Whither Soho?

A great deal of this introduction and indeed this book is taken up with the past. What about the area now and into the next century? Perhaps the most significant invasion of the area in the last few years is by the British. More restaurants owned, cooked in and run by them have opened in the last few years than any other group, especially if you include the astonishing expansion of bars and pavement cafés (not all of them gay). As an old-timer I look askance at the penetration of the area by brewery-owned chains and the mega restaurants, thinking that the area’s ethos and history does not sit well with the corporate world. In more realistic moments I recognise an inevitability about this, but remain convinced that it will be them who have to adapt to the magic of the place. Soho has shown its staying power many times over three hundred years and it can assimilate or reject newcomers with ease. I confidently expect it to continue to do so.