• Turn left along Rupert Street - then cross over into Winnett Street. This runs at the rear of the Gielgud Theatre.

 

• At the end of Winnett Street you will come to Wardour Street and see the church of St Anne facing you. 

 

For a 20-year period after the Second World War, Wardour Street used to be right at the heart of Soho’s strip clubs. Today it is the location of many upmarket shops, restaurants and bars.

 

The church of St Anne’s Soho was consecrated in 1686 by Bishop Compton and dedicated to Saint Anne because Compton had been tutor to Princess Anne before she became Queen. Christopher Wren was possibly the architect and it was built in what was then the countryside of Soho Fields.   ///human.labels.seat

 

The church was destroyed in the Blitz of 1940 apart from the tower and it was eventually rebuilt in 1990–1991 as a result of the Greater London Council's decision to keep Soho as a residential area after years of pressure from the arts world, local residents and the Soho Society. 

 

St Anne’s churchyard is worth a visit. Here is a memorial to Theodore of Corsica (1694-1756), a German adventurer who made himself briefly King of Corsica in the mid-18th century. When his grandiose schemes fell apart, he came to England to seek support but was forced to declare himself bankrupt and made over his 'kingdom' to his creditors.