Hairdressers Soho

The History of Soho

by Hairdressers Soho.

Palace Theatre, London, one of Soho's several entertainment venues

The area in London known as Soho is a small multicultural area of the Capital and is a home to industry, commerce, culture and entertainment, as well as a residential area for people rich and poor.

Every service you can think of are there including what is known as 'Hairdressers Soho'. It has many places of entertainment such as clubs including the former Chinawhite nightclub. There are public houses, bars, restaurants, hairdressers and a few sex shops here and there. From the number of late-night coffee shops one can get the feeling that London is "open-all-night" at the weekends.

Many Soho weekends are so busy that closing off of some of the streets to vehicles becomes a safety issue. The London council responsible for the area pedestrianised parts of Soho in the mid-1990s but later removed much of it, apparently after complaints of loss of trade from local businesses.

So many record shops cluster in the area around Berwick Street, with shops such as Black market Records and Vinyl Junkies. Soho is also the home of London's main gay village around Old Compton Street where there are dozens of businesses thriving on the pink pound including hairdressers Soho trading mainly for gays.

The Admiral Duncan pub, Soho landmark and site of the Soho nail-bombing

On 30 April 1999, the Admiral Duncan pub on Old Compton Street, which serves the gay community, was damaged by a nail bomb planted by neo-Nazi David Copeland. It left three dead (two of whom were heterosexual) and 30 injured.

The area is also home to religious and spiritual groups, notably St Anne's Church on Dean Street (damaged by a V1 flying bomb during World War II, and re-opened in 1990), St Patrick's Church in Soho Square (founded by Irish immigrants in the 19th century), City Gates Church with their centre in Greens Court, the Hare Krishna Temple off Soho Square and a small mosque on Berwick Street.

In 2006 (On Valentine's Day ) a campaign was launched to drive business back into the heart of Soho. The campaign was called 'I Love Soho' and was created by marketing manager Prannay Rughani (who also heads up the Paramount Pictures licensed multi-million pound Cheers bars in Europe and in addition the Soho Clubs and Bars Group features a web-site (www.ilovesoho.co.uk).

The campaign was launched at the former Raymond Revue Bar in Walkers Court made famous by its strip license and neons, with such celebrities in attendance as Charlotte Church, Amy Winehouse and Paris Hilton. I Love Soho is backed by the former Mayor of London Ken Livingstone, the Soho Society, Westminster Council and Visit London.

The centre of London's Chinatown is in Gerrard Street and has a mix of import companies and restaurants (including Lee Ho Fook's, mentioned in Warren Zevon's song Werewolves of London).

Street festivals are held throughout the year, most notably on the Chinese New Year. Hairdressers Soho are proud to be a part of this wonderful area of London.

Presented by Hairdressers Soho