Beyond the Flapper: Hardship and Hedonism in Seven Dials
While the 1920s in London are often remembered for the glitz of the “Roaring Twenties,” the neighbourhood of Seven Dials tells a grittier, more complex story. In a recent episode of the London History Podcast, Professor Matt Houlbrook describes the area as an “island in the heart of the West End,” serving as the “backstage” to the nearby theatre district.
Drawing on Houlbrook’s book, Songs of Seven Dials, we explore how race, class, and the threat of “urban improvement” defined this community during the interwar years.
The "Backstage" of the West End
Despite being sandwiched between Covent Garden and Soho, Seven Dials was often misunderstood or ignored by outsiders; even Agatha Christie characters in the 1920s joked about not knowing where it was, assuming it was in the East End.
In reality, it was a hub of “unseen work” that kept the West End running. It was home to market porters, factory hands, and service workers who lived in a “tangle of courts and yards”. The population was exceptionally diverse, featuring migrants from across Britain, Ireland, Eastern Europe, and the British Empire. This created a cosmopolitan working-class community that felt distinct from the consumerist centres surrounding it.
Challenging the "Colour Bar": The Case of Jim and Emily Kitten
One of the most significant flashpoints for racial tension in the area involved a café run by Jim Kitten, a Sierra Leonean man, and his white wife, Emily.
Following World War I, Britain saw a “virulent… racist reaction” against Black and Asian communities, leading to a “colour bar” that excluded them from many social spaces. The Kittens’ café became a vital sanctuary—a “commercial cultural response” to this exclusion—serving as a social hub for Black and Asian sailors, students, and jazz musicians.
However, this cosmopolitanism attracted hostility:
- Media Attacks: The right-wing newspaper John Bull launched a racist campaign against the café, labelling it a “den of Vice and iniquity”.
- Police Harassment: The venue faced intrusive patrolling from Bow Street police, part of a wider effort to push Black working-class communities out of the area.
- Legal Resistance: In a remarkable move, the Kittens sued John Bull for libel in 1927. The case sparked questions in Parliament regarding the regulation of London’s nightlife and the existence of a colour bar in Britain.
Gentrification and the Threat of "Grand Plans"
Class tensions in Seven Dials were fuelled by early forms of gentrification. In the post-war period, politicians and developers viewed the neighbourhood as a slum and devised “grand plans” to demolish it entirely.
The vision was to create a plaza to rival Piccadilly Circus, filled with office blocks and department stores. While lack of funding eventually stalled these plans, the widespread belief that the area would be demolished encouraged speculation by theatrical entrepreneurs and hotel owners.
Professor Houlbrook notes that the media played a crucial role in this dynamic. The constant “drip, drip” of negative reporting on crime and vice in Seven Dials reinforced its image as a “dark spot”. This stigmatisation played into the hands of developers, providing the justification needed to argue for the neighbourhood’s destruction.
The Myth of the Flapper vs. The Reality of Lumber Court
The history of Seven Dials also challenges the romanticised image of the 1920s “flapper.” At 5 Lumber Court, a tenement boarding house run by Nelly Riggiani, young working-class women lived a life defined by economic precariousness rather than hedonism.
Census records from 1921 reveal residents working as cigarette factory hands and dance instructors. While some, like 18-year-old dancer Connie, fit the visual mould of the flapper, their lives were often characterised by “expropriation and exploitation” amidst an economic slump. The dark side of this nightlife was highlighted by the tragic death of resident Lillian May Davis from a cocaine overdose, which the press used to stoke moral panics about “interracial mixing” and the dangers of Seven Dials.
To listen to the full conversation with Professor Matt Houlbrook, check out 🎧 Episode 148: Seven Dials in the Interwar Years
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