Visit Soho Places

Welcome to Visit Soho Places
The Walkfo guide to things to do & explore in Soho

  

Soho Places Overview: History, Culture & Facts about Soho

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Soho history

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Early history

During the Middle Ages, the area that is now Soho was farmland that belonged to the Abbot and Convent of Abingdon and the master of Burton St Lazar Hospital in Leicestershire . In 1536, the land was taken by Henry VIII as a royal park for the Palace of Whitehall . The area south of what is now Shaftesbury Avenue did not stay in Crown possession for long .

Gentrification

Monmouth House was built for James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth, Charles II’s eldest illegitimate son . Leicester House, Fauconberg House, Carlisle House and Newport House were built in the 17th century .

Cholera outbreak

Dr. John Snow’s study of an 1854 outbreak of cholera in Soho identified the cause of the outbreak as water from the public pump at the junction of Broad Street and Cambridge Street .

Decline

By the mid-18th century, aristocrats who had been living in Soho Square or Gerrard Street had moved away, as more fashionable areas such as Mayfair became available . Soho’s character stems partly from the ensuing neglect by rich and fashionable London .

Recent history

The Soho Housing Association was established in 1976 to provide reasonable rented accommodation . By the 21st century, it had acquired around 400 flats . St Anne’s Church in Dean Street was refurbished after decades of neglect .

You can visit Soho places with Walkfo Soho to hear history at Soho’s places whilst walking around using the free digital tour app. Walkfo Soho has 3562 places to visit in our interactive Soho map, with amazing history, culture & travel facts you can explore the same way you would at a museum or art gallery with information audio headset. With Walkfo, you can travel by foot, bike or bus throughout Soho, being in the moment, without digital distraction or limits to a specific walking route. Our historic audio walks, National Trust interactive audio experiences, digital tour guides for English Heritage locations are available at Soho places, with a AI tour guide to help you get the best from a visit to Soho & the surrounding areas.

“Curated content for millions of locations across the UK, with 3562 audio facts unique to Soho places in an interactive Soho map you can explore.”

Walkfo: Visit Soho Places Map
3562 tourist, history, culture & geography spots

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Soho historic spots	Soho tourist destinations	Soho plaques	Soho geographic features
Walkfo Soho tourism map key: places to see & visit like National Trust sites, Blue Plaques, English Heritage locations & top tourist destinations in Soho

  

Best Soho places to visit

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Soho has places to explore by foot, bike or bus. Below are a selection of the varied Soho’s destinations you can visit with additional content available at the Walkfo Soho’s information audio spots:

Kronenburgerpark The Kronenburgerpark is a park in the center of Nijmegen . It is close to the Central Railway Station and the Lange Hezelstraat . It touches the Parkweg are the remains of the medieval walls with the Kruittoren (powder tower)

Great Pilgrimage The Great Pilgrimage of 1913 was a march in Britain by suffragists campaigning non-violently for women’s suffrage, organised by the National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies (NUWSS). Women marched to London from all around England and Wales and 50,000 attended a rally in Hyde Park.

Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Walk The Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Walk is a 7-mile (11 km) long circular walking trail in central London, England, dedicated to the memory of Diana, Princess of Wales.

Royal Parks Half Marathon The Royal Parks Half Marathon, first held in 2008, takes place each October, starting and finishing in Hyde Park. It is the only half marathon that travels through central London and four of the Royal Parks and is one of London’s largest half marathons, with over 16,000 participants.

Great Exhibition The Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations, also known as the Great Exhibition or the Crystal Palace Exhibition (in reference to the temporary structure in which it was held), was an international exhibition which took place in Hyde Park, London, from 1 May to 15 October 1851. It was the first in a series of World’s Fairs, exhibitions of culture and industry that became popular in the 19th century. The event was organised by Henry Cole and by Prince Albert, husband of the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom, Queen Victoria. Famous people of the time attended the Great Exhibition, including Charles Darwin, Karl Marx, Michael Faraday (who assisted with the planning and judging of exhibits), Samuel Colt, members of the Orléanist Royal Family and the writers Charlotte Brontë, Charles Dickens, Lewis Carroll, George Eliot, Alfred Tennyson and William Makepeace Thackeray. The opening music, under the superintendence of William Sterndale Bennett, was directed by Sir George Smart. The world’s first soft drink, Schweppes, was the official sponsor of the event.

Japanese Village, Knightsbridge The Japanese Village in Knightsbridge, London, was a late Victorian era exhibition of Japanese culture located in Humphreys’ Hall, which took place from January 1885 until June 1887. The exhibition employed around 100 Japanese men and women in a setting built to resemble a traditional Japanese village.

Bowater House Bowater House was a 17-floor office block at 68 Knightsbridge in London SW1, completed in 1958. The building occupied a site between Knightsbridge and South Carriage Road, at the southern edge of Hyde Park. It was demolished in 2006 and redeveloped by Candy & Candy to create One Hyde Park.

Knightsbridge Knightsbridge is a residential and retail district in central London, south of Hyde Park. It is identified in the London Plan as one of two international retail centres in London, alongside the West End.

Bulgari Hotel and Residences The Bulgari Hotel and Residences is a luxury hotel in Knightsbridge, London. When it opened in 2012, it was the most expensive hotel in London.

Royal Cornwall Yacht Club Situated on the waterfront setting of the Greenbank area in Falmouth, the Royal Cornwall Yacht Club (RCYC) was formed in 1871, and is the 15th oldest “Royal” yacht club in England.

Visit Soho plaques