The Spirit of Soho mural, a 35-year-old artwork at the junction of Carnaby Street and Broadwick Street, features more than 40 historical figures and includes a moving mechanical section that activates hourly, according to a recent video by Living London History's Jack Chesher.
Mural's history and design
Installed between 1989 and 1991, the mural was created by a team of artists working with the local community, Chesher explained in an Instagram video. The central female figure represents St Anne, referencing the local parish church of St Anne's. Her skirt contains a map of Soho's streets, with landmarks such as Liberty's department store, Chinatown, and Ronnie Scott's Jazz Bar.
Liberty's, a Grade II-listed Tudor-style building, first opened in 1875. Ronnie Scott's, which opened in 1959, has hosted performers including Miles Davis, Nina Simone, Ella Fitzgerald, Jimi Hendrix, Prince, and Amy Winehouse.
Historical figures depicted
Among the characters are William Blake, the Romantic artist and poet, and John Logie Baird, the television inventor. A dog and hare image recalls Soho's history as hunting grounds, where the cry "So Ho!" was often heard.
The mural also shows a young Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, who stayed on Frith Street in 1764 at age eight, and Karl Marx, who lived on Dean Street from 1850 to 1856. Teresa Cornelys, described by Chesher as "a famous 18th century opera singer, impresario, and courtesan," hosted lavish parties at Carlisle House on Soho Square, earning her the nickname "Empress of Pleasure" or "Queen of Masquerades." Casanova, her suspected lover and father of one of her children, also appears.
Animated hourly display
Chesher noted: "On the hour the mechanics kick in and Casanova blows kisses, Teresa winks, and Karl Marx takes a sip from a can of Coca-Cola, I guess to poke fun at Marx, depicting him sipping from one of the ultimate symbols of global corporate capitalism."
Concluding his video, Chesher said: "So there we have it, when you're next in the area, make sure to go and check it out." Instagram users responded with surprise, with one commenting: "Fascinating! I remember it being painted as I worked in Wardour Street for 20 years." Another wrote: "I've seen it but didn't realise what happens when the clock reaches the hour, another visit required me thinks."
