Soho, West Midlands

Human settlement in England

Soho

Soho Foundry at Smethwick

Soho

Location within the West Midlands

Population| 30,317 (2011.Ward)[1]
• Density| 62.7 per ha
OS grid reference| SP048890
Metropolitan borough|

* Birmingham and Sandwell

Shire county|

* Staffordshire

Metropolitan county|

* West Midlands

Region|

* West Midlands

Country| England
Sovereign state| United Kingdom
Post town| BIRMINGHAM
Postcode district| B21
Dialling code| 0121
Police| West Midlands
Fire| West Midlands
Ambulance| West Midlands
UK Parliament|

* Birmingham Ladywood

List of places

England
West Midlands

52°29′57″N 1°55′44″W﻿ / ﻿52.4991°N 1.9288°W﻿ / 52.4991; -1.9288

Soho is an area split between the Birmingham and Sandwell metropolitan boroughs of the West Midlands in England. The area is located on the A41 road. The name is an abbreviation of South House, denoting that it was located to the south of Handsworth[citation needed]. The section of the A41 separating Handsworth from Winson Green is known as Soho Road.

Soho expanded dramatically during the 19th century with the construction of numerous houses and factories, and immigration from the Commonwealth was centred on these homes during the 1950s and 1960s. Most of the immigrants who settled in Soho were of Indian origin.

Further housebuilding took place by the local council during the 1960s and 1970s. Soho falls partly in the Soho ward of the City of Birmingham and partly in the Soho and Victoria ward of the Borough of Sandwell.

## Soho ward, Birmingham

[edit]

Until 1911 the part now within Birmingham formed part of Handsworth District, and is now a ward within the council constituency of Ladywood.

### Demography

[edit]

The 2001 Population Census found that 25,634 people were living in Soho with a population density of 5,369 people per km2 compared with 3,649 people per km2 for Birmingham. Soho covers an area of 4.8 km2. The ward is a very ethnically diverse area with ethnic minorities making up 76.2% (19,522) of the ward's population, compared with 29.6% in Birmingham.

#### Ethnicity Population

[edit]

* White British – 20.48%
* White Irish – 2.20%
* White Other – 1.17%
* Mixed: White and Black Caribbean – 2.80%
* Mixed: White and Black African – 0.22%
* Mixed: White and Asian – 0.81%
* Mixed: Other – 0.95%
* Indian – 26.77%
* Pakistani – 13.99%
* Bangladeshi – 3.88%
* Other Asian – 2.31%
* Afro-Caribbean – 18.13%
* African – 1.44%
* Other Black – 2.42%
* Chinese – 0.69%

### Politics

[edit]

Soho Ward is represented by three Labour councillors on Birmingham City Council; Sybil Spence, Chaman Lal and Dorothy Hargreaves.

Soho Ward has adopted a Ward Support Officer with the current holder of the title being Tariq M. Khan.

In 2014, James Turner Street, in the Winson Green area of the ward[2] featured in the TV series Benefits Street.

## Places of interest

[edit]

Soho House

Industrialist Matthew Boulton opened his "Soho Manufactory" (an early factory) there in 1761. Boulton himself resided at Soho House, now a community museum of the Birmingham Museums & Art Gallery run by Birmingham City Council.

The parish church is dedicated to St John Chrysostom. The area is served by Handsworth Library.

Winson Green Prison and City Hospital are located within the Winson Green area of the ward.

Soho is home to a Train Care Depot and the Soho Foundry, which was Matthew Boulton and James Watt’s famous factory. Most of the rest of the area is industrial with some housing.

Soho Pool, by Allen Edward Everitt.

## Transport

[edit]

Soho had stations on the London & North Western Railway built Stour Valley Line between Smethwick Rolfe Street and the closed Winson Green railway station, and on the Great Western Railway between Handsworth & Smethwick and Hockley (replaced by Jewellery Quarter). It is currently served by the West Midlands Metro on the former GWR line with a stop at Soho Benson Road.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Birmingham Ward population 2011". Retrieved 14 December 2015.
2. ^ "My Local Information/". Birmingham City Council. Retrieved 11 February 2014.

## External links

[edit]

* Birmingham City Council Soho Ward
* Sandwell Trends, Soho and Victoria Ward

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Areas of Birmingham

Suburbs|

* Acocks Green
* Alum Rock
* Ashted
* Aston
* Austin Village
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* Duddeston
* Edgbaston
* Erdington
* Falcon Lodge
* Fox Hollies
* Garretts Green
* Gilbertstone
* Glebe Farm
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* Gravelly Hill
* Great Barr
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* Rotton Park
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* Sheldon
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* Yardley Fields
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Government of Birmingham

Birmingham UK parliamentary constituencies (left) and city council wards

Edgbaston|

* Bartley Green
* Edgbaston
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* Quinton

Erdington|

* Castle Vale
* Erdington
* Gravelly Hill
* Kingstanding
* Oscott (part)
* Perry Common
* Pype Hayes
* Stockland Green

Hall Green|

* Brandwood and King's Heath (part)
* Hall Green North
* Hall Green South
* Moseley
* Sparkbrook and Balsall Heath East
* Sparkhill

Hodge Hill|

* Bromford and Hodge Hill
* Garretts Green
* Glebe Farm and Tile Cross
* Heartlands
* Shard End
* Ward End
* This constituency also contains Castle Bromwich and Smith's Wood in Solihull.

Ladywood|

* Alum Rock
* Balsall Heath West
* Bordesley and Highgate
* Bordesley Green
* Ladywood
* Nechells
* Newtown
* Soho and Jewellery Quarter

Northfield|

* Allens Cross
* Frankley Great Park
* Kings Norton North
* Kings Norton South
* Longbridge and West Heath
* Northfield
* Rubery and Rednal
* Weoley and Selly Oak (part)

Perry Barr|

* Aston
* Birchfield
* Handsworth
* Handsworth Wood
* Holyhead
* Lozells
* Oscott (part)
* Perry Barr

Selly Oak|

* Billesley
* Bournbrook and Selly Park
* Bournville and Cotteridge
* Brandwood and King's Heath (part)
* Druids Heath and Monyhull
* Highter's Heath
* Stirchley
* Weoley and Selly Oak (part)

Sutton Coldfield|

* Sutton Four Oaks
* Sutton New Hall
* Sutton Reddicap
* Sutton Roughley
* Sutton Trinity
* Sutton Vesey
* Sutton Walmley and Minworth
* Sutton Wylde Green

Yardley|

* Acocks Green
* Sheldon
* Small Heath
* South Yardley
* Tyseley and Hay Mills
* Yardley East
* Yardley West and Stechford

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