49 Greek Street.

I’ll say it again. 49 Greek Street …

You have to admit, it’s got a certain ring to it. The kudos and caché of a prestigious W1 London postcode. The prime Zone 1 location in our capital’s famed West End. Slap bang in the middle of busy, buzzy, brilliant Soho.

But Greek Street is so much more than a “cool” and iconic address for your Virtual Office (though it is very “cool” and iconic, obvs) - it is, to be picky, 320 metres of almost immeasurable historical, cultural and social importance.

Running from Soho Square to Shaftesbury Avenue, it’s thought to take its name from a Greek church (known as St Mary’s) built in 1677 on what is now Charing Cross Road.

In 1906, a Metropolitan police officer claimed that Greek Street was, “the worst street in the West End of London […] crowds of people gather nightly who are little else than a pest.” He didn’t mince his words, continuing, “some of the vilest reptiles in London live there or frequent it.” Maybe he was just having one of those days …

Now, thankfully, Greek Street is a buoyant, vibrant patchwork quilt of writers, artists, bohemians and small business owners - a place where outsiders can feel very much like insiders, without being labelled “pests” and/or “reptiles”.

Now, time for a history lesson. Pay attention, questions to follow.

Number 1 Greek Street is the House of St Barnabas, where Chief Engineer Sir Joseph Bazalgette first worked on the construction of the London Sewage System in the early 1800s - surely worth a heartfelt nod of the cap next time you flush your toilet? On a very different note, the venue also inspired a location in Charles Dickens’ ‘A Tale of Two Cities’.

The Coach & Horses pub first opened its doors in 1847 - though there had been a public house on the site of 29 Greek Street since the 1720s. It became a favourite watering hole for the journalists of the satirical magazine Private Eye (who still hold their fortnightly editorial lunches there) but is perhaps equally famous/infamous for the 63-year career of Norman Balon, “London’s rudest Landlord” - whatever you do, don’t ask Norman if he can, “just top your pint up a little bit …”

The pub also became notable for its association with the columnist Jeffrey Bernard, and the pub’s interior was painstakingly recreated on the stage of the Apollo Theatre for the 1989 award-winning Keith Waterhouse play, ‘Jeffrey Bernard Is Unwell’ starring Peter O’Toole in the titular role.

Number 47 is known for having provided temporary lodgings for famed Venetian adventurer, writer and … ahem … “lover” Giacomo Casanova in 1764. By all accounts, the terms “pest” and “reptile” may not be so far-fetched when it comes to dissecting Casanova’s colourful love life, but that’s for another blog entry.

Co-founded by comedy royalty Peter Cook and writer Nicholas Luard, The Establishment first opened its Number 18 Greek Street doors in October 1961. The nightclub served as an ideal venue for budding comedians and satirists to perform new material without the usual fears of censorship. Performers included Dudley Moore, Barry Humphries aka Dame Edna Everage and Lenny Bruce to name but a few. Alas, The Establishment folded in 1964 but its creative and comedic legacies live on some sixty years later.

Other slightly more hidden Greek Street gems include Maison Bertaux, supposedly the oldest French patisserie in London (1871, if you’re wondering); Milroy’s of Soho, established in 1964 by the Scottish Milroy brothers - whisky specialists who were the first to bring single malt scotch into London; and The Vault - a secret cocktail bar hidden behind a bookcase somewhere on Greek Street … if you find it, let me know … please.

And what of our very own Number 49, I hear you ask? Well, the basement of 49 Greek Street was home to the legendary folk and blues music club, Les Cousins. The venue took its name from French director Claude Chabrol’s 1959 film … oui, you guessed it … ‘Les Cousins’. It was described by English folk legend Roy Harper as, “a spawning ground” for new musical talent, including (drumroll please) Paul Simon, Joni Mitchell, Nick Drake, Cat Stevens and Bob Dylan. The bad news is that the club closed down in 1972, but the good news is that it is now home-sweet-home to one City Virtual Hub.

Should you require a meeting room or just a chilled-out workspace - of the non-virtual variety, that is - then The Union Private Members Club at Number 50 Greek Street is your one-stop shop. The friendly, bohemian club describes itself as “Soho’s best kept secret” (though I think the bar-behind-the bookcase would have something to say about that) and has meeting rooms for hire as well as The Studio - a comfy cross between an office, a living room and a New York coffee house. As the late, great Monty Python member Terry Jones put it, “I’d soon-ion be in The Union than any place I know”.

So, there you have it. Here endeth the lesson and your bespoke whistle stop tour of gritty, glorious Greek Street, from Charles Dickens to Monty Python, via Casanova.

And don’t forget, with City Virtual Hub and our Virtual Office service, a little piece of this eclectic, electric corner of Soho could be yours … virtually.

See you there.

Now, anyone seen a suspicious-looking bookcase hanging around …

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