Walker's Court and St Anne's Court: Soho's alleys
Two narrow Soho passages, one past of strip lights and one of studio tape, and a twelve-seat counter hidden off Dean Street.
By Only Soho Editorial
Soho's alleys are where the grid gives up and the stories start. Two repay a slow walk: Walker's Court, with its theatrical past, and St Anne's Court, where pop history was made behind an unremarkable door.
Walker's Court
Walker's Court is a pedestrian alleyway, and it dates from around the early 1700s. It escaped the late-19th-century modernisation that reshaped so much around it, so the narrow layout is still the original. Building leases here went to tradesmen in 1719 and 1720, among them a bricklayer called John Walker. Whether he gave the court its name is uncertain, so we will leave that one lying.
Through the 20th century the small shops closed, and from the late 1950s the alley became tied to Soho's sex trade. A 2026 London Shoes blog says it was nicknamed "Sex Alley" in those years. The anchor was the Raymond Revuebar, opened by Paul Raymond in 1958 and closed in 2004, a theatre and strip club at 11 to 12 Walker's Court, in Maurice House.
Look up as you pass. A first-floor bridge with leaded bay windows crosses the court, joining the theatre entrance to the main auditorium. It is the best architectural detail in the alley. Soho Estates later redeveloped the court, with SODA Studio behind the scheme, and phase one included the Boulevard Theatre with its revolving auditorium (see the Walker's Court entry on Wikipedia for the fuller history).
What is there now
The Box Soho, at 11 to 12 Walker's Court, is a cabaret nightclub on the old Raymond Revuebar premises. It opened on 9 February 2011 and bills itself as a "theatre of varieties". A Soho nightlife guide calls it one of London's strictest doors, with late-night theatrical cabaret. This is a late-evening address: go after dark, and expect to be judged at the door.
Underbelly Boulevard Soho, 6 Walker's Court, has a cocktail bar on the first floor, listed by Official London Theatre as open daily. Pair it with a show and take a seat by the bar before curtain up.
The southern end of the court meets Rupert Street, which makes it a tidy cut between the two.
St Anne's Court
St Anne's Court is a small alley off Wardour Street that also connects through to Dean Street. It sits deep in the heart of Soho and is easy to walk past at speed.
It matters for music. Trident Studios stood at 17 St Anne's Court. Wikipedia gives its working life as 1968 to 1981, though Discogs says the studio traded under that name until 1985, so the end date is disputed. It was built in 1967 by the brothers Norman and Barry Sheffield. On 31 July 1968 the Beatles recorded "Hey Jude" here, one of the very few times they worked away from EMI's Abbey Road. Stand in the court, picture the tape rolling, and head on.
You can read more at Trident Studios on Wikipedia and the Beatles in London account of the session.
Where to eat
Aulis London, 16 St Anne's Court, is hidden just off Dean Street. It is limited to twelve guests per service, an interactive counter experience, and an outpost of Simon Rogan's L'Enclume. Michelin lists it with one star in the 2026 Guide, in the Creative British style, price band ££££. Wine pairings and drink packages are charged separately. Book ahead through the Aulis site, and take one of the counter seats for the full cooked-and-explained tasting menu.
Walking it
A local guide advises starting near Regent Street and drifting east and south rather than cutting straight through, and describes the passages as the connective tissue of Soho. One self-guided route passes Manette Street, formerly Rose Street, renamed for Dr Manette of A Tale of Two Cities. Daylight shows the architecture; after dark, the courts belong to the doors that are still open.
