Soho is a menagerie of shops, clubs, pubs, restaurants and populace. It’s an area which is very much like a maze with streets crisscrossing each other. Originally a hunting ground, legend has it that Soho got its name from hunters crying out So Ho!
The area built up as a destination for the rich, although they cleared out when Soho was hit by a cholera outbreak in 1854, (a water pump which is dedicated to Dr. J. Snow who identified it as the source of the cholera outbreak in 1854, is one of Londons smallest landmark). Cheap rents made it a haven for pubs and brothels and artists and writers came soon after.
Soho is famous for its Chinese quarter, with its numerous restaurants and shops, as well as some very good Italian restaurants. In fact some may say that Soho is a gourmets paradise for it gives the visitor the choice of all sorts of possible tastes as well as to suit all budgets. Soho is now celebrated as one of the most fashionable parts of London. Its main industries are television, magazine publishing, and fashion, with both rich visitors and employees visiting the chic boutiques of Carnaby Street and Kingly Court.
There is a French Protestant Church, on Soho Square that is the only one of its kind in the whole of London. When the weather changes and gets warm in Soho people flock to either Golden Square or to Soho Square especially in the summer when there are festivals held there. A show at legendary Ronnie Scotts Jazz Club is a fantastic way to spend an evening. Just as there are numerous bars, restaurants, and clubs in Soho, there are several hotels within walking distance from Soho.
It seems quite extraordinary that such a small corner of Central London could contain so much life and vitality, but the reality is that you could visit Soho every day for a year and still hardly scratch the surface.
Locations near Soho are
Piccadilly Circus, Tottenham Court Road,
Oxford Street and others.
