently owned and operated by Thame ...

. By 1862 the house had been taken over by The House of Charity, which was established in 1846 to provide temporary accommodation for homeless people.

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English novelist, journalist, short story writer and Social criticism, social critic. He created some of literature's best-known fictional characters, and is regarded by ...

used the house and gardens as a model for the London lodgings of Dr Manette and Lucy in ''

A Tale of Two Cities ''A Tale of Two Cities'' is a historical novel published in 1859 by English author Charles Dickens, set in London and Paris before and during the French Revolution. The novel tells the story of the French Doctor Manette, his 18-year-long impr ...

''. There has been a public house known as

Pillars of Hercules The Pillars of Hercules are the promontory, promontories that flank the entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar. The northern Pillar, Calpe Mons, is the Rock of Gibraltar. A corresponding North African peak not being predominant, the identity of ...

at no. 7 since 1733. The current pub building sports some artwork by

Invader ''InVader'' is the fourth album by Finnish glam metal band Reckless Love Reckless Love is a Finnish rock band formed in Kuopio in 2001. They released their debut album in 2010, which reached number 13 in the Finnish charts. In 2011, they rele ...

and was long favoured by many figures in the London literary scene, including

Martin Amis Sir Martin Louis Amis (25 August 1949 – 19 May 2023) was an English novelist, essayist, memoirist, screenwriter and critic. He is best known for his novels ''Money'' (1984) and '' London Fields'' (1989). He received the James Tait Black Mem ...

, Ian Hamilton,

Julian Barnes Julian Patrick Barnes (born 19 January 1946) is an English writer. He won the Man Booker Prize in 2011 with ''The Sense of an Ending'', having been shortlisted three times previously with ''Flaubert's Parrot'', ''England, England'', and ''Arthu ...

and

Ian McEwan Ian Russell McEwan (born 21 June 1948) is a British novelist and screenwriter. In 2008, ''The Times'' featured him on its list of "The 50 greatest British writers since 1945" and ''The Daily Telegraph'' ranked him number 19 in its list of the ...

. Indeed,

Clive James Clive James (born Vivian Leopold James; 7 October 1939 – 24 November 2019) was an Australian critic, journalist, broadcaster, writer and lyricist who lived and worked in the United Kingdom from 1962 until his death in 2019.Freemasons met. The Ancient Grand Lodge of England was organized there on 17 July 1751. The Coach and Horses pub (also known as Norman's), famous for the rudeness of its former landlord Norman Balon, is at no. 29, at the corner with Romilly Street. The fortnightly editorial lunch of '' Private Eye'' is held in the Coach and Horses. There has been a public house of that name on the site since the 1720s. No. 47 is known for having provided temporary lodgings for Giacomo Casanova, famed Venetian adventurer and author, in 1764. No. 49, on the west side of Greek Street, was the home of the legendary folk music club Les Cousins. No. 58 was a temporary lodging for Thomas De Quincey in 1802, as described in Part I of '' Confessions of an English Opium-Eater''. The noted Victorian

sheet music Sheet music is a handwritten or printed form of musical notation that uses musical symbols to indicate the pitches, rhythms, or chords of a song or instrumental musical piece. Like its analogs – printed Book, books or Pamphlet, pamphlets ...

lithographer Alfred Concanen was living at no. 66 with his wife and children in 1861. In the southern part of the street (past

Old Compton Street Old Compton Street is a road that runs east–west through Soho in the West End of London, named after Henry Compton (bishop), Henry Compton who raised funds for St Anne's Church, Soho, St Anne's Church in 1686. The area, particularly this str ...

), no. 28 is the site of Maison Bertaux, a renowned French pâtisserie, founded in 1871. Owned by sisters Michele and Tania Wade, it is known as the headquarters of the artist Martin Firrell. The upstairs tea room shows work by comedian and artist Noel Fielding and members of Icelandic band

Sigur Rós Sigur Rós () is an Icelandic post-rock band that formed in 1994 in Reykjavík. It comprises lead vocalist and guitarist Jónsi, Jón Þór "Jónsi" Birgisson, bassist Georg Hólm, and keyboardist Kjartan Sveinsson. Known for their ethereal soun ...

, among others. It is also the home of the Maison Bertaux Theatre Club, which performs within the tiny confines of the shop. The street is the setting for the 1930 film '' Greek Street'', directed by

Sinclair Hill Sinclair Hill (10 June 1896 – 6 March 1945) was a British film director, film producer, producer and screenwriter. He directed nearly fifty films between 1920 and 1939. He was born as George Sinclair-Hill in London in 1894. He was awarded an O ...

and starring Sari Maritza and William Freshman. In the 1971 film ''

Villain A villain (also known as a " black hat", "bad guy" or "baddy"; The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p.126 "baddy (also baddie) noun (pl. -ies) ''informal'' a villain or criminal in a book, film, etc.". the feminine form is villai ...

'', the crime lord Vic Dakin (

Richard Burton Richard Burton (; born Richard Walter Jenkins Jr.; 10 November 1925 – 5 August 1984) was a Welsh actor. Noted for his mellifluous baritone voice, Burton established himself as a formidable Shakespearean actor in the 1950s and gave a memor ...

) recommends Greek Street as a venue of prostitution. "Try the Manhattan Club in Greek Street... lot of 'sunburnt' girls there... for twenty quid they'll do anything... enjoy yourself!" "Hot Neon", a song featured in the 1976 British TV series '' Rock Follies'', begins: "She writhes in her bed/ In her sweltering room/ In Greek Street/ She tosses and moans/ And her glistening sweat/ Stains the silk sheets/ She is dreaming of…/ Hot neon". In the first series of the show '' Harlots'', Greek Street is the location to which brothel owner Margaret Wells aspires to move her business, instead of remaining in Covent Garden.

Former occupants

* No. 9: Turk's Head Tavern * Nos. 12–13:

Josiah Wedgwood Josiah Wedgwood (12 July 1730 – 3 January 1795) was an English potter, entrepreneur and abolitionist. Founding the Wedgwood company in 1759, he developed improved pottery bodies by systematic experimentation, and was the leader in the indu ...

(as pottery warehouse and showroom) * No. 16: Le Beat Route (club in the 1980s) * No. 17: Crab Tree Club * No. 18: The Establishment Club * No. 20: Hopkins Purvis & Sons,

colour Color (or colour in Commonwealth English; see spelling differences) is the visual perception based on the electromagnetic spectrum. Though color is not an inherent property of matter, color perception is related to an object's light absorp ...

merchants * No. 40: Soho House * No. 47: Giacomo Casanova * No. 49: Les Cousins * No. 58: Thomas De Quincey * No. 66: Alfred Concanen

In the present day

Greek Street is known for its selection of restaurants and cafes, which currently include a Hungarian restaurant ('' The Gay Hussar'' at No. 2), an oriental organic

vegetarian Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the Eating, consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects as food, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slau ...

restaurant, a Thai restaurant, a pizzeria, a traditional Chinese restaurant, an Italian restaurant and a Moroccan and Lebanese restaurant. There is also a gallery, a whisky shop, several bars and some offices. At number 48 is L'Escargot, a Michelin-starred restaurant. There are also several "walk-ups" (providers of legal prostitution) along the street. The street crosses

Manette Street Manette Street is a small street in the Soho area of London, linking the Charing Cross Road to Greek Street. Dating from the 1690s, and formerly named Rose Street, it is now named after the fictional character of Dr Manette in Charles Dickens ...

, Bateman Street,

and Romilly Street.

Current occupants

* No. 1: House of St Barnabas * No. 2: The Gay Hussar * No. 3: Milroy's of Soho * No. 5: Greek Street Live & The Room Where It Happens * No. 6: Gamma Gamma * No. 7:

(now Bar Hercules under new ownership) * No. 9: Jazz After Dark * No. 10: 10 Greek Street * No. 11: BiBimBap * Nos. 12–13: Miabella * No. 13A: Bar San Valentino (Valentino Cafe) * No. 15: Westend Films * No. 17: Be At One Cocktail Bar * No. 18: Zebrano * No. 20: Endor Productions * Nos. 23–24: Maison Touareg Restaurant * No. 25: The Three Greyhounds (Public House) * No. 26: Pop-up Shop (varying short-term occupants) * No. 28: Maison Bertaux * No. 29: Coach and Horses * No. 34: Viet Pho * Nos. 35–36: Yming * No. 40: Soho House * No. 48: L'Escargot * No. 49: Club49 * No. 50: Union Private Members Club * No. 51: Trattoria Da Aldo * No. 53: Thirst Bar * No. 54: Chin Chin Club * No. 55: Lick * No. 57: The New Evaristo Club * No. 58: Balls and Company

References

External links

No 1 Greek Street in the Survey of London

Greek Street in the Survey of London

Greek Street in Flickr
{{Restaurants in London Shopping streets in London Restaurant districts and streets in England Streets in the City of Westminster Streets in Soho