S O H O

PORTRAITS FROM SOHO VILLAGE FETE 2013 by JAYNE TAYLOR

A VILLAGE AT THE CENTRE OF A CITY

Fete poster design by Glen Baxter

St Anne’s Tower, 55 Dean Street, London W1D 6AFwww.thesohosociety.org.uk

+44 (0)20 7439 4303 / admin@thesohosociety.org.uk / twitter: @sohosocietyw1A company limited by guarantee registered in England No 07899282

Registered UK Charity Number: 1146589

S O H OA VILLAGE AT THE CENTRE OF A CITY

On 7th July 2013, in collaboration with The Soho Society, photographer Jayne Taylor set up a free portrait booth at the Soho Village Fete to create a representation of this slice of “village life” at the very heart of London. A single 5”x4” instant photograph was made at each sitting, and each person was invited to write a personal message dedicated to Soho. This is a selection of pictures and messages from the day, and forms part of a wider photographic project by the photographer, called Long Live Soho!

The Soho Society was set up in the 1970s to represent local residents and businesses, successfully fighting controversial plans to redevelop the area at the time. The Society also took over the running of the village fete, a local festival of music, food & fun which started out as Soho Fair in the 1950s.

Leslie J Hardcastle - Soho resident & President of The Soho Society

Mary Swan - Soho neighbour (sporting the Fete raffle-hat)

Franco Scintu - Soho resident (& Human Fruit Machine at the Fete)

The Brothers Grimm - Amsterdam-based caberet duo (formerly of Soho)

Tim Baros - Soho resident (previously of Greenwich Village, New York)

Spyridon Koskinos - Soho resident & Membership Secretary of The Soho Society

Clive Jennings - Soho neighbour (Fitzrovia) & contributor to The Soho Clarion

Laurence Lynch - Soho resident, playwright & plumber

Eve Ferret - singer at the Soho Village Fete

John Hamilton & Kate Denham - both Soho residents

Maris Sants - artist & Soho resident

Bob O’Dell & David Gleeson - Soho residents & members of The Soho Society Executive Committee

Lewis Dunkley - first-time visitor to Soho Village Fete

Simon Buckley (with his dog Betty) - Priest-in-Charge, Soho St Anne’s

Margaret Bloomer - Soho resident

George Skeggs - artist & Soho neighbour (Covent Garden)

Robert Rubbish - (artist) & Johnny Spitfire (producer); Soho regulars

William Corbett - author & Soho DJ

[L to R] Dave McGowan [words], Lee Drysdale & Mark Powell - Mark is a Soho resident & bespoke tailor

Dan Mitchell - Soho neighbour & organiser of Drug Addicts Anonymous charity stand at the Fete

Mark Powell [words] with son Max & daughter Ellie

Joan Martyr - of Museum of Soho (& retired costume-maker for the Paul Raymond Revue)

William Drummond - Soho devotee & neighbour (Albany)

Ruby Venezuela - drag-queen extraordinaire & performer at the Village Fete

Mandana Ruane - Fete Organiser (with dog Jezebel); & Georgina Phibbs [words] - Snail Racing Organiser

thesohosociety.org.ukmosoho.org.uk

jayne-taylor.co.uk

All images (except poster art) © Jayne Taylor 2013.

The Soho SocietyMuseum of SohoJayne Taylor (Photography)