The lore of Soho London
Soho most likely takes its name from “So-ho!”, the hunters’ cry on sighting a hare. By 1700 houses covered its fields.
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c. 1536
Henry VIII acquires most of Soho’s fields for the Crown. Crown leases keep most of them unbuilt until the 1670s.
1677
Bricklayer Richard Frith leases Soho Fields and starts King’s Square, now Soho Square. By 1691 it has 41 houses.
British History Online / London County CouncilSurvey of London vols 33-34 (British History Online)
1686
Bishop Henry Compton, Old Compton Street's namesake, consecrates St Anne's church. Its new parish splits off from St Martin-in-the-Fields.
British History Online / London County CouncilSt Anne's Church, Soho
1778
St James’s parish summons ten brokers from Berwick Street and nearby for setting goods in the road: the market’s earliest record.
1851
Karl Marx, the German philosopher, crowds his family into two rooms at 28 Dean Street while he works on Das Kapital.
1854
In ten days, cholera kills over 500 people nearby. Doctor John Snow links them to one pump, evidence the disease is waterborne.
US Centers for Disease Control and PreventionUCLA Fielding School of Public Health, Department of EpidemiologyBritish History Online / London County Council
1886
Shaftesbury Avenue is finished. Building it and Charing Cross Road sweeps away the slum streets around Newport Market.
1926
At 22 Frith Street, inventor John Logie Baird gives the world's first demonstration of working television, to 40 Royal Institution members.
1940
During the Blitz of London, bombs gut St Anne's, sparing its tower. It is a bomb site and car park until 1991.
1957
John Stephen opens His Clothes, a menswear boutique, on Carnaby Street. Restocking every few weeks, he changes how men's clothes are sold.
1965
Saxophonist Ronnie Scott moves his jazz club to 47 Frith Street. Since 1961 it has hosted American stars such as Stan Getz.
2022
London's east-west Elizabeth line opens, with a ticket hall on Dean Street. It adds 10% to central London's rail capacity.
OUR PICK2026
Bar Italia shares Baird's address, 22 Frith Street, and has served coffee since 1949. Our pick for an espresso in Soho.
Today
Today Soho is famous for its theatres, its restaurants and its nightlife.
SOURCES
- General Introduction (Survey of London vols 33-34, St Anne Soho, 1966)British History Online / London County Council
- Soho Square Area: Portland Estate, Introduction (Survey of London vols 33-34)British History Online / London County Council
- HistorySt Anne's Church, Soho
- Broadwick and Peter Street Area (Survey of London vols 31-32, St James Westminster Pt 2, 1963)British History Online / London County Council
- Karl Marx blue plaque, 28 Dean StreetEnglish Heritage
- Historical Perspectives: John Snow (MMWR 53(34), 2004)US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Broad Street pump outbreak (Snow 1855, quoted)UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology
- John Logie Baird blue plaque, 22 Frith StreetEnglish Heritage
- The tower of St Anne's Church viewed from the west (photo AA039954)Historic England Archive
- Suit, John Stephen (museum object O84178)Victoria and Albert Museum
- Ronnie Scott blue plaque (press release)English Heritage
- Celebrations as transformational Elizabeth line begins operations (25 May 2022)Transport for London
- Tottenham Court Road (Elizabeth line)Hawkins\Brown (station architects)
- Bar ItaliaTime Out London
- Nominatim search and lookup (OpenStreetMap)OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL)
- Things to do in Soho and ChinatownVisit London (official visitor guide)
- A Guide to Soho, LondonCulture Trip
- Soho Square Area: Portland EstateSurvey of London vols 33-34 (British History Online)
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. The print of Soho