| Soho | |
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Soho
Soho shown within the West Midlands |
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| Population | 23,851 (2001 Population Census) |
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| - Density | 48.6 per ha |
| OS grid reference | SP048890 |
| Metropolitan borough | Birmingham |
| 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 |
| EU Parliament | West Midlands |
| UK Parliament | Birmingham Ladywood |
| List of places: UK • England • West Midlands | |
Soho is an area in north west Birmingham, approximately 2 miles from the City Centre on the A41, which until 1911 formed part of Handsworth District. Soho is also a ward within the council constituency of Ladywood. The name is an abbreviation of South House, denoting that it was located to the South of Handsworth proper.
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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 consisting of 76.2% (19,522) of the ward's population, compared with 29.6% for Birmingham.
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.
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 expanded dramatically during the 19th century with the construction of numerous houses and factories, and immigration from the Commonwealth was centred in these homes during the 1950s and 1960s. Most of the immigrants who settled in Soho were of Asian origin.
Further housebuilding took place by the local council during the 1960s and 1970s.
It has a lot of ethniclly diverse shops located within the soho and handsworth area.
Soho had stations on the LNWR's Stour Valley Line between Smethwick Rolfe Street and the also closed Winson Green railway station, and on the GWR between Handsworth and Smethwick (now Handsworth Booth Street) and Hockley (replaced by Jewellery Quarter). It is currently served by the Midland Metro on the former GWR line with a stop at Soho Benson Road tram stop.
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