Soho and its environs

As it has become my custom to do, I frequented my usual haunt Soho this weekend.

Once upon a time, Soho was rolling farmland. In the Middle Ages it became a Royal Park, and the name originated from a hunting cry of the time - "So-Ho". By the 17th century it had been mostly sold off, and underwent rapid development. It attracted plenty of refugees in the 18th and 19th century, which explains how Greek Street got its name.

The remainder of the afternoon was taken up by popping into:

Ray's Jazz & Café at Foyles

John Snow1 - A major event in the history of public health was the study of an outbreak of cholera in Soho by Dr. John Snow. He identified the cause of the outbreak as the public water pump in Broadwick Street (then named Broad Street), and disabled it, thus ending the outbreak. A replica of the water pump, with a memorial plaque, stands near the location of the original pump (next to the John Snow pub).

Cosh - Cosh will showcase work from 13 artists including Airside (who boast Fred Deakin as a member), work from award winning Gregory Gilbert George and also Michael Gillette who is renowned in the UK for his companionable observations of the working lives of pop stars.

The English Maid - The 1933 Dutch barge, which was used in World War II to transport German troops along the Seine, is now home to one of the staples of British culture: a pub.