In No 4 Charing Cross Road, now a public library, a statue of Julius Caesar decorated the Imperial Hall, portraits of Mussolini hung from the walls and the acclaimed tenor Beniamino Gigli sang arias as Blackshirts stood guard at the entrance.

As the headquarters for the Italian Fascist Party in London from 1937-1940 it was reported by The Italian newspaper in London as “an 11,000-square-foot Palace befitting the rightful pride of Italians of the Fascist Era”

Talk and exhibition curated and presented by Alfio Bernabei.

Based on his TV documentary and book on Italian immigrants and exiles, it tells the story of how a thriving community was led astray in a political experiment that ended in tragedy.

The Exhibition runs from 17 November - 14 December.

Bernabei's Channel 4 documentary "Dangerous Characters" is at 6.30-8pm on:

Tuesday 24 November Part 1 and Wednesday 25 November Part 2