A Soho Conversation

A dialogue of images, words, and history

For over two years, we’ve been exploring and writing about the history of music in London’s Soho. Our work has evolved through guided walks we have conducted, each refining our understanding of the neighbourhood’s unique character. Jackie’s photography has been central to the project, capturing moments and details that give texture to Soho’s story. Yet we’ve realised that we could do more to creatively blend her images with the stories we tell.

This October, we ran a Sunday afternoon walk with friends and fellow writers from Substack, and, as always, Jackie captured the day with her lens, revealing Soho in fresh ways. Inspired by her work, we felt it was time for Mike to write text that speaks directly to these images, capturing the spirit of the places and people they reveal. This interplay of words and images forms A Soho Conversation—a dialogue between past and present, between image and story, a tribute to the enduring character of a place that defies easy definition. The pieces that follow invite you to join this conversation, discovering Soho’s history anew through the perspectives shared in each photograph and line.

Soho Square - Photograph: Jackie Hopfinger

Sanctuary

In the heart of London, Soho Square offers a rare momentary retreat. The city’s pulse softens here, and time itself seems to slow. Worn benches hold memories of those who passed through, while old trees stand watch, witnesses to the neighbourhood’s transformation over centuries. It’s a space that invites pause, a small sanctuary amid Soho’s constant hum.

19 Denmark Street - Photograph: Jackie Hopfinger

Layers

On Denmark Street there remain echoes of its musical past, reminders of the energies and spirit that shaped our culture, and efforts to keep its legacy alive through immersive projections behind some of London’s oldest walls. Guitars still line shop windows that carry the faded glamour of its musical heyday, where Pistols were drawn and Stones thrown. It’s a place where creativity feels layered and worn, holding on—just—to its place in music history.

The corner of Frith Street and Bateman Street - Photograph: Jackie Hopfinger

Crossroads

In Soho, everything feels like a crossroads, where music, art, and people collide in unexpected ways. Here, old meets new, culture blends with commerce, and authenticity rubs shoulders with artifice, each adding grit to the other’s pearl, a flash of Soho’s eclectic spirit mixing old-world charm with the dazzle of modernity. There was a time when around every corner was a new perspective, and every moment felt alive with creative possibility.

Dean Street - Photograph: Jackie Hopfinger

Spectacle

Dean Street is a stage, pulsing with the energy of entertainment and allure. Quo Vadis transforms dining into a performance of refinement, while theatres and music clubs deliver nightly drama of a different kind. A handful of old-school strip clubs add their own brand of intrigue, inviting the curious into Soho’s shadowed edges. On Dean Street, every doorway opens to a new scene, every corner leads to another act, weaving a vibrant, ever-unfolding spectacle in the heart of London.

The former Round House, Wardour Street - Photograph: Jackie Hopfinger

Spaces

Cellars and squares, function rooms and alleyways—small spaces where people met, performed, worked, and created. Soho is filled with these hidden pockets of invention, now mostly unremarked and unnoticed. Take this first-floor room on a street corner, once alive with the raw energy of London’s early blues scene. That energy sparked a musical revolution, a sound that resonated far beyond Soho, leaving echoes across the world.

Great Windmill Street - Photograph: Jackie Hopfinger

Buildings

Every building tells a story, though often not the one you’d expect. Buildings learn from their inhabitants, adapting and evolving over time. They take on new roles, offering fresh possibilities for each wave of creativity that passes through. This building, once home to London’s first museum of anatomy and a teaching theatre for physicians, gradually transformed as medical education moved to larger hospitals. What began as a space for scientific learning became a stage for drama, finding new life as a theatre and embracing the city’s changing needs.

John Snow pub, Broadwick Street - Photograph: Jackie Hopfinger

Discovery

Broadwick Street, once a quiet site of profound medical discovery, is now woven into Soho’s lively streetscape. Here, Dr. John Snow’s 1854 cholera map marked a pivotal moment in public health, pinpointing a contaminated water pump as the outbreak’s source. This insight directly spurred the construction of London’s sewer system and spread modern sanitation practices worldwide. Easy to overlook, this unassuming spot quietly underscores how innovation can transform lives, even amid the bustle of daily life.

William Blake House - Photograph: Jackie Hopfinger

Heroes

This unassuming building quietly honours William Blake, one of Britain’s most visionary artists and poets. Here, in the place where he was born and spent much of his life, there is no visitor centre, no museum, no gift shop offering T-shirts emblazoned with Jerusalem. Yet Blake’s influence endures—his mysticism and social critique feel as vital in modern London as ever. Why are we too modest to fully celebrate him? Blake remains a true cultural hero, his impact powerful yet understated, woven subtly into the fabric of the city he once called home.

Marshall Street - Photograph: Jackie Hopfinger

Hope

In the vast sprawl of London, many find themselves adrift, struggling to see hope or possibility. Soho, a neighbourhood once known for its sanctuary and acceptance, can now feel closed and unwelcoming, its once-open doors harder to find. Comfort and kindness often seem scarce, yet there are still people, places, and projects here dedicated to helping others find their way back. Beneath Soho’s bright lights and restless energy, a quiet network persists, reminding those who feel lost that they are not alone.

3 Savile Row - Photograph: Jackie Hopfinger

Future

Here comes the sun, just catching the rooftop of Number Three, where The Beatles played their final concert on a cold winter’s day. This was the end of the sixties, the moment when an era of boundless idealism and experimentation came to a close. But the end of one era always signals the start of another. Music, culture, and Soho itself are in constant renewal, each generation building on what came before. We can take pride in our past without being bound by it; history is the foundation, not the limit. As one of Soho’s own once wrote, people make their own history—they explore and define alternative futures shaped by their own hopes and dreams. The ideas and inspirations of those who came before continue to guide us, allowing us to build a future that is distinctly our own.