Poland Street


Poland Street is a street in the Soho district of the City of Westminster, London. It runs from Oxford Street in the north to Broadwick Street in the south. It was named after a pub "King of Poland" which was renamed in honour of Poland's King John III Sobieski in the heading of a coalition of western armies, crucially defeated the invading Ottoman forces at the 1683 Battle of Vienna. In the 18th century, Polish Protestants settled around Poland Street as religious refugees fleeing the Polish Counterreformation.

Notable residents

The poet Percy Bysshe Shelley lived at 15 Poland Street.
The poet William Blake lived at 28 Poland Street until 1791. The original building has since been rebuilt.
Madame D'Arblay had her childhood home at 50 Poland Street. In 1909, nearby Portland Street was renamed D'Arblay Street in her honour.