Soho sleaze and striptease

(07-09-2017 08:13 )babelover48 Wrote:  I reckon Soho has probably changed beyond in all recognition from it's glory years judging from the above photos

Hi
You are right, not all the changes are for the worse, a lot of the Street architecture needed replacing , as in some cases it was falling on the public, the original paving stones have just about all gone, replaced with concrete, heaven's knows why.

The smaller one man sex shops have mainly all gone, Peter Street has a couple but that is just about it

My pet hate is the Lap-Dancing Clubs, much preferred it in the days of straight strippers

My second pet hate is the small overpriced cake and coffee shops, sadly while Soho has its share of them they are all over London

biggest loss is knowing the Vintage Magazine Shop isn't there any more - That absolutely was one place I visited the most and spent time in when I went there

(07-09-2017 08:52 )babelover48 Wrote:  biggest loss is knowing the Vintage Magazine Shop isn't there any more - That absolutely was one place I visited the most and spent time in when I went there

Hi Babelover,

It is still going though online see link below

http://vintagemagazinecompany.co.uk/en/c...4-about-us

Not what I would have wished, but better than if it had gone completly

Hi
On Sunday, I heard a story about one of the regular entertainers in Soho.
Back in 1971 I spent the summer as a street artist drawing in chalk, a more experienced artist did the essential work and I filled the rest in and spent the day collecting charity donations. On the pitch, next to me was a tap dancer called Norman Norris, The Earl of Mustard, very nice man.
He was forgotten about till Sunday when in Soho I was with a couple of friends and at Walkers Court they must cover up the work huge images of the old Soho characters, The Earl of Mustard being one of them. See attached image
Anyway, I was recounting the story of 1971 and one of the guys said that probably Norman was also an informer for the security services, this being the time of the IRA. The reason being that he travelled Britain and Eire and so would have been privy to information from conversations along the way.
This was never something I considered but it does make a bit of sense, I googled him and besides calling himself Norman Norris his real name was Ian Pirie and he lived well into his 90s , he worked the crowds at Leicester Square , Shaftsbury Avenue and also Soho.
Does anyone else know anything about this

Hi
I was talking with some friends about the old days and one person mentioned a place called Bottom’s Up. More a drinking club for locals than anything else but they had strippers on Thursday and Friday.
Closed late 1970s but my friend was not sure of the reason, it was closed Sunday-Monday and open the rest of the time
Weekends were of interest, it was closed on Sunday but a Swinger Group used it on that day, the Swingers moved to Camberwell and then on to Kent when it closed.
Of note were some of the customers, my friend saw several second line DJs and other Media people and on one occasion a MP with a regular.
So does anyone know anything else about the this place, my friend was struggling to recall the location and thinks it may have been close to St Annes Court

I don't remember anywhere called Bottoms Up but there were many drinking dens in Soho in the 1960s and 1970s. Most of them had closed by the end of the 1970s. Rising rents was a big problem for many businesses around that time and that could well have been the reason for their disappearance.

Yes it's true, Soho rents skyrocketed around the late 1970s.

(20-09-2017 16:01 )elgar1uk Wrote:  I don't remember anywhere called Bottoms Up but there were many drinking dens in Soho in the 1960s and 1970s. Most of them had closed by the end of the 1970s. Rising rents was a big problem for many businesses around that time and that could well have been the reason for their disappearance.

Hi
Spoke to the person he agrees with you there were many drinking dens but as always it was for those "In the know"
He also said most of them closed in the late 70s so this ties in with both you and Southlondonphil comment regarding rising rents.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/magazine-41...cing-nudes

That's a really good link. Although the video is only a short one, it describes what the Windmill was like very well.