The Germans of Fitzrovia

Part of the Marylebone district of the West End (often called East Marylebone), the area known historically as Fitzrovia was once the stamping-ground of a sizeable German contingent – economic migrants who came to work in catering, tailoring etc. and then decided to make their home in London.

Named after the Fitzroy family, Dukes of Grafton, who owned much of the land on which it was built

in the 18^th century, the district of Fitzrovia had more than its fair share of poverty. But it was also close enough to the affluent West End to attract skilled workers to its restaurants, shops and hotels. Many of these were immigrants from Italy, Switzerland, France and – most notably - Germany. There was also a thriving Jewish population.

With rents relatively low, the mid-19th century saw the establishment of a sizeable working-class community around Goodge Street and Mortimer Street, principally because of their proximity to the big West End houses that these German tradespeople served. At one time, so many German businesses were clustered around Fitzrovia that Charlotte Street – the beating heart of the district then, as now - became known as ‘Charlottenstrasse’. By 1913, of the 138 businesses listed for the area, at least 40 had German names. There were butchers, bakers and provision dealers specialising in German specialities, as well as more than a few restaurants offering 

German and Austrian cuisine.  The most famous of these was undoubtedly Schmidt’s at 41 Charlotte

Schmidt's deli  Charlotte St 1901

Street which continued trading right up to the 1970s.

In 1911, about ten per cent of waiters and waitresses in catering jobs in London were German. German waiters had various advantages compared to their British counterparts. They had usually had formal training, either as an apprentice or by attending one of the Fachschulen für Gastwirtschaftswesen (hospitality colleges), whose curriculum included subjects such as service, menu organisation, geography, English and French, and book-keeping. They would also often accept lower wages to obtain experience. An article in the London Hotel and Restaurant Employees Gazette of 1890 describes how German and Swiss hotel owners sent their sons to foreign countries “to pick up as many languages as possible and to learn their profession from the very lowest rungs of the social ladder”. British establishments also offered higher wages and shorter hours than back home.

The Germans’ work was highly regarded, as evidenced by this report by the English National Council: “It would be impossible to speak too highly of the work carried on by our German brethren. Their work is thoroughly well organized, their members are keenly interested in the welfare of their compatriots, their meetings are attractive and well attended, while the value of the effort put forth to benefit young Germans employed as waiters, bakers, etc. cannot be over- estimated”.

German waiters established a number of societies in Britain from the end of the nineteenth century. A Kellnerheim (Christian Home for Waiters), the first of its kind, was opened in 1892 by George Williams at 44 Clipstone Street. It had limited accommodation, but offered a very important employment service. The waiters who met at the Kellnerheim went on to found a Christian Association for Foreign Waiters in 1895. In 1904, the Association opened a new “Christian Home for Waiters” at 48 Charlotte Street.

The Fitzroy Tavern   Charlotte

Originally built in 1883 as the Fitzroy Coffee House, the Fitzroy Tavern at 16 Charlotte Street (so named since 1919) first became a pub in 1887 when it was known as ‘The Hundred Marks’  in acknowledgement of the sizeable  German population at that time.

For those who could afford it, there were also German clubs and societies, particularly around Charlotte Street and Fitzroy Street, for sports and gymnastics, cycling, dancing, concerts, drama, dining, games, English lessons and technical training.

There were also several German bookshops, including one run by George Thimm in the West End

Schauer's German bookshop  Charlotte St

and this one (right) in Charlotte Street. The Germans also had their own newspapers, including the Londoner Generalanzeiger (from 1889) and the Londoner Zeitung (which started as the Hermann in 1858). Several of these papers were still in existence right up until the outbreak of World War One.

Herman Ze German  Charlotte St

Today, Fitzrovia has all but lost its German character, although Herman Ze German, located just a few doors from where Schmidt’s restaurant and deli used to be on Charlotte Street, proudly keeps the flag flying with its range of authentic Black Forest sausages!

References:

Author’s blogpost ‘London’s German Community in the 19^th century’ at: https://londonmad.blogspot.com/2016/01/welcome-to-my-new-blog-short-pieces-on.html

Germans in Britain since 1500 ed. Panikos Panayi (1996)