Soho Square

From Hunting Fields to Fashionable Square

Soho Square's origins trace back to the area's use as open hunting grounds, where the name 'Soho' likely derives from the 16th-century hunting cry 'So-Hoe.' Following the Great Fire of London in 1666, which destroyed two-thirds of the city and created enormous demand for new housing, the fields of Soho rapidly transformed from rural landscape into an fashionable residential destination. Development accelerated in the 1670s and 1680s, with Soho Square itself laid out in 1681 by Richard Frith, who had obtained a license from the Earl of St Albans, the landowner. The square was originally called King's Square in honor of Charles II, though it gradually became known as Soho Square by the early 18th century, with the name formally recognized on John Rocque's influential 1746 map of London.

A Haven for Aristocracy and Refugees

By the 1690s, Soho Square contained 41 substantial brick and stone houses, attracting London's most distinguished residents. The Duke of Monmouth, Charles II's illegitimate son, built an extravagant residence on the south side around 1682, though he lived there only briefly before his execution in 1685 following his failed rebellion. The Earl of Fauconberg occupied Fauconberg House in the northeast corner from 1683 to 1700, and the Countess of Carlisle resided on the west side, her name preserved in Carlisle Street. The square's elegant Georgian architecture and prestigious address made it a magnet for the nobility and gentry throughout the 18th century. From around 1680 onwards, French Huguenots fleeing religious persecution began settling in Soho, transforming the area into London's French quarter. This immigrant community gave the neighborhood its distinctive cosmopolitan character, which persists today. The French Protestant Church, established on the square, remains a testament to this heritage, its current red-brick building designed by Aston Webb, the architect of the Victoria & Albert Museum.

The Iconic Statue and Central Garden

At the heart of Soho Square stands a statue of Charles II, sculpted in 1681 by Caius Gabriel Cibber, a Danish artist and father of Poet Laureate Colley Cibber. Originally positioned above a fountain and basin with four figures representing the Thames, Severn, Tyne, and Humber rivers, the statue served as the square's centerpiece for nearly two centuries. In 1875, during alterations commissioned by Thomas Blackwell of the food firm Crosse & Blackwell, the fountain was demolished and the statue was removed for safekeeping, eventually finding its way to a country house north of London where it stood on an island in a lake. When dramatist W.S. Gilbert purchased that estate, his widow later bequeathed the statue back to Soho Square in 1938. The central garden remained closed to the public until 1954, when Soho Square Garden Committee transferred it to Westminster City Council. The distinctive mock-Tudor market cross building at the garden's center was constructed in 1926 and has become an iconic architectural feature of the square.

Scientific Distinction and Cultural Evolution

During the 18th and 19th centuries, Soho Square attracted prominent scientists and creative figures. Sir Joseph Banks, the renowned botanist and President of the Royal Society for over 50 years, lived at number 32, where the Linnean Society of London met from 1821 to 1857. Banks was instrumental in transforming Kew Gardens into a world-leading botanical research center and advised King George III on scientific and agricultural policy. His colleagues Robert Brown and David Don, both distinguished botanists and librarians of the Linnean Society, also resided on the square. A blue plaque commemorates these three botanists at 31–32 Soho Square. The Victorian era saw Soho Square become a creative hub, with 11 artists living on the square in the mid-19th century. This artistic reputation continued into the 20th century, with publisher Rupert Hart-Davis, composer Benjamin Frankel, and antiquarian bookshops establishing themselves in the area. Today, the square's surrounding Georgian townhouses—many dating to the 18th century and including sixteen listed buildings—house media companies, music publishers, and creative businesses, maintaining the square's cultural significance.

Commercial Enterprise and Transformation

In 1816, John Trotter, an army contractor who had amassed a fortune during the Napoleonic Wars, converted his warehouse at what is now 4–6 Soho Square into the Soho Bazaar, an indoor market offering craftwork created by the widows and daughters of army officers. The venture proved highly successful and attracted royal patronage, operating until 1885 before succumbing to competition from new shops opening on Oxford Street. The building's original warehouse structure remains visible from Dean Street. By the 19th century, the square's residents had shifted from aristocrats to professional men—lawyers, doctors, architects, and auctioneers—reflecting the broader evolution of Soho into a mixed-use neighborhood.