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Emma Nygren

First Year Writing

6th October 2021

Final Draft

Profile on Soho, London

A gentleman’s club in Soho at night.

Soho is the beating heart of London. Music floods the streets from the local jazz clubs

and restaurants, attracting crowds from all over the world. This London neighborhood may be

small, but it is lively. Soho is exemplified by the LGBTQIA+ scene, with a reputation of

being energetic and risqué at times. Soho challenges London’s conservative atmosphere by

creating a party dynamic in the open air of every street. On a Friday night, the gay and

lesbian bars are packed to the brim, spilling into the streets creating street impromptu parties

and parades. Despite the venire, Soho has a sordid secret. Throughout the 19th and 20th

centuries, this area was notorious for its exploitative prostitution. Sadly, poorer women were
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sold into sex work with no other option. Similar to Amsterdam’s Red-Light District, with a

saucy reputation that brought crime and harm to streets of Soho. This crime was created by

wealthy people abusing their power and fueling the industry. They knew that these women

were forced into it and yet continued to take advantage of the women. Today’s Soho may

look cleaner and more civilised; however, prostitution and crime remain rife. The reality is

that London’s past continues to imprint upon its present, and Soho still courts controversy to

this day.

Soho’s historical character has shaped the legacy of the district. Robert Louis

Stevenson captured such an impression of Soho in his 1886 novella, “The Strange Case of Dr

Jekyll and Mr Hyde”, he describes part of Soho in terms of its “muddy ways, and slatternly

passengers, and its lamps, which had never been extinguished” (p.40). This conveys that

Soho was usually very busy as it was always lit up and the streets were muddy from so many

people moving through the area. His portrayal of the district makes it sound rather sinister, as

he compares it to “some city in a nightmare”. Stevenson’s depiction of Soho is historically

accurate because historian Lee Jackson presents Soho as an unclean environment, stating that

it was the source of an outbreak of Cholera. This is significant because it symbolises the way

in which Soho is like a disease.

Bertil Nygren, who lived in London during the 1970s, provided an insightful

interview. He described Soho in the late 1970s as “a scandalous hub of Rock & Roll and

drugs”. His use of the word scandalous represents Soho’s sleazy reputation, a century after

Stevenson was writing. Gangs created prostitution rings within the area and by the 1970s

there were, “54 sex shops, 39 sex cinemas and cinema clubs, 16 strip and peep shows, 11 sex-

orientated clubs, and 12 licensed massage parlours”. This illustrates the vast amount of sexual
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work, including the different forms that this took and displays the significant level of

demand. Therefore, the historical character of Soho remained consonant with its reputation in

modern times. The picture below shows Soho in the 1930s, illustrating an ally in which

market stalls are selling produce and goods. It is very busy and has a rather creepy ambiance

as the buildings are dark, with large awnings that conceal the street. The photo resembles a

film from the film noir genre.

Soho in 1933. People crowded in the street buying produce and goods from stalls.

Ronnie Scott’s is a well-known jazz club in the heart of Soho. It was originally

opened in 1959 by a saxophonist (Ronnie Scott), as a place where local artists could perform

and work on their music. Today, more than 60 years later it continues to appeal to a host of
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listeners, including young people, older people and some celebrities who enjoy jazz music.

Nowhere else in London has a Jazz Club developed international acclaim. The signage,

including neon lights and dusty brick walls, evoke a vintage feeling. As one steps in the door

it may not look like much, but you are led into a secret room where it reveals a large stage

and crowd.

Listeners sit in booths and red, velvet chairs sipping cocktails, revisiting the memories

of an old-fashioned jazz club. Inside, the club welcomes people from a plethora of

backgrounds, bringing together people who otherwise may have never met. There are women

draped in fur and diamonds sitting next to women in sneakers and ripped jeans. Bertil

Nygren, during the interview said, “I spent a lot of my 20s at Ronnie’s with my friends, the

music was lively, and the drinks were strong, there was never a dull moment there.” This

suggests that Ronnie Scott’s has been an epicentre of enjoyment for decades, complementing

the restaurant and bar scene in Soho. Most importantly, the music is the main attraction.

Groups and soloists come from around the world to preform, most famously Kurt Elling and

Wynton Marsalis. Jazz music is well suited to Soho’s mischievous character as it is alluring

and seductive. Therefore, Scott’s truly is a staple of London’s dynamic culture.

To everyone’s surprise, Ronnie’s has its own dark secrets. In the 1960s, Ronnie

Scott’s incurred a great scandal. Johnny Edgecombe, also known to many as “the Edge”, was

a hustler and chauffeur at Ronnie’s. He had a relationship with the woman (Christine Keeler)

who was at the heart of the Profumo Scandal (The Profumo Affair consisted of Christine

entangling herself with a Russian spy and an English politician during the Cold War). One

night Johnny was with Christine, and he fired five bullets into her door in anger over the
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Profumo Scandal. This landed him in prison for 7 years. Imagine the horror at Ronnie’s after

discovering one of their beloved employees had acted with such impunity.

Photo of Ella Fitzgerald performing at Ronnie’s in 1974

Neon sign in front of Ronnie Scott’s.

Soho ultimately combines a lively culture and scandalous allures, successfully

drawing in young and old visitors alike. People are attracted to this vibrant part of a historical

city where the crowds swell in size and every evening holds the promise of new adventures.

Although Soho has the veneer of a typical city center, its past contains many harrowing

details that would shock modern visitors. The images within this essay only show a fragment

of Soho’s liveliness, which offers to thrill and inspire newcomers. The experience of standing

in Soho diminishes any impression created by word of mouth as one bears witness to the

variety of intrigues. Soho, like any special place, must be seen to be believed.
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Cited works

Creative Boom, Rare photographs inside Ronnie Scott’s, London’s world-famous jazz venue

that marks its 60th anniversary this year (London, 2019)

https://www.creativeboom.com/inspiration/photographs-inside-ronnie-scotts-londons-world-

famous-jazz-venue-that-marks-its-60th-anniversary-this-year/

Evening Standard, Amazing vintage photos show the eclectic life of Soho through the decades

(London, 2019)

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/amazing-vintage-photos-show-the-eclectic-life-of-

soho-through-the-decades-a4151131.html

History of Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club (n/a)

https://www.ronniescotts.co.uk/static/assets/ronnie_scotts_history.pdf

Jackson, Lee, The Victorian Fight Against Filth (London, 2014)

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Stevenson, Robert Louis, The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (London, 1866)

The Guardian, Soho sex workers’ protest did bring about change (London, 2021)

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/mar/16/soho-sex-workers-protest-did-bring-

about-change

The Telegraph, Sex, sheep and espressos – the fascinating history of Soho (London, 2019)

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/united-

kingdom/england/london/galleries/history-of-soho/soho-slide-22/

Vice, The Jazz Chauffeur Who Kicked Off a Political Scandal in 1960s Britain (London,
2014)

https://www.vice.com/en/article/ppmwkz/johnny-and-the-jazz-mobile

Visit London, Ronnie Scott’s (n/a)

https://www.visitlondon.com/things-to-do/place/279177-ronnie-scotts
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