Stop to Smell the Noses - 7 Noses of Soho
Author: Miss Thropist | 
Miss Thropist of Pop Culture Playpen
When I first read about the seven noses of Soho I was immediately intrigued. Not only did sniffing 
them out sound like a fun (and free!) way to spend an afternoon, the fact that no one's quite sure why they're there, means there's a mystery that needs solving.
Plus the promise of eternal wealth didn't sound half bad either. So I did what any sensible person would do when trying to crack an enigma and gain unspeakable riches: I put together a posse. We filled up on food first- searching can be hungry work- and then set off into the heart of Soho.
We started on Meard Street, the nose presence here being pretty well established, and almost immediately found the object. It's fairly large and flesh coloured, and therefore easy to spot, although it's also quite high on the wall so you 
might not notice it immediately if you weren't on the lookout. Its obvious existence silenced the mutinous rumblings of the more disbelieving members of my crew, and even had us incredulously pointing it out to random members of the public as they passed.
Buoyed by our early success we headed across to Bateman Street. The second schnoz, on this road, was harder to find as it was smaller and painted the same colour as the wall. It took us a couple of sweeps to notice it, during which we looked a little bit like a bunch of crazy people, craning our necks upwards, staring at everything as we meandered along slowly and generally giving the people around us the sense that we thought the sky might be about to fall at any moment. Paying that much attention to the streets of London is worthwhile however, it might make you seem like a maniac but it does mean that you notice a lot more than you would have otherwise.
The next place we tried, D'Arblay Street, was frustrating. As we fruitlessly combed it up and down, searching f
or the nose that's supposed to be there, everything- from rivets to security cameras- started to look like a potential snout. The presence of a nose piercing display in a window, and a skull above a shop, only frustrated us more. We eventually concluded that the nose might have been obscured by some scaffolding around a pub on the corner of the street and gracelessly bowed out of that particular quest in order to check out Great Windmill Street.
At this point we were running out of daylight and frantically searching. Eventually we crossed over Shaftesbury Avenue and found the fairly obviously placed nose. By this point it was getting hard to see, so we decided to save hunting for the ear on Floral Street and the remaining noses (wherever 
they might be) for another time.
I've since managed to find the one on Admiralty Arch (which isn't in Soho, so I'm not sure if it counts) and think the experience has probably made me more aware of tiny details, and I'll try to always keep my eyes peeled for quirky elements as I wander around the city.
If you're interested in searching for the noses yourself, my advice would be to take as many tall, arty people as you can find with you- and make sure they either have excellent eyesight or are wearing their glasses. A decent map is helpful, as is picking a sunny day. And remember to look up!
Quite frankly that's pretty good life advice for any situation, so to show your appreciation for these wise words of wisdom how about you promise to cut me in on the prize if you do 
receive eternal wealth for finding all the noses? It would only be fair after all...
Editor's Note: The amateur detectives among you may want to look yourself - an easy one to start you off is at Admiralty Arch - on the map below. The others have to be uncovered, otherwise you don't receive the riches. Hey, I don't make the rules, and I know it's not in Soho. Never follow urban myths too slavishly - by order of the fun police.
Admiralty Arch, The Mall, London, SW1A 2BN
Nearest Tube: Charing Cross or Westminster.
