Soho is one of the busiest areas of London. He is loved not only by tourists, but also by local residents. Here you can meet all: bank workers, vacationers after office work, and merry artists and musicians, reckless students, and in general all people living in Britain.

The history of the appearance of

The district got its name back in the 17th century, it originated, presumably, from the hunting cry "co-ho" - and it was connected, like much else in London, with King Henry VIII and his addiction to hunting. He kept these lands partly as a park of the Whitehall Palace, partly as a passage to the forest, but eventually the plot was sold and built up.

Residents Soho

Soho has never been prosperous. This is determined by his position: he separated the new aristocratic regions from the historically disadvantaged, located outside the City. That is, historically it was that most of the people lived here were marginals and immigrants, the more affluent people tried to settle in the neighboring neighborhoods - Bloomsbury, Mayfair and Marylebone. Already by the 19th century, Soho had established the glory of a "cheerful" district with many theaters and brothels.

And they lived in turn, changing each other, all the outcasts of the society who were not welcomed in the more prosperous areas: Huguenots, Jews, Turks, Chinese, Italians, jazzmen, swingers, hippies, punks, rockers, gays and many others. That's why this area is often called the birthplace of rock music: rock was once considered avant-garde music.

The last in a number of nationalities - Chinese and Italians, Chinese Chinatown still exists, but Italians were interned during the Second World War.

About Soho as a whole

Today Soho is the main entertainment district of the capital of Great Britain. Here are concentrated many restaurants, cafes and bars, theaters and clubs. Soho practically consists of them alone. This is a lot, and the whole city goes here to have a drink with friends, dance or have supper.

In Soho, noisy at any time of the day and night - here hang out 24 hours a day, and it is these two factors that attract people here: there are a lot of places, so the place can be found always, at any time, not in one institution, or in another. This has been for many years a mere tusovka district, where everyone travels, although there are still more sex shops on the streets there than in other central areas of London.

It is difficult to imagine that Soho has apartment houses - there are very few of them, but they are. Apartments are hidden in quiet places, barely visible courtyards. As a rule, people who are creative professionals are acquiring real estate here: artists, artists, representatives of the sphere of show business.

What to See in Soho

In general, in Soho really go not so much to watch as hanging out - to drink, dance, have supper, watch gum shows and so on. But Soho is very suitable for penetrating the atmosphere of the informal part of London.

But there are interesting places too. So, on Vardur Street there are offices of film companies, including Warner Brothers. Closer to Regent Street are many shopping streets, and behind them - the pedestrian Carnaby Street. Here you will find medium-price shops, with both famous brands and beginners.

The streets of Old Compton Street and Vardour Street are the remnants of the gay quarter, there are many cafes, shops and other things for this audience.

Closer to Regent Street are the remains of an Italian district with a mass of Italian restaurants.

Several safety rules

Even in such a bustling place, the center of London is quite safe. But it is worth remembering that there is a lot of drunk or smoky people, which it is better not to approach, often sell drugs on the streets (in any way do not buy!), The district is dirty and always very noisy. If you are looking for an apartment or hotel, then this place is not very suitable for a family with a child.

Violation of this rule is a crime, and it is especially harsh for it if you photographed a person in a situation that can be considered compromising - for example, when he is not soberly .This law applies to everyone, including non-formal, gay and other inhabitants of Soho .In Russia, many of them are traditionally in some opposition to the law and the authorities are unlikely to complain, in Britain the situation is different - the punks, hung up with glands, will call the police without any problems .The police will come and seriously defend them .

Also remember that in Britain there is a law prohibiting being on the street in a drunken state, a law prohibiting intolerance - any, and a law prohibiting interest in other people's personal affairs.

Practical information

Four metro stations are suitable for the trip: Leicester Square (nearest), Piccadilly Circus, Tottenham Court Road and Oxford-Sulfur.

It's best to go here around 8 pm, when the people arrive. You can drink, you can have dinner, you can just chat among the cloud of merry party-goers - there are a lot of them.