Up West

Do you remember the West End of London during the 1950s? Did you live or work there? If so, I want to hear from you... This was the advertisement author Pip Granger placed in a local newspaper, and the response was immediate. Soon she was hearing from people who recalled when sweets were rationed; from families who'd been bombed out of their homes during the Blitz; from men who worked in the flower markets of Covent Garden; and from the son of a family who'd opened one of the very first delicatessens in Soho. All have extraordinary stories to tell. Based on these, and the author's own memories, Up West evokes a unique and vibrant community and a way of life that is vanishing fast.