Once a hunting ground on the fringes of London, its name likely derived from the cry of “So-ho!” from 16th-century huntsmen, Soho has always had a flair for drama. By the late 17th century, the deer were gone, replaced by grand townhouses, populated by aristocrats and artists, radicals and rogues. It quickly earned a reputation as a place where high society and low morals mingled with surprising ease.

As the centuries ticked by, Soho morphed again. The 18th century brought Huguenot silk weavers and political exiles; the 19th century brought opium dens, music halls, and all-night cafés where revolutionaries plotted and poets drank too much port. By the 20th century, Soho was the beating heart of bohemia, the capital of counterculture.

Today, the neon may have softened and the seediness polished into something more palatable, but Soho hasn’t lost its spirit. It’s still a little louche, a little literary, a little loud. A tangle of Georgian streets now home to Michelin stars and hip bars, recording studios and media empires, all within walking distance of our very own slice of history, Hazlitt’s.