Editing Soho (section)

{{short description|District in London, England}}
{{about|the area of London|the neighbourhood in New York City|SoHo, Manhattan|other uses|Soho (disambiguation)}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2022}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox UK place
| country = England
| region = London
| official_name = Soho
| coordinates = {{coord|51|30|46|N|0|7|52|W|type:landmark|display=inline,title}}
| london_borough = Westminster
| constituency_westminster = [[Cities of London and Westminster (UK Parliament constituency)|Cities of London and Westminster]]
| post_town = London
| pushpin_map = Central London
| postcode_area = W
| postcode_district = W1
| dial_code = 020
| os_grid_reference = TQ294810
| static_image_name = {{Photomontage
| photo1a = Soho (1877979497).jpg{{!}}Soho
| photo1b = Gardeners hut Soho Square 030.jpg{{!}}Gardeners' Hut Soho Square
| photo2a = Greek Street - geograph.org.uk - 1104098.jpg{{!}}Greek Street
| photo2b =Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club, Frith Street, Soho - geograph.org.uk - 1510854.jpg{{!}}Ronnie
| photo3a = Comptons, Soho, W1.jpg{{!}}Comptons
| photo3b = Kingly Court - geograph.org.uk - 1030779.jpg{{!}}Kingly CourtScott's Jazz Club
| color = transparent|spacing=8|border=0
| size = 250
}}
| static_image_caption = '''Clockwise from top left''': Bar in Soho; Gardener's hut in Soho Square; Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club; Kingly Court; Comptons; and Greek Street
| charingX_distance_mi = 0.51
| charingX_direction = SE
}}

'''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 district]]s 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, Soho|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, Soho Square|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|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 (publisher)|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 [[Chinatown, London|London's Chinatown]], centred on [[Gerrard Street, London|Gerrard Street]] and containing several restaurants and shops.