Queen were originally managed by the Sheffields, and recorded their first four albums and filmed the video for Bohemian Rhapsody at Trident. 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.

He identified the cause of the outbreak as water from the public pump at the junction of Broad Street (now Broadwick Street) and Cambridge Street (now Lexington Street), close to the rear wall of what is today the John Snow public house.
[72] Soho quickly became the centre of the fledgling rock scene in London. The bomb was the third that had been planted by David Copeland, a neo-Nazi who was attempting to stir up ethnic and homophobic tensions by carrying out a series of bombings. Researchers from the University of Liverpool found that the area had the greatest access to takeaways, pubs and off-licences and these were combined with high levels of air pollution and low levels of parks and green spaces. [79], Trident Studios was based at 17 St Anne's Court, Soho and was a major London recording studio. It became immediately successful after The Beatles decided to record several tracks on The White Album there, as the facilities were better than Abbey Road studios.

On Roque's Map of London it is marked as Thrift Street. [106], Greek Street was first laid out around 1680 and was named after a nearby Greek church. [43][44], In the 20th century, several Soho pubs and private members clubs gained notoriety for both their proprietors and clientele. It was owned by Michael Klinger and Tony Tenser who later produced two early Roman Polanski films, including Repulsion (1965). [111], Great Marlborough Street was first laid out in the early 18th century, and named after the military commander John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough.

[101], Berwick Street was built between 1687 and 1703, and is probably named after James FitzJames, 1st Duke of Berwick, the illegitimate son of James II of England. [36] The venue was subsequently renamed to the Soho Revue Bar, but closed in 2009. It was owned by Paul Raymond and opened in 1958. Before this, the area had a fairly insalubrious reputation dating from the mid-1700s and culminating in Soho’s association with London’s 20th-century sex industry. "[46], The Gargoyle Club opened at 69 Dean Street in 1925. [52][53], Soho Radio is an internet radio station on Great Windmill Street, next to the Windmill Theatre. It was named after Karnaby House, built on the street's eastern side in 1683. Sex shops were common in 20th-century Soho but only a few remain in the area today, Soho Square Gardens is one of the few remnants of greenery in busy urban Soho.
The George public house at No. In the 1960s, numerous major rock bands played at the venue, including early performances from the Rolling Stones in July 1962 and The Who in late 1964,[77] Jimi Hendrix, David Bowie, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Jethro Tull, AC/DC and Iron Maiden. [116], Old Compton Street is named after the Bishop of London Henry Compton, and was first laid out in the 1670s, fully developed by 1683.

[23], By the mid-18th century, the aristocrats who had been living in Soho Square or Gerrard Street had moved away, as more fashionable areas such as Mayfair became available. The initial development contained a large house belonging to the Earl of Devonshire, which was subsequently occupied by Charles Montagu, 4th Earl of Manchester, Baron Wharton and Richard Lumley, 1st Earl of Scarbrough.

Audio post duo White Lightning (Robbie Weston and Rick Dzendzera) opened two audio post facilities in different parts of Soho in 1986: Silk Sound at 13 Berwick Street, and The Bridge Facilities at 55-57 Great Marlborough Street. [59] St Patrick's Church in Soho Square was built in 1792 to accommodate Irish immigrants who had moved to the area. The parish stretched from Oxford Street in the north, to Leicester Square in the south and from what is now Charing Cross Road in the east to Wardour Street in the west. It subsequently became a haven for the Goth subculture before closing in 2006. [29], The Windmill Theatre was based on Great Windmill Street, and was named after a windmill at this location that was demolished in the 18th century.

The name association between the various Sohos around the world and their eponym in the UK capital taps into the original Soho’s appeal for the aristocracy. London's gay community is centred on Old Compton Street in Soho. 59 Old Compton Street. [15] The square had become known as Soho Square by 1720, at which point it had fashionable houses on all sides. [9] According to the Soho Society, Chinatown, the area between Leicester Square to the south and Shaftesbury Avenue to the north, is part of the area. [47] It was founded by the socialite the Hon David Tennant as a place where writers, artists and musicians could mingle with the upper crust and eat and drink at affordable prices for the next three decades. [1], In the 1660s, ownership of Soho Fields passed to Henry Jermyn, 1st Earl of St Albans, who leased 19 out of the 22 acres (89,000 m2) of land to Joseph Girle. People didn’t live that long. Several foreign restaurants had become established on Gerrard Street by the end of the 19th century, including the Hotel des Etrangers and the Mont Blanc. Photographers also visited Soho in the hope of being able to blackmail people caught in the act of visiting prostitutes. [18], A significant event in the history of epidemiology and public health was Dr. John Snow's study of an 1854 outbreak of cholera in Soho. [113] The street was the location of Philip Morris's original London factory and gave its name to the Marlboro brand of cigarettes. The area became known as London's French quarter. 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. Building began in 1675 and it was complete by the early 18th century. It initially opened as the Palais de Luxe in 1910 as a small cinema, but was unable to compete with larger venues and was converted into a theatre by Howard Jones. [2][3], The Soho name has been reused by other entertainment and restaurant districts such as the Soho, Hong Kong entertainment zone[4] and the cultural and commercial area of Soho in Málaga. 50 Carnaby Street became fronts for it. [14] The western portion of modern Soho, around Carnaby Street, was part of the parish of St James, which was split off from St Martin in 1686. [90] As post-war austerity relaxed into the "swinging '60s", clip joints also surfaced; these unlicensed establishments sold coloured water as champagne with the promise of sex to follow, thus fleecing tourists looking for a "good time. It closed on 31 October 1964 and was again turned into a cinema. It was during this time that Soho is said to have derived its name from a Tudor-era hunting cry. By the 21st century, it had acquired around 400 flats.