Hollen Street

Hollen Street runs through the western part of Soho, linking Wardour Street with the streets towards Berwick Street market. It was laid out in the early eighteenth century and takes its name from its builder, Allen Hollen, who was responsible for development in this part of the district.

The street carries a strong trade and printing history. The printing works of the music publisher Novello stood here, around the corner from the firm's offices on Wardour Street. Novello built its reputation in the Victorian period by issuing affordable editions of choral and orchestral music and championing both British composers and European figures from Berlioz to Wagner, part of the wider music trade that has long defined this corner of Soho. The street also retained industrial buildings, including a former hat factory, reflecting the workshops and small manufacturers that filled Soho's side streets.

Today Hollen Street is a mixed commercial and residential turning, with offices, studios and newer flats. It sits within easy reach of the record shops and stalls of Berwick Street and the music and film businesses of Wardour Street, keeping its place among the working streets of central Soho rather than its more public frontages.