The Krays’ London by Caroline Allen

Author:Caroline Allen
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: TRUE CRIME / General
Publisher: Pen and Sword/Pen and Sword History
Published: 2019-09-29T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 14

The Hideaway/El Morocco

El Morocco, one of Ronnie and Reggie’s last successful endeavours.

Where?

30 Gerrard Street

Westminster

London

W1D 6JS

Why?

El Morocco was the pinnacle in the Kray twins’ success. It was around this time that Ronnie and Reggie were at the very top of the East End gangsters’ hall of fame.

How to get there:

Gerrard Street is in the very centre of London and is now more famously known as Chinatown. You can get off at Leicester Square Underground station and head onto Charing Cross Road. Head right past Angus Steakhouse and take the first left onto Little Newport Street, then take the first left onto Newport Place. As you’re walking, you’ll notice the entrance to Chinatown on your left. 30 Gerrard Street is nearer the other end of the street.

Many people I’ve interviewed had differing opinions on the Kray twins, but it’s largely thought that a factor in their notoriety was that they never gave up. The Hideaway was a testament to that theory.

Shortly after the closure of Esmeralda’s Barn, the twin’s next opportunity presented itself. 30 Gerrard Street is now right in the centre of Chinatown, a popular tourist hotspot in central London. The club itself is now a Chinese restaurant, but the building is still the same, so – in the hustle of Chinatown, it’s surprisingly quite possible to get a sense of the grandeur of the club by standing outside 30 Gerrard Street.

The twins went for a particular style of building and architecture. Similar to The Kentucky, the building had a Georgian Townhouse feel to it. The large paned windows and light brickwork were reminiscent of their previous venture. The only notable difference was the location; this one was located right in the centre of London. Although Gerrard Street wasn’t quite as busy as it is now, the club had a significant footfall from the offset. This, teamed with the gentleman’s club feel that the building exuded, made it a worthy investment.

In 1964, The Hideaway nightclub was bought by Hew McCowan; at the time it was operating under the name Bon Soir. Hew McCowan was a baronet’s son and a socialite by all accounts, who planned to turn the Soho nightclub into a fashionable spot for his upmarket friends. Unlike many of the other hotspots Ronnie and Reggie had previously been involved in, this particular venture was unlikely to need protecting. Its prime location and Hew McCowan’s socialite groups of friends meant that it wasn’t the type of place to attract unsavoury characters. Nonetheless, they wanted to place themselves back in the heart of the West End scene, so they saw this as an opportunity to negotiate with McCowan.

He offered them 20 per cent of his new venture, but then changed his mind. It’s not known the exact reason for this change of heart, but it would’ve only taken a bit of light research on Hew McCowan’s part for him to discover the Kray twins’ colourful past.

The pair did not take this well; they saw this as an act of hostility and went to the club to demand money.

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