I don't think they extend into the booking hall which is what is being expanded, but hopefully they would get removed before works begin and put back afterwards. I love them too :)
Good question - Skiffle was born in New Orleans, apparently, so it's not that, I guess. I suppose there's the traditional pub pianist singsong, that was mainly a London thing.
It shouldn't just be the centuries-old stuff though; Birmingham's famous for being the birthplace of numerous heavy metal bands such as Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin & the like. There were a few pubs & clubs up near where I live where they'd play - Mother's in Sutton Coldfield played host to Pink Floyd, Queen, Sabbath, loads of good bands, and there was a pub over the way from there that was just as good, but Birmingham City Council have *no* idea of the value of this heritage, and Mother's is now a furniture store, and the pub has been burnt down, demolished & replaced with a Tesco Express & some old folks' flats.
*nod* many of the places I saw bands at in the 80s and 90s in Melbourne have been redeveloped for apartments and in one case a pizza restaurant. It would be nice if there was some plaque to commemorate the Astoria in the new development, but I won't hold my breath.
It really is a shame, and losing that history makes me sad, but Crossrail is vitally important and the redevelopment will help pay for it, plus more housing in central London will make it a more livable city.
I'd be surprised if any of the housing is that affordable - especially with the change in the "social housing" requirement for developers. And that's prime retail and business territory - nominally speaking. Even if it's across the road from the Centrepoint tower, which was left vacant for its first decade because that was cheaper than actually letting it.
Hmmm, true about the social housing aspect, but people living in a city, of any demographic (like Manhattan in New York), is a good thing for that city.
True, but the higher the wealth, the lower the population density. And I'm not even sure whether plans for that area include any housing. The really wealthy barely interact with the real city.
i am so saddened by this. not just because it's a historic venue, but because it is a great place to see live bands! i've seen some of my very favourite bands play there. it's small enough to be intimate, yet large enough to attract big names, and it's a dawdle to get to on public transport. there's the forum in kentish town but it doesn't draw the same calibre of acts. otherwise it's the shepherd's bush empire or the hammersmith apollo, but they're not quite so central. *le sigh*
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I hope they don't destroy the mosiac tiles in the Tottenham Court Road Tube station-they are so lovely.
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It shouldn't just be the centuries-old stuff though; Birmingham's famous for being the birthplace of numerous heavy metal bands such as Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin & the like. There were a few pubs & clubs up near where I live where they'd play - Mother's in Sutton Coldfield played host to Pink Floyd, Queen, Sabbath, loads of good bands, and there was a pub over the way from there that was just as good, but Birmingham City Council have *no* idea of the value of this heritage, and Mother's is now a furniture store, and the pub has been burnt down, demolished & replaced with a Tesco Express & some old folks' flats.
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And Brixton! [grin] Although again, not so central.
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