New Books in Critical Theory Matt Houlbrook, "Songs of Seven Dials: An Intimate History of 1920s and 1930s London" (Manchester UP, 2025)
Dec 2, 2025
Matt Houlbrook, a Professor of Cultural History at the University of Birmingham, discusses his book focusing on Seven Dials, a vibrant yet contested area of London during the 1920s and 1930s. He details a pivotal libel trial involving a local café that highlights struggles around urban development and racial narratives. Topics include the shifting meanings of space, media portrayals of the area as a 'black colony', and the clash between gentrification ambitions and community resistance. Houlbrook's insights reveal how historical tensions continue to shape contemporary London.
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Planned Streets Shaped Persistent Conflict
- Seven Dials is a compact central-London district laid out in the 1690s as a wheel of seven radiating streets to maximize frontage and rent.
- Its planned design shaped its long history as contested urban space between commerce and poverty.
The Kittens’ Cafe Became A Hub
- Jim and Emily Kitten, a working-class couple, opened a popular cafe in Seven Dials in 1921 after saving from low-paid jobs.
- Their cafe became central to Black and Asian Britons' social life before attracting hostile press and developers.
Twin Forces Drove Early Gentrification
- Two interlocking gentrifying forces targeted Seven Dials after WWI: political clearance schemes and private property investment.
- Both aimed to replace working-class housing with commercial and leisure blocks to raise area value.
