Discover Soho’s
queer landmarks
and historic urban
landscape
Join Open City for an alternative architectural walking tour exploring queer place-making in London’s pleasure district of Soho and the surrounding area of Piccadilly, focusing on lesbian, bisexual and trans identities.
This insightful walking tour — led by Golden Key Academy graduate Imogen Steinberg — will tell the story of how queer people have created spaces for community, friendship, sexual freedom and activism. The tour will focus on several interesting individuals whose unique stories of sexuality and gender presentation over the last few centuries can be told through Soho’s enigmatic built environment.
We will discover how the development of John Nash’s plan for Piccadilly was shaped by the in-house architects at British restaurant chain store J Lyons & Co, and how recent architectural practices have riffed off local conventions and planning constraints to create new places which in turn affect how we use and move through the city.
Stepping back into the hidden world of possibilities that is Soho, we will consider the public and the private, belonging, respectability, ‘mainstream-ification’ and the ongoing impact of licensing laws.
Key information:
Tour start point: Outside main entrance of Criterion Theatre, 218-223 Piccadilly, St. James's W1J 9HR
End point: Soho Square, W1
Distance: 2 miles approx
Cost: £19.50 / £14.50 / £9.50
Tickets are non refundable and go ahead rain or shine. Get in touch with Adrianna at tours@open-city.org.uk with any queries.
Meet the tour guide…
Imogen Steinberg is a creative events professional working in arts and heritage. They have worked at a number of iconic landmarks including Westminster Abbey, Chiswick House, and Sir John Soane’s Museum, and are currently Head of Commercial at Dulwich Picture Gallery. Imogen is interested in place making, community and how the fabric of the city changes the way we interact with it, and each other. They are fascinated by historic buildings and the people who lived in them. They enjoy uncovering queer history across the LGBTQ+ spectrum, and they are passionate about illuminating untold stories. They have led tours for the Brunel Museum, the Foundling Museum and the British Academy.
Steinberg graduated from Open City’s Golden Key Academy in 2023 and joined the Open City tours team in 2024.
Open City's year-round tours programme is supported by Bloomberg Connects, a free app a free guide to the best art exhibitions and museums.