W1D 6JR

NEIGHBOURHOOD REPORT

W1D 6JR - Soho

Soho is a district of Westminster, in the City of Westminster in the West End of London. Originally a fashionable district for the aristocracy, it has been one of the main entertainment districts in the capital since the 19th century.

The area was developed from farmland by Henry VIII 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 Soho Square in the 1680s. St Anne's Church was established during the late 17th century, and remains a significant local landmark; other churches are the Church of Our Lady of the Assumption and St Gregory and St Patrick's Church in Soho Square. The aristocracy had mostly moved away by the mid-19th century, when Soho was particularly badly hit by an outbreak of cholera in 1854. For much of the 20th century Soho had a reputation as a base for the sex industry in addition to its night life and its location for the headquarters of leading film companies. Since the 1980s, the area has undergone considerable gentrification. 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 gay village is centred on Old Compton Street in Soho.

Soho's reputation as a major entertainment district of London stems from theatres such as the Windmill Theatre on Great Windmill Street and the Raymond Revuebar owned by entrepreneur Paul Raymond, and music clubs such as the 2i's Coffee Bar and the Marquee Club. Trident Studios was based in Soho, and the nearby Denmark Street 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 Twentieth Century Fox and the British Board of Film Classification 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 London's Chinatown, centred on Gerrard Street and containing several restaurants and shops." [1]

Situated in local authority St James's, Soho is classed as urban with major conurbation. Nearest towns are London (4 miles away), with the capital city, London being 4 miles away.ALBecq (7 miles away), Brentford (8 miles away),

Greater London

Though known as probably the most famous city in the world, most people don't realize that Greater London is actually classed as a county, and includes the City of London, the City of Westminster and the 32 surrounding London Boroughs.

It takes in a large number of villages, towns and open countryside and borders the home counties of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Surrey and Kent in the south east, as well as Essex and Hertfordshire in the East. It has more history within its boundaries than many entire countries around the world, stretching back more than 2000 years, and is Britain's most visited area.

For history there are so many highlights but the most famous include Parliament and Parliament Square, as well as Big Ben, the Tower of London, Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey and St Paul's Cathedral, as well as miles and miles of incredible Victorian architecture and Georgian Squares and thousands of smaller gems like the John Soames Museum or the Old Operating Theatre Museum. For modern architecture have a look at 30 St Mary Axe, better known as 'the Gherkin', London's most famous skyscraper, or the new pedestrian bridge on the South Bank.

There are few better cities for museums and some of the highlights include the British Museum, the Imperial War Museum, the V & A, the Science Museum and the Natural History Museum as well as hundreds of smaller ones like the Cartoon or Sherlock Holmes museums. Similarly there are thousands of art galleries to see, including the famous Tate and Tate Modern Galleries, the National Portrait Gallery and the National Gallery as well as the Royal Academy.

Should you find yourself needing to stroll in some wide open spaces London has plenty, from the world famous Kew Botanic Gardens to Chelsea Physic Garden and from Hyde Park to Hampstead Heath. Lastly of course there is the entertainment itself, from the numerous sporting stadia, to thousands of incredible restaurants (London has more Michelin stars than Paris) or the world famous nightlife. England's most exciting city.

Where is it?

Location
Soho

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Ward
St James's

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Local Authority
City of London,Westminster

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Council

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Constituency

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County
Greater London

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Region
London

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Country
England

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Classification
Urban with Major Conurbation

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Area Type

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ONS GSS ID
E00023929

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LSOADZ_NAME
Westminster 018A

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Government ID
Westminster 018

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Coordinates
51.511, -0.132

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Phone Code
(020) xxxx xxxx

Nearby Towns

London	3.5 mi
ALBecq	7.5 mi
Brentford	7.6 mi
Wembley	7.7 mi
Reading	35.9 mi
Brighton	47.1 mi
Portsmouth	64.8 mi
Cardiff	130.8 mi
Edinburgh	328.6 mi