property, homes and houses for sale in Soho

Slick and seedy, Soho remains the beating heart of the capital, with tourists and Londoners flocking to the narrow streets in search of great nightlife, restaurants and shopping.

Living in Soho

There are people from all walks of life who love Soho and wouldn't want to live anywhere else, including city lawyers and people in the arts. And it's not hard to understand why, with so much energy emanating from this commercial and creative melting pot.

Underneath the fun-loving surface of the area there are plenty of desirable residential properties. Strewn around Soho there are individual town houses and mews properties, while converted period buildings and smaller blocks provide one and two bedroom apartments.

New developments, some with roof terraces, balconies and underground parking, can be found in Bouchier Street, Upper John Street and Marshall House - a stone's throw from iconic Carnaby Street. Popular for their panoramic views are the high rise local authority blocks, such as Kemp House and Ingestre Court.

Soho fits into an area bordered by Oxford Street, Shaftesbury Avenue, Regent Street and Charing Cross Road. The busiest thoroughfares are Wardour Street and its three parallel neighbours of Dean Street, Frith Street and Greek Street.

With demand for real estate in Soho far outweighing the availability, people often consider extending their property searches to the neighbouring areas of Covent Garden, Bloomsbury, Fitzrovia and Mayfair.

Transport

Soho is surrounded by tube stations, all within walking distance: Tottenham Court Road (Central and Northern lines), Oxford Circus (Central, Bakerloo and Victoria lines), Leicester Square (Piccadilly and Northern lines), Piccadilly Circus (Piccadilly and Bakerloo lines).

The nearest mainline station is Charing Cross.

Additionally the area has a good supply of bus routes. Long after the Underground has stopped running after midnight, the night buses run regularly enroute through Soho via Regent Street, Oxford Street, Tottenham Court Road, Charing Cross Road and Shaftesbury Avenue. For a full list of bus routes visit www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/gettingaround/maps/buses/

History and culture

In Tudor times Soho was a hunting ground of open fields and duck ponds, and after the Great Fire of 1666 the area became residential. Soho and sex have always been synonymous, but since the eighties, when legislation was introduced to reduce the number of sex establishments, the area has cleaned up its image dramatically.

If you live in Soho you'll never be far from specialty bookstores, artisan bakers, jewel-box theatres, repertory cinemas, Italian coffee houses, heaving gay bars and a diverse selection of restaurants.

For further information visit www.westminster.gov.uk/; www.carnaby.co.uk/