Soho Square

Soho Square. The Garden's History and Layout. The land on which Soho Square was laid out in the 1680's was known as Soho Fields. Until the seventeenth century it formed a part of the open country, covering what is now London's West End., The word Soho derives itself from the hunting call "So-Hol" its use as a place-name seems to be associated with the area's popularity as a location for fox and hare hunting., For many years the square was also called King's Square, probably in honour of Charles II whose statue then stood at its centre. Carved in 1681 by Caius Gabriel Cibber, Father of Colley Cibber the Poet Laureate, it was set on a pedestal above a fountain and basin. The pedestal was decorated with figures which issued water representing the rivers Thames, Severn, Tyne and Humber. The water supply was driven by a windmill situated due North across Oxford Street, at the top of Rathbone Place. The statue of Charles II was given to the artist Frederick Goodall who placed it in the grounds of his country house. It was later acquired by W.S. Gilbert (of Gilbert and Sullivan fame) whose widow returned the statue to its present position in the garden in 1938., The garden's original form had four grassed areas arranged around the fountain. The grassed areas were separated by broad paths and the whole was enclosed by a wooden fence. The accompanying engraving clearly shows this arrangement below., The condition of the garden fluctuated over the years with periods of decline being followed by alterations and improvements. During the 1700's a number of new trees and shrubs were planted including "almond, peach, cherry and rose trees, lilacs, laburnums, honeysuckle, syringas, and jessamine..." possibly chosen by the botanist Joseph Banks who resided at No. 32 Soho Square from 1777 until his death in 1820., The fountain ceased to function in the early 1800s and the basin was filed in Alterations in 1875-76 included the removal of the statue and its replacement at the centre of the gardens by the wooden building (and gardeners' shed) which can be seen today., During the war of 1939-45 the enclosing cast iron railings were removed for use in armament manufacture and extensive air-raid shelters were dug beneath the surface of the garden, which underlie much of the grass, flower beds and terraced areas today., In the immediate post-war period priority was given to the provision of commercial and residential accommodation, so the garden was not restored and opened to the public until 1954. The new layout was unveiled which included the paved terrace to the south of the garden. The iron railings and gates were installed in 1950.