So-ho is an ancient hunting cry and this is land where Henry VIII used to go hunting when he was staying at his Whitehall Palace. Given its closeness to Westminster and the city, noblemen began to build houses there in the 17th century. It was also an area where French Huguenots immigrants tended to settle. In the 19th century, apart from its generally French character, artists moved into the area in large numbers. By the mid 19th century, most of the original buildings had been divided into tenements and it was the most overcrowded area in London. It soon became a centre for theatres and music halls and for prostitution. German and Italian immigrants also tended to gravitate to Soho, followed later by Russian and Polish Jews fleeing persecution in Eastern Europe. In the 1960s Soho was synonymous with sex, but since the 1980s the sex industry has been largely driven out.

Soho is predominantly a commercial and entertainment area, so residential properties are scattered. A few flats are to be found above shops in Old Compton Street. The Berwick Street district contains a number of flats in the streets around the market. There are flats in Soho Square and in the streets leading to it such as Dean Street, Frith Street and Greek Street.

There are flats to be found in Golden Square and surrounding streets, which is a quieter part of Soho. There are even individual flats in Carnaby Street. Marshall Street contains several modern blocks of flats. Ingestre Court is Soho’s only tower block containing flats. Meard Street contains 18th-century houses as does Lexington Street which also contains flats.