Soho

Soho is a district of <a href="/facts/Westminster/fpfm7LnR">Westminster</a>, in the <a href="/facts/City_of_Westminster/8pvuYHq2">City of Westminster</a> in the <a href="/facts/West_End_of_London/tH70758Y">West End of London</a>. Originally a fashionable district for the aristocracy, it has been one of the main <a href="/facts/Entertainment_district/MLnfSkg4">entertainment districts</a> in the capital since the 19th century.
The area was developed from farmland by <a href="/facts/Henry_VIII/LFgGAjh0">Henry VIII</a> in 1536, when it became a royal park. It became a parish in its own right in the late 17th century, when buildings started to be developed for the upper class, including the laying out of <a href="/facts/Soho_Square/u1yNqG1o">Soho Square</a> in the 1680s. <a href="/facts/St_Anne%2527s_Church%2c_Soho/M8NBPxfq">St Anne's Church</a> was established during the late 17th century, and remains a significant local landmark; other churches are the <a href="/facts/Church_of_Our_Lady_of_the_Assumption_and_St_Gregory/ENCpIVbg">Church of Our Lady of the Assumption and St Gregory</a> and <a href="/facts/St_Patrick%2527s_Church%2c_Soho_Square/UfbLWX3P">St Patrick's Church</a> in Soho Square. The aristocracy had mostly moved away by the mid-19th century, when Soho was particularly badly hit by an outbreak of <a href="/facts/Cholera/rk8JfWEp">cholera</a> in 1854. For much of the 20th century Soho had a reputation as a base for the <a href="/facts/Sex_industry/KCNfCGYx">sex industry</a> in addition to its <a href="/facts/Night_life/hSWbTMjx">night life</a> and its location for the headquarters of leading film companies. Since the 1980s, the area has undergone considerable <a href="/facts/Gentrification/kk1nchr7">gentrification</a>. It is now predominantly a fashionable district of upmarket restaurants and media offices, with only a small remnant of sex industry venues. London's most prominent <a href="/facts/Gay_village/jvzPhQAL">gay village</a> is centred on <a href="/facts/Old_Compton_Street/Csn3XmJ2">Old Compton Street</a> in Soho.
Soho's reputation as a major entertainment district of London stems from theatres such as the <a href="/facts/Windmill_Theatre/zVHbE2Ae">Windmill Theatre</a> on Great Windmill Street and the <a href="/facts/Raymond_Revuebar/fmRYUjwb">Raymond Revuebar</a> owned by entrepreneur <a href="/facts/Paul_Raymond_(publisher)/4z7uGfUL">Paul Raymond</a>, and music clubs such as the <a href="/facts/2i%2527s_Coffee_Bar/5jrMF2dl">2i's Coffee Bar</a> and the <a href="/facts/Marquee_Club/8Ndq2QrU">Marquee Club</a>. <a href="/facts/Trident_Studios/L3Fn0RDX">Trident Studios</a> was based in Soho, and the nearby <a href="/facts/Denmark_Street/Y3NrEjur">Denmark Street</a> has hosted numerous music publishing houses and instrument shops from the 20th century onwards. The independent British film industry centres on Soho, including the British headquarters of <a href="/facts/Twentieth_Century_Fox/vd5eeD3S">Twentieth Century Fox</a> and the <a href="/facts/British_Board_of_Film_Classification/yu88BdwE">British Board of Film Classification</a> offices. The area has been popular for restaurants since the 19th century, including the long-standing Kettner's which was visited by numerous celebrities. Near to Soho is <a href="/facts/Chinatown%2c_London/PCvCPPHD">London's Chinatown</a>, centred on <a href="/facts/Gerrard_Street%2c_London/W3zyMFHk">Gerrard Street</a> and containing several restaurants and shops.

Soho open-in-new

Soho