Comments on: Warren Street and the Murder of Stan ‘The Spiv’ Setty by Brian Donald Hume in 1949

By: Iain Dawson

Iain Dawson — Mon, 30 Nov 2020 14:37:04 +0000

Great Story,really good work,many thanks!Cheers Iain, aka Viv the Spiv.

By: Louise Blackhurst/Martinelli

Louise Blackhurst/Martinelli — Wed, 30 Sep 2020 13:15:53 +0000

Was lovely reading about Warren Street as my grandparents owned the Fitzroy cafe .my aunties and my uncle peter Speak so fondly of their time there including the characters who worked on the street, and how nice Setty was and how tragically he died .

By: David Taylor

David Taylor — Thu, 06 Sep 2018 19:37:30 +0000

Very fascinating article, thank you. Having read the various comments I was for some reason intrigued by the two comments from 2013 and 2014 posted by Peter Martinelli MBE, who claimed that he actually knew Stan Setty and found him to be popular, and a gentleman. I wondered if this could be true, so did a google search on Peter Martinelli. Amazed to find several entries about his life. He was very well respected at Smithfield market where he was a meat company owner, and also represented all the market staff at Union matters. His parents did indeed own the Fitzroy Cafe in Warren Street, and he himself did indeed work there in the 1950,s. I think in view of this Mr Martinellis comments about the character of Stan Setty should certainly be given serious consideration and acceptance. Sadly it appears that Peter Marinelli passed away just last year in Tenerife aged 87 years old.

By: Jennie Rose

Jennie Rose — Sat, 30 Dec 2017 22:40:23 +0000

I have just been sorting through my mother’s papers. I came across a very limp old newspaper cutting, brown with age. The paper was the Daily Mail, dated January 24th 1950. I was only 10 days old. Years later my mother and I came across this newspaper article again, she had kept it because she had known Cynthia, Donald Hume’s wife from being in the W.A.A Fs at the same time. My mother told me that she had always wondered what had happened to her after the Court case finished. She had apparently claimed that she was in her flat listening to the radio at the time her husband was supposed to have murdered Setty’ My mum had written on the old newspaper – these are her words. ‘Cutting from Daily Mail which I was reading in the Tetbury Nursing Home with my baby Jennifer [9 days old]. Cynthia at Watnall and Church Fenton After we met at Cranwell. Hume got off!! No idea what happened to C. Probably gone abroad.” Thought you might find this of interest. I did!

Regards, Jennie Rose. jennierose@tiscali.co.uk

By: Richard Alvarez

Richard Alvarez — Fri, 24 Nov 2017 18:29:08 +0000

Good Evening Andrew my memory is getting terrible .By chance , my wife found an old advert from 1927 for Bertram Alvarez Ltd who were sole concessionaires for the American Peerless marque. They had offices or showrooms in Berkeley St and Stratton St in the heart of the West End.
I showed these to my father some years ago and he confirmed that Bertram was his uncle and was a very dapper individual.
I do have a little more information but I am not sure of its accuracy .
I am not really familiar with being part of a blog so not sure how these things work but perhaps we could make contact some how.
Regards Richard

By: Richard Alvarez

Richard Alvarez — Wed, 22 Nov 2017 21:36:50 +0000

I don’t recall Bertram or Nathaniel Alvarez but there were plenty of cousins and our extended family reach was not very wide as I think that there had been a large split at some time .
I keep thinking that although The Warren St car trade was not well regarded by many ,it was part of London’s history and should be better recorded.
To my knowledge there are a few traders who were part of the regular scene still around and perhaps perhaps we should have a reunion (entry strictly by well thumbed Glass’s guide of course ). Richard Alvarez

By: Tony Jauncey

Tony Jauncey — Sat, 28 Oct 2017 07:28:45 +0000

Back in the seventies, I was a young police officer based at Golders Green Police station. I went to report a burglary at a flat above the shops at the Golders Green crossroads, just opposite the tube station. We were let into the flat by the occupier and went upstairs. I was with a young Irish WPC and as soon as wee reached the flat itself, she grabbed by arm. She whispered to me that something terrible had taken place in this flat. My first thought was she was referring to the burglary, which was as far as I was concerned, was a run of the mill breaking and entering. I obtained the details that I required from the flat’s occupier and we walked backed to the police station to enter the report into the crime book. I asked the WPC was she was referring to when we had entered the flat, and she told me that her family and her were mediums and that she had sensed that something of a terrible nature that happened in the flat and that she sensed a great deal of blood had been shed inside the flat. I happened to mention this to an officer who had served at our station for many years and he told me that it was at this flat, Setty had been murdered. Makes one think !

By: Steven godfrey

Steven godfrey — Wed, 20 Sep 2017 07:38:18 +0000

I worked for my uncle in Warren Street, Joe Ashley, in the late 1960s, I find it quite sad to see no sign of the past there at all.

By: Michael

Michael — Fri, 14 Jul 2017 19:10:54 +0000

What ever happend to Billy the Shoplifter.

By: CHRIS MCNAIR

CHRIS MCNAIR — Sun, 18 Jun 2017 02:35:47 +0000

My farther John McNair or Mac was in partnership with Nick Roak or roaky at Castle Motors 456 London Road Thornton Heath
He spoke of Warren St very often . I wonder if anyone remembers him