A Closer Look At The Fabulous Spirit Of Soho Mural

On the corner of Broadwick Street and Carnaby Street you will find a brilliant burst of colour in the form of the Spirit of Soho Mural. 

Completed in 1991, the mural was originally designed and executed by Diane England and a team of artists from Free Form Arts Trust. True to the spirit of the area, it is an exuberant and quirky commemoration of the area’s rich history, famous characters and diverse community. It even has a mechanically animated element to it as well, which I will come onto later. 

In August 2026 a restoration was completed on the mural and so I went to take a closer look.

St Anne

It is a mosaic-style artwork, featuring the towering guardian-like figure of St Anne within whose skirt is the map of Soho. Consecrated in 1686, St Anne’s Church on Dean Street is the historic parish church of the area. 

It was largely destroyed in the Blitz, leaving only the tower. After a campaign, the rest of the church was rebuilt in 1990 and reopened for church and community uses. 

One particularly notable past member of the clergy was Ken Leech, the curate here from 1967. In 1969 Leech opened a night shelter for homeless young people in the church basement, from which the homeless charity Centrepoint developed.

The Map of Soho and Landmarks 

As mentioned above, within St Anne’s skirts is a wonderful pictorial map of Soho. 

You can recognise various landmarks, such as Liberty’s, which opened in 1924.

Soho Square, laid out from the late 1670s. The mock-Tudor hut in the centre, by the way, dates from 1925 and was designed as a disguise and entranceway for an underground electrical substation run by the Charing Cross Electricity Company.

Below is a nod to Warner Brothers Studios. Wardour Street was once known as ‘Film Row’ and is depicted as a film reel. A 1951 Sight and Sound listing identified over 27 British film production companies, Hollywood subsidiaries and documentary/short-film companies with headquarters on Wardour Street and in the surrounding Soho area.

The fruits and vegetables represent Berwick Street Market 

There is also a representation of Chinatown, established here in Soho from the 1950s and 60s. This marked a shift from the original Chinatown in Limehouse, established by Chinese sailors and traders.

Groucho Marx, above the Apollo Theatre, is here to represent The Groucho Club, named after him in 1985 as a joke. Groucho Marx, comedian, actor and writer, famously said ‘I don’t want to belong to any club that will accept me as a member.’

The Side Panels

You then down the sides have depictions again of icons of Soho and what the area is known for. 

On the left, working downwards, you have film and animation, with an animator working in a studio.

This is thought to probably be Bob Godfrey (1921-2013) known as the ‘godfather of British animation’. He set up Biographic Cartoons in Soho in 1955 working in early commercial television ads and independent shorts. His best known works include the cartoon Roobarb (1974) and Henry’s Cat (1980-1991). 

You then have clothing and fashion. 

Food and restaurants. 

On the right is the Palladium, opened in 1910. 

Carnaby Street, a 17th century street that became an epicentre of ‘Swinging London’ fashion and youth culture in the 1960s. 

And the iconic Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club, opened in 1959 by saxophonists Ronnie Scott and Pete King, relocating to Frith Street in 1965. The painting depicts various figures associated with frequenting the establishments of Soho such as poet and writer Dylan Thomas on the left. 

The Clock Scene

In the centre at the bottom are four larger figures around a clock. On the hour a subtle mechanical animation kicks in. 

On the left is a young Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, who came to London with his family in 1764, aged eight. They were on a Grand Tour of Europe performing to the monarchies and aristocracies of Europe. They initially stayed on Cecil Court before moving to cheaper lodgings on Frith Street. 

Next to him you have Karl Marx. Marx lived on Dean Street from 1850-1856 with his family, above what is now Quo Vadis restaurant. They faced severe hunger and debt while living there and three of his children died in those years. He spent much of this period researching and writing, including work for Das Kapital, and regularly used the British Museum Reading Room.

To the right of him is Teresa Cornelys (1723-1797) who was a famous opera singer, impresario and courtesan who would host lavish and often scandalous gatherings and parties at Carlisle House in Soho Square. She became known as the ‘Empress of Pleasure’ and the ‘Queen of Masquerades’.

Next to her is her one time lover, with whom she had a child, Casanova (1725-1798). Casanova stayed on Greek Street during his turbulent 1763–1764 visit to London, chasing court favour, gambling, and pursuing romantic entanglements.

On the hour the mechanics kick in and Teresa winks, Casanova kisses and Karl Marx takes a sip from a can of Coca Cola, I suppose to poke fun at Marx, depicting him sipping from one of the ultimate symbols of global corporate capitalism. 

The Dog And Hare

The dog and hare depicted at the bottom of the mural are a nod to the traditional origin story of the name ‘Soho’. 

Before the area was developed this was open countryside, acquired by Henry VIII in 1536. It was used as a hunting ground for game, such as hares. 

‘So-ho!’, similar to ‘Tally-ho’, was an old English hunting cry from the 16th century for when prey was spotted.

Soho then started to be developed in the 1670s and 80s with streets laid out around Soho Square. 

The Crowd Of Famous Figures

Finally, there is a crowd of over forty figures associated with the area at the bottom.

You can, for example, see the artist, poet and visionary William Blake.

Blake was born on Broad Street (now Broadwick Street) in 1757 and was raised here for the first 25 years of his life. His father, James Blake, ran a successful shop selling wool stockings, gloves, and haberdashery, while the family lived in the rooms upstairs.

Isaac Newton lived at 35 St Martin’s Street from 1710 until his death in 1727.

He built a small wooden observatory on the roof where he spent time studying the stars. Newton would also host intellectual contemporaries such as Sir Christopher Wren, Edmund Halley and Jonathan Swift. 

Below is John Logie Baird, who gave the world’s first public demonstration of a working mechanical television system on 26th January 1926, inside his attic laboratory at 22 Frith Street.

Three Inspiring Women

The mural is rather male heavy, but there are a few women.

For example, below is Angelica Kauffman, the Swiss painter and founding member of the Royal Academy. Kauffman lived and worked at 16 Golden Square from 1767.

Her house became a fashionable meeting place for elite artists, musicians, and wealthy patrons during her rise to becoming a founding member of the Royal Academy. She and Mary Moser were the only two female founding members, out of 34. 

This is Maude Stanley, a youth work pioneer, who founded the Soho Club and Home for Working Girls at 59 Greek Street in 1883.

The building provided safe lodgings, meals, and social activities for young women working in Victorian London’s factories and businesses.

Finally, Fanny Kemble is depcited, an actress, writer and slavery abolitionist who was born close to and grew up around Soho Square.

You can see the full key below, courtesy of ThisIsSoho.

There is also a podcast called Mural Morsels that looks at many of the figures depicted in the mural. You can see them all here. 

So there we have it, there are so many little details to spot on the Spirit of Soho Mural. Next time you are wandering through the area, make sure to pay it a visit.

Thank you for reading, more of London’s hidden history, artworks and heritage below.