Wardour Street

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Film House at 142 Wardour Street, formerly the headquarters of the Associated-British Pathé film company.

Wardour Street in a street located in London's Soho, running one-way south to north from Leicester Square, passing through Chinatown, across Shaftesbury Avenue, to Oxford Street.

The street is named after Sir Archibald Wardour, who was the architect of several buildings on the street.

In the late 19th century, Wardour Street was known for slightly shoddy furniture stores. Wardour Street prose implies strained use of near-obsolete words for effect (e.g., anent). It refers to concentration at one time of antique shops in the area.

It was the centre of the old British film industry, and is still the home of much of the current film industry. In addition, the street is famous for its associations with the music industry, and is home to The Ship and The Intredpid Fox (recently closed), two [pub]]s known for being full of aspiring musicians.

The street was the site of the Marquee Club at 90 Wardour Street from 1964 to 1988 and, probably for that reason, is mentioned in the title of a song by The Jam, "A-Bomb in Wardour Street". The site of the Marquee Club is now home to a restaurant and bar called Floridita and above it is Soho Lofts, probably the most exclusive block of flats in Soho.

Today, the street is home to more than thirty restaurants and bars including, an eclectic mix north of Shaftesbury Avenue and south of there lots of well-known Chinese restaurants including the infamous Wong Kei (41-43 Wardour Street).