130 Years of Queer Soho (or thereabouts)

Old Compton Street has been the recognisable hub of London's LGBTQ scene for no more than a couple of decades, but through our Pride of Place project we've managed to find more than 130 years of uninterrupted alternative lifestyles existing within Soho's historic walls. On this walk we visit those hidden and sometimes forgotten places that have kept Soho Queer, from the late Victorian era to the present day.

Note on Terminology

Finding the right words to discuss the history of same-sex practices and identities is quite a challenge. Modern day terms such as gay, straight and LGBTQ have not always existed and labelling those in the past as such would be a misrepresentation of how people saw themselves. To recognise this shifting change in identity, throughout the tour we use the terminology that would have been contemporary to that particular time.