| Place | Story | Location clues | Map | Source article |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| "New Road" (Marylebone Road) | The Woman in White: Walter Hartright follows Count Fosco from his home to the 'New Road' (Marylebone Road) and towards Oxford Street. | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | London Literary Locations: Wilkie Collins | |
| 'No Tricycles' Sign, Alley off Kent House Road, Beckenham | In a lowly footpath in the 'Borough of Beckenham', a sign threatens a £5 penalty for riding a tricycle or similar machine. The reference to the Borough of Beckenham dates this sign to before 1965, when boundary changes subsumed the old borough into Bromley. A further bit of googling around the town clerk's name suggests this sign dates from the 1950s. It can be found in the alley off Kent House Road, part of the Green Chain Walk, section 10. | in the alley off Kent House Road, part of the Green Chain Walk, section 10 | — (geo pending) | London's Old Forgotten Signs |
| 10 Downing Street, Westminster | A man was discovered inside a secure area at the back of Downing Street at 10.30pm, found carrying a large kitchen knife. Police stated there was no terrorist connection, noting the intruder would 'have had to get through another security cordon' to reach the then-Prime Minister Tony Blair. Following a scuffle with police, the intruder was examined by a doctor due to concern about his health. | inside a secure area at the back of Downing Street | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | Intruder At Number 10 |
| 12 New Cavendish Street, Marylebone | Wilkie Collins was born into a wealthy family on 8 January 1824 at 12 New Cavendish Street. | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | London Literary Locations: Wilkie Collins | |
| 16 Montpelier Road, Ealing | Ghost hunter Andrew Green had an early ghostly encounter in the tower of a house on 16 Montpelier Road, Ealing. The house was a sort of suicide house — people kept throwing themselves from the seventy-two foot high tower. Green discovered that 20 suicides had taken place there and caught the image of a spooky girl glaring out an upstairs window when he photographed the house. This is thought to be the ghost of 12-year-old Annie Hinchfield, who started the whole thing by throwing herself from the tower in 1887. The house has since been demolished and flats built in its place, but Green found that the occupants were still troubled by unusual noises. | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | Fortean London: A Ghost In Every Borough: Barking to Enfield | |
| 17 Hanover Terrace, Regent's Park | Wilkie Collins's literary career really started to take off while he was still living with his mother and brother at 17 Hanover Terrace near Regent's Park. | near Regent's Park | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | London Literary Locations: Wilkie Collins |
| 19 Cleveland Street, West End | In 1889, a gay brothel was uncovered at No.19 Cleveland Street in London's West End, operating close to Tottenham Court Road. Teenage telegraph messenger boys from the General Post Office were servicing the needs of leading members of the aristocracy. Among the clients was Lord Arthur Somerset, the Prince of Wales's private equerry, and it was rumoured that Prince Albert Victor — Queen Victoria's grandson — was also a visitor. The Establishment closed ranks: the Prince of Wales's fixers put pressure on the government to close down the police investigation and keep it out of the press. But it soon became international news. Six years later, the sparks from the Cleveland Street scandal led directly to the greatest sex scandal of the 19th century — the prosecution and imprisonment of Oscar Wilde for gross indecency. It set the template for how gay men in Britain were mistreated until homosexuality was legalised in England and Wales in 1967. Inspector Frederick Abberline, who had led the unsuccessful Jack the Ripper investigation the year before, was put in charge of the Cleveland Street case. It was to be his last big case, and he finished his police career frustrated at being hampered by higher powers in his probing of it. | close to Tottenham Court Road | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | The Cleveland Street Scandal: A Victorian Tale Of Forbidden Sex And Establishment Cover-Up |
| 19 Princelet Street, Spitalfields | A Museum of Immigration already exists in the form of 19 Princelet Street. Fascinating though the place is, it has one big drawback: it's hardly ever open, and it's rather small. | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | Museums We Wish Existed In London | |
| 23 Eastcheap, City of London (Philpot Lane mice) | Often hyperbolised as London's smallest sculpture, tiny mice can be found clinging to the wall of 23 Eastcheap in the City. Nobody knows who put the mice-and-cheese there — references go back to the 1960s, but they may be part of the original build in the 1880s. One just-so story would have us believe that the mice represent two workmen who had squabbled over lunch during the building's construction, one of whom then fell to his death. Probably not, but nobody has a better theory. | clinging to the wall of 23 Eastcheap | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | Around London In 11 Mice And Rats |
| 30 Porchester Terrace, Bayswater | Wilkie Collins's family moved to 30 Porchester Terrace, Bayswater, in 1830, where he attended Maida Hill Academy. | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | London Literary Locations: Wilkie Collins | |
| 67-73 Riding House Street, Fitzrovia | It was in London, at 67-73 Riding House Street, that Olaudah Equiano finally sat down to write his autobiography, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano or Gustavus Vassa, the African — published in 1789. The harrowing tale was a catalyst in ending slavery. It's commemorated in a green plaque. | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | 9 Great London Immigrants | |
| 82 Wimpole Street, Marylebone | Wilkie Collins died of a stroke on 23 September 1889 at 82 Wimpole Street. | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | London Literary Locations: Wilkie Collins | |
| 90 Gloucester Place, Marylebone | Wilkie Collins's most permanent London abode, from 1867 to 1888, was at 90 Gloucester Place. Like Dickens, he lived at over 20 addresses in London, most of which were in the Marylebone area. | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | London Literary Locations: Wilkie Collins | |
| A pub in Holborn, London | The Football Association was born in London in 1863 in a pub in Holborn. The FA gradually managed to codify the sport by persuading clubs to sign up to a set of standardised rules — rules which would evolve and ultimately govern the game worldwide. | in a pub in Holborn | — (geo pending) | What Happened To The Teams That Competed In The First Ever FA Cup? |
| Abbey Road zebra crossing, St John's Wood | The Abbey Road album was supposed to be called Everest, with a cover featuring the Fab Four striding in the Nepalese foothills — but the Beatles couldn't be bothered. Its cheapo stand-in, a zebra crossing 10 seconds' walk from their London recording studio, became perhaps the most iconic album cover ever. On that wham-bam photo shoot in August 1969, just a month before the record was rolled out, a policeman was hired to stop traffic and the photographer Iain Macmillan had a stepladder. These days, hundreds come to Abbey Road every day to follow in the exact footsteps of the Beatles, with the crossing watched by a 24-hour webcam. London's pedestrians might take perverse joy in watching cars, cabs and HGVs rev, stall and beep as Beatles fans edge out into the road, then retreat to the pavement, unsure who's got right of way — there's giggling, the odd scream. | 10 seconds' walk from their London recording studio | map ↗ Maps place · exact | Why The Hell Do People Go To Abbey Road? |
| Abney Park Cemetery | The first aboretum to be combined with a cemetery in Europe. | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | London's Hidden Parks, Gardens And Green Spots Mapped | |
| Acton Town tube station | The name Acton comes from Old English meaning an enclosure surrounded by oaks. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | How The Piccadilly Line Stations Got Their Names | |
| Al Saqi Bookshop | Read review . 26 Westbourne Grove, W2 5RH. Visit website | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | Biblio-Text: Joseph's Bookstore | |
| Albert Bridge, Chelsea | Spindly Albert Bridge is such a delicate little thing. The effete span can be unsettled by too many pedestrians walking in unison. That's why it carries a famous vintage sign asking troops to break step when marching over the bridge. Since Chelsea Barracks closed, the bridge is presumably little bothered by military mis-steps. The sign is parodied outside the Albert pub, a little south of here. | the Albert pub is a little south of here | map ↗ Maps place · exact | London's Old Forgotten Signs |
| Alexandra Palace, Wood Green | Alexandra Palace was the setting for the Sinclair C5's launch in January 1985, in which six of the electrically-assisted pedal capsules shot out of boxes, and were driven around by attractive women dressed in grey sci-fi boiler suits. The C5, claimed its creator Clive Sinclair, was the future of travel. They were dubbed a "plastic hip bath on wheels", and were ultimately spurned by the public, who didn't much fancy looking like a wally or being crushed beneath the wheels of a 10-ton truck. The opening ceremony was probably the most fun anyone ever had in a Sinclair C5. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | London Commutes That Never Quite Took Off | |
| Alleyn's Regent's Park (former convent) | Alleyn's Regent's Park school is housed in a beautiful former convent on the doorstep of Regent's Park and London Zoo, which has undergone a multi-million-pound build and refurbishment programme. Notable spaces include The Bear Pit — a beautiful former chapel now used as a space for the performing arts. | on the doorstep of Regent's Park and London Zoo, housed in a beautiful former convent | — (geo pending) | North London Has Two New Independent Schools... With 400 Year-Old Roots |
| Alleyn's School, Dulwich | Alleyn's School in Dulwich dates all the way back to 1619, when it was established as part of Edward Alleyn's College of God's Gift charitable foundation. Today it is a co-ed independent school with a longstanding commitment to a values-led education. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | North London Has Two New Independent Schools... With 400 Year-Old Roots | |
| Alperton tube station | Alperton is an Old English name, based on the Anglo-Saxon equivalent of Albert. A village or farmstead associated with this otherwise forgotten man grew up here. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | How The Piccadilly Line Stations Got Their Names | |
| Ambrose Godfrey plaque, Southampton Street, Covent Garden | A plaque on Southampton Street remembers Ambrose Godfrey, an 18th century chemist who lived and worked on this site. He's credited with inventing the fire extinguisher in the 1720s — incredibly, the design involved a chamber of gunpowder. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | 10 Hidden Treasures To Look Up For In Central London | |
| Andaz Liverpool Street hotel (Masonic Temple) | Inside the Andaz Liverpool Street hotel — originally the Great Eastern — lies an opulent masonic temple of marble and gilt, which remained forgotten and walled off for decades before its rediscovery during a 1990s refurbishment. The hotel was built by Charles Barry Jr, son of the architect of the Houses of Parliament, who also crafted the temple at a cost of some £50,000 (around £4 million in today's reckoning). The room reportedly contains 12 types of marble, as well as a golden pipe organ and mahogany furniture. Today the room is used as an events venue, and can sometimes be glimpsed on Open House weekends every September. | 40 Liverpool Street | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | In Pictures: The Masonic Temple Of Liverpool Street |
| Angel station, Islington | Angel station reopened in 1992 after an extensive rebuild. The station had previously featured an island platform serving both running lines. The southbound line was diverted through new tunnel and the old track filled in, to create a super-wide platform. The station also features the network's longest escalators. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | A Brief History Of The Northern Line | |
| Antrim Gardens | Belsize Park gardens containing architectural curiosities. | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | London's Hidden Parks, Gardens And Green Spots Mapped | |
| Any Amount of Books | Read review . 56 Charing Cross Road, WC2H. Visit website | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | Biblio-Text: Joseph's Bookstore | |
| Archibald Low's military laboratory, Paul Street, Shoreditch | Archibald Low, the inventor and futurologist, reportedly survived two assassination attempts in 1915 while working from his military laboratory on Paul Street, Shoreditch — a few doors down from the Londonist office, as it happens. The Germans were aware of Low's work at this time, which led to the attempts on his life. | a few doors down from the Londonist office | — (geo pending) | The Forgotten Man Who Invented TV, Drones, Rocket Bikes And Strictly Come Dancing |
| Arnos Grove tube station | The name Arnos Grove is reckoned to come from the family of Margery Arnold, who held land in the area in the 14th century. Arnold's Grove became Arno's Grove and then Arnos Grove. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | How The Piccadilly Line Stations Got Their Names | |
| Arsenal Highbury Stadium | Arsenal's Highbury was yuppified in 2006 into new flats, although the Grade II listed parts were retained as part of the development. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | Artful Prints Conjure Up Lost Football Stadiums | |
| Arsenal tube station | Arsenal is named after the local football club — a rare example of a commercial enterprise finding its way onto the tube map. The Gunners originally played in Woolwich, and their name comes from the Royal Arsenal munitions complex based there since the 17th century. The club moved to Highbury in 1913, and some smooth talking by management persuaded London Underground to change the nearby tube station from Gillespie Road to Arsenal in 1932. The old name can still be seen on the tiles at platform level. | old name 'Gillespie Road' still visible on the tiles at platform level | map ↗ Maps place · exact | How The Piccadilly Line Stations Got Their Names |
| Artwords | Read review . 65a Rivington Street EC2 / 20-22 Broadway Market, E8. Visit website: | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | Biblio-Text: Joseph's Bookstore | |
| Astoria nightclub, Charing Cross Road | During a Crossrail dig beneath the Astoria nightclub in January 2017, a cache of pickles, jam and ketchup pots was discovered. | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | Things That Have Been Dug Up In London: A Brief History | |
| Atlantis Bookshop | Read review . 49a Museum Street, Bloomsbury. Visit website | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | Biblio-Text: Joseph's Bookstore | |
| Atmospheric Railway, Forest Hill to West Croydon | For a brief moment, the Atmospheric Railway looked like it just might be the future of train travel. Pioneered by the Samuda brothers Joseph and Samuel, and running on a line between Forest Hill and West Croydon, the atmospheric trains were powered by a vacuum in a tube, which the train was connected to, and thereby propelled forwards. The trains were quick (70mph+), quiet and fuelless — well the trains themselves were, anyway; the system also called for whacking great coal-powered pumping stations peppered along the line. Even Isambard Kingdom Brunel took note, trialling his own atmospheric line in Devon. The trains had a tendency to conk out and require a push from the passengers, only to then shoot off without said passengers. The atmospheric experiment was nixed in 1847, but in the meantime, thousands of Londoners had used it (or at least tried to use it) to get into work. | running on a line between Forest Hill and West Croydon | — (geo pending) | London Commutes That Never Quite Took Off |
| Avenue House, East End Road, Finchley | Avenue House in East End Road, Finchley had a creepy and inconvenient ghost during the Second World War. An upstairs room had been converted into a women's dormitory for female switchboard operators. A ghostly presence would approach one bed in particular. | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | Fortean London: A Ghost In Every Borough: Barking to Enfield | |
| Bar Italia, Soho | Bar Italia is London's longest running coffee shop, having opened at a time when Soho had a huge Italian community. Those regulars might have left but Bar Italia's popularity endured, as the word spread about its dedication to quality coffee. The building also has a historical gem — the upstairs room hosted the first public demonstration of television, by John Baird. Bar Italia is also well known thanks to Pulp's tune from their seminal album, Different Class. | 22 Frith Street, W1D 4RF | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | Where To Get A Drink When London's Sleeping |
| Barbican Conservatory | A glass-covered green hideout in the heart of the City. | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | London's Hidden Parks, Gardens And Green Spots Mapped | |
| Barnes Bookshop | 60 Church Road, Barnes. Visit website | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | Biblio-Text: Joseph's Bookstore | |
| Barons Court tube station | Barons Court is a name invented at the end of the 19th century to encompass new housing developments. It probably has no historical association, and was chosen as a pairing with nearby Earl's Court — much as Queensbury nodded to Kingsbury. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | How The Piccadilly Line Stations Got Their Names | |
| Barrow Books | Read review . Backyard Market @ Truman Brewery, Sundays / Old Spitalfields Market, Fridays. Visit website | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | Biblio-Text: Joseph's Bookstore | |
| Battle of Britain Bunker, former RAF Uxbridge | An underground room in west London at the former RAF Uxbridge was used to help the RAF secure victory during the Battle of Britain — the first conflict in history fought solely in the air. As the battle raged between the RAF and Nazi Germany's Luftwaffe in 1940, the Bunker coordinated the air defence of London and the whole of south-east England, helping to prevent a German invasion and shaping history. The original 1940s space sits 60ft below ground, accessible via 76 steps. A visitor centre and exhibition details its role in some of the most important chapters of the conflict, including the evacuation at Dunkirk, the ill-fated Dieppe Raid and the early stages of D-Day. The exhibition features first-hand accounts from people who worked in the Bunker, alongside original artefacts including aircraft wreckage and telecommunications equipment. | 60ft below the ground, accessible via 76 steps | map ↗ Maps place · exact | Go Inside West London's Secret Second World War Bunker |
| Bedlam burial ground, Liverpool Street (Crossrail) | Crossrail digs at Liverpool Street uncovered a plague pit, which led to the identification of the DNA of the bacteria that caused the 1665 plague. The 'Bedlam burial ground' revealed was 3,000 bodies from between 1569 to at least 1738 — a veritable city of bones. A gold sequin from 1501 was also found at Liverpool Street during the Crossrail works. | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | Things That Have Been Dug Up In London: A Brief History | |
| Belgravia Books | 59 Ebury Street SW1. Visit website | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | Biblio-Text: Joseph's Bookstore | |
| Bell Lane, Enfield | A ghostly coach called the Enfield Flyer hammers along Bell Lane in Enfield. It dashes towards people and disappears just as it's about to hit an innocent pedestrian. The ghost, carrying two female passengers wearing large hats, disappears as it approaches the river Lee. It has been suggested that it is the ghost of a coach that crashed into the river and perished one ill-fated day. | disappears as it approaches the river Lee | map ↗ Google (address) · exact | Fortean London: A Ghost In Every Borough: Barking to Enfield |
| Bellenden Road Nature Garden | Everso slightly tamed by the London Wildlife Gardening Centre. First visited: Revisted: | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | London's Hidden Parks, Gardens And Green Spots Mapped | |
| Bermondsey Abbey, Bermondsey Square | The regeneration of Bermondsey Square was held up for years and years after an old abbey was discovered under the ground — Bermondsey Abbey — which was dedicated to Saint Saviour. That was the start of Bermondsey, and everything else was built around it, because Bermondsey was basically just a marsh. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | A Tour Of Bermondsey With Saint Saviour | |
| Big Green Bookshop | Read review . Unit 1 Brampton Park Road, Wood Green. Visit website | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | Biblio-Text: Joseph's Bookstore | |
| Billingsgate Market | The word 'Billingsgate' came to mean foul, loud and vituperative language, so called from the abuse for which the fish-women at Billingsgate Market were once widely renowned. The usage dates to the 17th century. | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | 20 Forgotten Words From London's Past | |
| Bitten Phone Box by Sebastian Burdon, Croydon | Sebastian Burdon's Bitten Phone Box once prompted double takes in Croydon town centre — though an update notes it's no longer on its spot there, and must have been eaten altogether. | in Croydon town centre | — (geo pending) | The Stained Glass Phone Box Of Embankment |
| Black Gull Books | 70 West Yard, Camden Lock / 121 High Road, East Finchley. Read review | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | Biblio-Text: Joseph's Bookstore | |
| Boleyn Ground (Upton Park), Newham | West Ham's Boleyn Ground — better known as Upton Park — was the club's home for 101 years before they relocated to the Olympic Stadium in Stratford. The historic stadium is being taken over by Barratt Homes and Galliard Homes, who aim to transform it into a residential village, imagined to be in the same vein as Highbury. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | London's New Football Stadiums: A Timeline | |
| Bonnington Square Garden | find little bit of the green stuff in busy bustly Kennington. ( | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | London's Hidden Parks, Gardens And Green Spots Mapped | |
| Book Ends | 66 Exmouth Market. Visit website | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | Biblio-Text: Joseph's Bookstore | |
| Bookmarks | Read review. 1 Bloomsbury Street, WC1B. Visit website | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | Biblio-Text: Joseph's Bookstore | |
| Bookmongers | 439 Coldharbour Lane, Brixton. Visit website | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | Biblio-Text: Joseph's Bookstore | |
| Books for Cooks | Read review . 4 Blenheim Crescent, W11. Visit website | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | Biblio-Text: Joseph's Bookstore | |
| Bookseller Crow on the Hill | Read review . 50 Westow Street, Crystal Palace. Visit website | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | Biblio-Text: Joseph's Bookstore | |
| Bookshop on the Heath | 74 Tranquil Vale, Blackheath. Visit website | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | Biblio-Text: Joseph's Bookstore | |
| Boston Manor | The station is named after the nearby Jacobean mansion, Boston Manor. Despite the name, the place has nothing to do with the Massachusetts city — it harks back to a medieval personal name. Bordwadestone is first recorded in the 14th century and simply means 'the farm of Bord'. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | How The Piccadilly Line Stations Got Their Names | |
| Bounds Green tube station | Bounds Green recalls the le Bounde family, who owned the land in the 13th century. The name lived on in a local farm, and was perpetuated with the coming of the tube line in 1932. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | How The Piccadilly Line Stations Got Their Names | |
| Brent Museum, Willesden Library | Brent Museum is one of London's lesser-known museums, housed in Willesden Library. When blogger Diamond Geezer paid a visit to the small collection, he was the only person there — not even a member of staff. The museum was chosen to host an exciting exhibition featuring the iconic Gayer-Anderson Cat, one of the British Museum's great treasures, marking the first time the cat had been displayed at another museum venue. The display focuses on the ancient Egyptian practice of dedicating metal statues of gods in temples, centred around the iconic bronze Gayer-Anderson Cat, revealing how objects can be read in different ways using archaeological, historical and scientific research. | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | Cat God Appears In Willesden Library | |
| Brick Lane Bookshop | Read review . 166 Brick Lane, E1. Formerly Eastside Books. Visit website | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | Biblio-Text: Joseph's Bookstore | |
| Brick Lane Mosque (Brick Lane Jamme Masjid) | The building at 59 Brick Lane, currently known as Brick Lane Mosque (or Brick Lane Jamme Masjid), has been through many lives since being built in 1743. It has functioned as a Huguenot chapel, a Methodist church, a Jewish Synagogue, and has been a mosque since 1976, by which time much of the area's Jewish community had relocated to north London. Today the building is Grade II* listed. The school next to the mosque used to function as the vestry when the building was the Neuve Eglise church. | 59 Brick Lane; the school next to the mosque | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | These Abandoned Churches Have All Been Resurrected |
| British Library, frames on first floor | The anonymous 'frames' on the first floor of the British Library, which anyone can pull open and look at, hold some surprising secrets. The Library owns a 2d 'Blue Mauritius', of which just 12 exist. Only the island's first set of stamps, in 1847, read 'Post Office' down the side, before it was changed to 'Post Paid' — and no one really knows why. When one last changed hands it fetched £1,053,090. The frames also hold several other rarities, and the world's first stamp, the Penny Black — not rare at all, since about 68 million were printed, but the pre-paid stamp invented by Sir Rowland Hill enabled the Post Office to streamline its complicated charges and ordinary people loved it. | on the first floor of the British Library | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | London’s Top Postal Curiosities |
| British Museum, Bloomsbury | The British Museum covers 18.5 acres — the equivalent of nine football pitches — making it the largest museum in London. It's also the most visited, squeezing in nearly seven million guests per year. The collection contains roughly eight million objects, but only 1% of these can be shown at any one time, with around 80,000 objects on display. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | What Is London's Biggest Museum? | |
| British Postal Museum and Archive Store, Debden | The best place to see postboxes in London — with the added bonus that it's indoors — is the British Postal Museum and Archive Store in Debden. It's only open for tours, usually on the first Wednesday of the month. There's an entire 'Pillarbox Alley', Rowland Hill's desk, a 'hen and chickens' penny-farthing (one big wheel, four small ones) and a mail coach. | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | London’s Top Postal Curiosities | |
| Brixton National Rail station | Brixton National Rail station is home to one of three bronze sculptures made by Kevin Atherton in 1986. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | The Hustle And Bustle Of Brixton, Captured In Photos | |
| Brockley Cemetery | A romantic, overgrown, meadowy and wistful burial ground. | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | London's Hidden Parks, Gardens And Green Spots Mapped | |
| Brompton Cemetery | 40 acres worth of green space sandwiched between Brompton Road, Fulham Road and Stamford Bridge football ground. | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | London's Hidden Parks, Gardens And Green Spots Mapped | |
| Brown and Root Tower Block, Colliers Wood | Despite regularly featuring in London's 'most hated building' lists, the crumbling Brown and Root tower block that squats above Colliers Wood tube station can afford to be smug: its precarious position atop the Northern line guarantees it a stay of execution from the wrecker's ball. The derelict edifice is accused of all manner of ills, from being the site of amateur porno shoots to 'creating hurricane-like winds' in the vicinity. Planning permission for a conversion into apartments has been granted, but with the economy crumbling as much as the monolith's masonry, the eyes of local residents were set to be sore for some time to come. The block does, for good or ill, put Colliers Wood on the map. | squats above Colliers Wood tube station | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | Colliers Wood Tower Transformation |
| Bruce Castle, Tottenham | Rowland Hill had strong Tottenham connections. His father had set up a progressive school in Birmingham, at which Hill taught from the age of 12. The school moved to Bruce Castle in Tottenham in 1827 and Hill ran it for 12 years. The museum there now has some postboys' coaching horns, quirky items made out of stamps, historic postboxes and collecting tins. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | London’s Top Postal Curiosities | |
| Cable Street, Stepney, East End | The Battle of Cable Street was an event in which the police clashed with Jewish, socialist, Irish and communist anti-fascist protesters over a march through the streets of the East End by Mosley's Blackshirts (The British Union of Fascists). The decision to march through the then heavily Jewish East End was denounced as Jew-baiting by the Board of Deputies of British Jews. The Battle of Cable Street directly led to the passing of a public order act which forbade the wearing of political uniforms in public and is widely considered to be a significant factor in the British Union of Fascists' political decline prior to World War II. | map ↗ Google (address) · approx | Sofa Surfer | |
| Cadogan Hall, Chelsea | Now better known as a concert hall and the base of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Cadogan Hall was once a New Christian Science Church with a 1,400-strong congregation. As worshippers declined, the congregation moved to another church and the building was disused, before being bought by the Cadogan Estate in 2000. The concert hall opened in 2004, following some changes to the room's acoustic properties. | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | These Abandoned Churches Have All Been Resurrected | |
| Cafe of Good Hope, Hither Green | The Cafe of Good Hope on Hither Green Lane stands out among the area's new coffee shops and cafes. Best of all, its profits go towards the Jimmy Mizen foundation, which was set up in memory of the 16-year-old who was tragically murdered in the area in 2008. | on Hither Green Lane | map ↗ Google (address) · exact | Top 10 Things To Do In The Borough Of Lewisham |
| Caledonian Road tube station | The Caledonian Asylum was originally set up in 1815 to help Scottish children orphaned by the Napoleonic Wars. The institution moved to Islington in 1828, and became so well known that its name was bestowed on the major thoroughfare still called Caledonian Road. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | How The Piccadilly Line Stations Got Their Names | |
| Camden Lock Books | Old Street station. Visit website | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | Biblio-Text: Joseph's Bookstore | |
| Camden Town (County of London Plan, 1943) | With the Second World War still raging, city planners John Forshaw and Patrick Abercrombie were already plotting the London of the future. Their 1943 County of London plan included a radical reshaping of London's road networks, with major new ring roads and multi-lane highways right through the centre of town. Famously, Camden Town would have been largely obliterated by a major junction and approach roads, while Victoria Park would have been pincered by two motorways. Some aspects, such as the Westway, came to fruition, but London was largely spared this tarmac overhaul. | — (geo pending) | 12 Maps Of Alternative Londons | |
| Camden Town rail bridge, Camden High Street | The famously decorated rail bridge that spans Camden High Street is an iconic bit of placemaking that dates back to the 1980s, when John Bulley was commissioned to spice up the bridge. The two painters depicted are based on John's co-workers. | spans Camden High Street | map ↗ Maps place · exact | 12 Oddities To Spot In Camden Town |
| Camley Street Natural Park | A shoebox wetland, a wildflower meadow and mixed woodlands. | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | London's Hidden Parks, Gardens And Green Spots Mapped | |
| Canonbury Telephone Exchange | A formerly formal front garden gone wild. | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | London's Hidden Parks, Gardens And Green Spots Mapped | |
| Carnaby Street, Soho | Carnaby Street was already starting to lose its appeal amongst the mod cognoscenti in the 60s — it was too short for the necessary promenading. 'Once you've been the length in your purple and yellow-striped Mongolian lamb coat — that's it.' | map ↗ Maps place · exact | Len Deighton's London Dossier, Chapter 1: Teenagers | |
| Catford Bridge Tavern, Catford | The Catford Bridge Tavern was protected because of how quickly it had become vital to the community. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | Saving London's Pubs | |
| Cecil Court | Read reviews . Cecil Court, WC2N. Visit website | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | Biblio-Text: Joseph's Bookstore | |
| Chambers Wharf, Bermondsey | A medieval skeleton was discovered by Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA) during excavations at Chambers Wharf in Bermondsey, just downstream of the Tower of London, where work is underway to build the Thames Tideway Tunnel. The remains are thought to date back to the late 15th or early 16th century. The skeleton was still wearing a pair of leather thigh-high boots. The good quality boots suggest the man made his living from the river — perhaps a fisherman, sailor or mudlark. Deep grooves found on the teeth seem to have been caused by a repetitive action, 'like passing rope between his teeth as a fisherman might'. The man's position — face-down, with one arm above his head and the other bent back on itself to the side — suggests this was an accident: 'he fell or drowned and was covered quickly by the ground as it moved with the tide,' according to MOLA. | just downstream of the Tower of London | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | Medieval Skeleton Found Face-Down In Thames... Still Wearing Boots |
| Chancery Lane | The Woman in White: base of the solicitors Messrs Gilmore and Kyrle. | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | London Literary Locations: Wilkie Collins | |
| Charles Dickens Museum, Doughty Street | The Charles Dickens Museum is the late writer's only remaining house, where visitors can see where he ate, slept and put pen to paper. The quaint museum was redeveloped in 2012 with a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund. Among the developments was a cosy café with a walled garden, where visitors can sit by original gravestones of Dickens' pets. | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | London's Top Museum Cafés | |
| Chatterton Road, Bromley | People in the London Borough of Bromley regularly report seeing a man dressed in a blue RAF uniform walking along Chatterton Road. 'The person didn't seem to look at us at all when he passed by but I felt very uncomfortable. I was so uneasy I turned my head around as soon as we had passed but he had gone,' reports one witness. | map ↗ Google (address) · approx | Fortean London: A Ghost In Every Borough: Barking to Enfield | |
| Cheapside, City of London | Cheapside in the City was 'the Oxford Street of its day' — a thoroughfare selling souvenirs, slightly flashier and better-made than the ones we get now. In 1912, 340-odd buried trinkets — including brooches, rings, tankards and salt cellars — were brought to the surface at Cheapside, and gleamed in the London sun once more. 101 years after it was found, the Cheapside Hoard went on display at the Museum of London, where an oversized copy of one of the flashiest brooches slithered along the wall. | map ↗ Google (address) · exact | Things That Have Been Dug Up In London: A Brief History | |
| Chelsea King's Road (proposed Crossrail 2 station), London | The only brand new station planned for Crossrail 2 would be Chelsea King's Road. There was already some nimbyish resistance to the plan when the article was written. | — (geo pending) | Euston St Pancras - The Crossrail 2 Station You Didn't Know About | |
| Chener Books | 14 Lordship Lane, East Dulwich. | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | Biblio-Text: Joseph's Bookstore | |
| Children's Bookshop, Muswell Hill | 29 Fortis Green Road, N10 3HP. Visit website: | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | Biblio-Text: Joseph's Bookstore | |
| Chiltern Firehouse, Marylebone | Atop the Chiltern Firehouse is a brilliant feature of the original Victorian Fire Station: a watchtower from which firefighters would scan London for fires. It's so ornate, it looks more like a castle. | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | 10 Hidden Treasures To Look Up For In Central London | |
| Chimney disguised as lamppost, Tower Bridge | One lamppost along Tower Bridge looks a little different from the rest: it's a chimney hiding in plain sight. Once connected to a guard room beneath the bridge, the Clean Air Act of 1956 banned coal fires, leaving it redundant. | — (geo pending) | 10 Hidden Treasures To Look Up For In Central London | |
| Chingford Bookshop | 135 Station Road. Find them on Twitter | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | Biblio-Text: Joseph's Bookstore | |
| Chiswick Riverside | Walk the Thames path westwards. | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | London's Hidden Parks, Gardens And Green Spots Mapped | |
| Christ Church Lincoln Tower, Westminster Bridge Road, Lambeth | Next time you emerge from Lambeth North tube, take a close look at the church spire opposite. The Kentish ragstone steeple of Christ Church, Westminster Bridge Road sports distinctive red bands, separated by rows of stars. Viewed under a clear sky, the red, white and blue conjures images of the US flag — Stars and Stripes in the sky. This is deliberate. The church's guiding light, Christopher Newman Hall, had argued passionately for the abolition of slavery in America. He decided that the tower should serve as a memorial of emancipation, and dubbed it the Lincoln Tower, in honour of the anti-slavery President. The structure was half-funded by American donations, while its foundation stone was laid by the American Ambassador General Schenk. It was opened on 4 July 1876, exactly 100 years after the Declaration of Independence was approved. Alas, the church took significant damage in the Second World War, and only the tower now remains from the original set of buildings. A new concrete block, including a chapel and office space, was added in the 1960s. It is now known as the Oasis Centre. | opposite Lambeth North tube station | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | Ever Noticed This Stars-And-Stripes Church Tower? |
| City of London Cemetery | The City of London Cemetery is offering second-hand graves, with 'refurbished' monuments including headstones, obelisks and crosses, to be used again. Recycled burial plots, complete with the original memorials, still contain the remains of those who died at least 75 years ago — the names of the dead are simply scoured from the monuments to allow new inscriptions. The cemetery is selling 1,000 such plots advertised as 'traditional-style graves' to be 'adopted' by families willing to pay £3,000 to lease them for 50 years. The City of London corporation says many graves were dug deep enough to allow for more coffins and that re-using the memorials is good conservation. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | Always room for one more | |
| City Road station, Old Street | City Road station opened in November 1901 as part of the Northern line's northward push, but closed after just 21 years' service in 1922. It never reopened, although it might be useful nowadays to serve the preposterous number of tower blocks that have shot up on its doorstep. | — (geo pending) | A Brief History Of The Northern Line | |
| Clapham Books | Read review . 120 Clapham High Street. Visit website | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | Biblio-Text: Joseph's Bookstore | |
| Clapham Common bootscrapers and mouseholes, western side | One place with a surfeit of bootscrapers is the western side of Clapham Common. A few years back, one of the residents found a new purpose for one of these niches — a cute cubby hole for a toy mouse family. By the time Londonist got round to visiting, the tiny occupants had become deluged with possessions; the once pristine mousehole was now all a-clutter with junk. | western side of Clapham Common | — (geo pending) | Around London In 11 Mice And Rats |
| Cockfosters tube station | Cockfosters has uncertain etymology and is first recorded in the 16th century. It perhaps recalls the 'cock forester', or chief forester who may have lived nearby. Alternatively, it may derive from a personal name, or the name of a prominent house. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | How The Piccadilly Line Stations Got Their Names | |
| Copperfield Books | 37 Hartfield Road, Wimbledon. Visit website | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | Biblio-Text: Joseph's Bookstore | |
| Cork Street, Mayfair | Tucked away behind the Royal Academy near Green Park is Cork Street — a street of galleries, a street of expensive, established galleries. It is technically Mayfair, the opposite end of the contemporary art scene from a group show in a Peckham squat. | tucked away behind the Royal Academy near Green Park | map ↗ Google geocode · approx | Review: Rob Carter @ The Gallery |
| Covent Garden tube station | The old fruit and vegetable wholesale market dates back to the 17th century — the first record of a market here is from 1654, and Charles II granted a charter for it in 1670. The name is older: the land was owned by Westminster Abbey during the Middle Ages and referred to as 'the garden of the Abbot and Convent of Westminster' in the 13th century. 'Covent' is a corruption of 'convent'. The market relocated to Nine Elms in 1974. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | How The Piccadilly Line Stations Got Their Names | |
| Covent Garden, London | The rubbery stench of condoms in Covent Garden may be a hangover from the district's licentious past as a red-light district. | map ↗ Google (address) · exact | The London Smell Map | |
| Crocker's Folly, St John's Wood | Harking back to the speculative and moneyed Victorian era, the urban legend suggests that Frank Crocker heard that a new terminus for the Great Central Railway was to be established in St John's Wood. With rail travel being quite the thing, he thought building a splendiferous hotel nearby would be a total no-brainer. In order to attract the well-heeled travellers he spared no expense, using over 50 types of marble, flamboyant crystal chandeliers, soaring marble columns and the innovative concept of a women-only bar — hints of Versailles meeting a classic gin palace aesthetic. Unfortunately for Frank the railway never came to fruition in the locale, so the hotel festered slightly off-grid once complete in 1898. It was later often frequented by England cricketing legends from nearby Lord's. Originally known as The Crown, the pub was renamed Crocker's Folly to remember the misplaced financial stake, and poor old Frank Crocker's ghost is said to haunt the premises to this day. Beautifully renovated and reopened as a restaurant in 2014, it's well worth a visit to enjoy the palatial ambition and grandeur alone. | in St John's Wood, near Lord's cricket ground | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | 4 Legendary London Boozers No Longer With Us |
| Crofton Roman Villa, Orpington | A less flashy Roman excavation lies in Orpington. Crofton Roman Villa saw the light again in 1926, and is now the fascinating skeleton of a roomy Roman farmhouse. | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | Things That Have Been Dug Up In London: A Brief History | |
| Crossbones Graveyard, Southwark | Crossbones, which lies in the shadow of The Shard, yielded bodies bearing evidence of syphilis, smallpox, tuberculosis and Paget's disease during a 1990s excavation. These were paupers' bodies, and the excavation is still commemorated with candlelit vigils — amazing how historical digs can strike a chord in the hearts of the living. | lies in the shadow of The Shard | map ↗ Google (address) · exact | Things That Have Been Dug Up In London: A Brief History |
| Crossness Pumping Station, Bexley | Built by Sir Joseph Bazalgette, the Crossness Pumping Station is an ornamental ironworks wonderland and home to the station's heavy duty engines — named Queen Victoria, Albert Edward (King Edward VII), Prince Consort, and Alexandra (wife of Edward VII). | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | Things You Never Knew About The Borough Of Bexley | |
| Crown and Sugar Loaf, Bride Lane, City of London | The Crown and Sugar Loaf is a tiny boozer easily missed down Bride Lane, squeezed in between more famous neighbours the Old Bell and the Punch Tavern. It was once part of the latter, but got 'walled off' after a dispute among the co-owners. Inside, it's almost like a stage set for a typical Sam Smiths pub: dark wooden panels, cut-glass mirrors and a sculpted ceiling. The pub's obscurity means you can usually get a seat or bar stool, despite the limited space. | down Bride Lane, squeezed in between the Old Bell and the Punch Tavern | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | Crown and Sugar Loaf |
| Culpeper Community Garden | A small city park and community environmental project. | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | London's Hidden Parks, Gardens And Green Spots Mapped | |
| Curtain Theatre, Shoreditch | The Curtain Theatre in Shoreditch — an erstwhile hangout of Shakespeare's — was unearthed in more recent years. | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | Things That Have Been Dug Up In London: A Brief History | |
| Daunt Books | Read review . 83 Marylebone High Street, W1U 4QW. Visit webite | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | Biblio-Text: Joseph's Bookstore | |
| Daunt Books | 158-164 Fulham Road. Visit website | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | Biblio-Text: Joseph's Bookstore | |
| Daunt Books | 112-114 Holland Park Avenue. Visit website | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | Biblio-Text: Joseph's Bookstore | |
| Daunt Books | 51 South End Road. Visit website | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | Biblio-Text: Joseph's Bookstore | |
| Daunt Books | 193 Haverstock Hill. Visit website | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | Biblio-Text: Joseph's Bookstore | |
| Daunt Books Cheapside | Read review . Daunt Books, 61 Cheapside, EC2. Visit website | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | Biblio-Text: Joseph's Bookstore | |
| David Attenborough mural, tropical fish shop, St Matthew's Row, Bethnal Green | On St Matthew's Row in east London, a mural of naturalist David Attenborough adorns the side of a tropical fish shop. The painting was created by urban artist Jerome, known as @ketones6000, and took around two days to complete. This isn't the first time the artist has used the building as his canvas: the Attenborough effort covers his previous work, which paid tribute to the first world war's fallen heroes — the poppies from the old mural have been woven into its successor. When the shop owner came out for a look, the artist explained: 'It stops me from doing the bad things.' | on the side of a tropical fish shop on St Matthew's Row; around the corner from Bethnal Green Road | map ↗ Maps place · exact | A David Attenborough Mural Has Appeared In East London |
| David Bowie mural, Morley's department store, Brixton | The David Bowie mural on the wall of Morley's department store became a shrine to the musician following his death in January 2016. | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | The Hustle And Bustle Of Brixton, Captured In Photos | |
| Deep-level shelter, Buck Street, Camden Town | On Buck Street stands a peculiar building built in the early 1940s as the portal to a high-speed underground railway, but which instead ended up as a bomb shelter. It was just one of 13 such buildings dotted along the Northern line. After the war, the money wasn't there to complete the railway. The deep level shelters have since found other purposes, such as document storage and subterranean farming. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | 12 Oddities To Spot In Camden Town | |
| Dickins & Jones, Regent Street | Dickins & Jones had stood on Regent Street since 1790. The store was to close due to a downturn in consumer spending and rent rises; its building had been sold to property developers planning to turn it into a series of smaller shops, with flats and offices above — putting 500+ staff at risk of redundancy. | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | Dickins & Jones To Close | |
| Dollis Brook Viaduct | This 13-arched brick viaduct, built in 1863 for steam locomotives, now carries Northern line underground trains to and from Mill Hill East. At 18 metres tall, it is the highest point, above ground, on the Underground network. | map ↗ prior geocode · exact | A Verdant Stroll With Some Of London's Greatest Views | |
| Down Street Ghost Station | Down Street Underground is a station which closed its doors to passengers in 1932. Its subterranean passages contain stairs that haven't been used for decades and a World War Two typing pool — and what may be Winston Churchill's old bath. | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | Video: Exploring Down Street Ghost Station | |
| Dulwich Books | Read review . 6 Croxted Road, West Dulwich. Visit website | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | Biblio-Text: Joseph's Bookstore | |
| Dulwich Picture Gallery | Dulwich Picture Gallery hosted Rembrandt's Light, an ambitious exhibition exploring whether Rembrandt — a master of capturing the contrast between light and dark — might have been a cinematographer had he been born in recent times. The gallery worked with noted cinematographer Peter Suschitzky (Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back), adding touches such as displaying paintings that depict night-time in a low-lit room to add atmosphere, and setting drawings in a space akin to Rembrandt's studio, lit to replicate the daylight that would have naturally streamed into his workspace. The most cinematic moment was a painting barely visible until a slowly sweeping spotlight kissed it with light and the work came alive. Art history purists were likely to be unhappy with the dramatic lighting and the typewriter font mimicking film scripts in the captions, but the novel approach gave visitors another way to appreciate the masterpieces. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | Dulwich Picture Gallery Pulls Off An Ambitious, Cinematic Rembrandt Exhibition | |
| Ealing Broadway and Covent Garden stations (early roundel designs) | Versions of the early 1908 roundel design — a blue bar across a red circle, the forerunner of the modern logo — can still be seen today at Ealing Broadway and Covent Garden stations. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | The Tube Roundel: An Evolution | |
| Ealing Common tube station | Ealing is one of the oldest names in the London region, attested from around 700 CE. There once was a local chieftain known as Gilla, whose people were the Gillingas — this slowly transmuted into Ylling then Ealing. The common land still survives, close to Ealing Common tube station. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | How The Piccadilly Line Stations Got Their Names | |
| Earl's Court tube station | Earl's Court has noble origins dating back to the Norman Conquest. The land was held for more than 500 years by the Vere family, Earls of Oxford, whose manorial court was located very close to where the underground station stands today. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | How The Piccadilly Line Stations Got Their Names | |
| East London Boats, Mile End Park canal | East London Boats offers punting along the canal in Mile End Park — a simple and elegant joy, seeing east London glide by from the comfort of a shallow wooden boat, pushed through the water by an upright pole-wielding punter. The business was founded by David Carruthers, who acquired boats from a punting station in Bath and set the operation up himself. The aim was to make the waterways more usable and fun. According to Carruthers, punts originated in London for transporting cargo, before steam engines were invented and took over their role. There are also racing punts, extremely narrow, still raced at Kingston on Thames. The chauffeurs have basic knowledge of the local area, and any singing can be coaxed out of them with simple bribes. | along the canal in Mile End Park | map ↗ Maps place · exact | Londonist Interviews: David Carruthers, East London Boats |
| Eastcote tube station | Eastcote is literally the cottage to the east (of Ruislip). The horsey Berkshire village of Ascot shares the same origins. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | How The Piccadilly Line Stations Got Their Names | |
| Eleanor Bull's Tavern, Deptford | Eleanor Bull has become famous for owning the house in which esteemed wordsmith Christopher Marlowe met his maker. There is much conjecture as to whether it was actually a tavern, or simply a well-kept house down Deptford way. The date was 30 May 1593, and the 29-year-old Marlowe had been enjoying a day of feasting and boozing with a selection of men thought to be from the British intelligence service. Receipt of the 'reckoning', as it was known, was too much to bear for Ingram Frizer, who stabbed Marlowe just over his right eye, killing the self-proclaimed atheist almost instantly. Frizer escaped with a royal pardon, leading to claims of a state cover-up. Marlowe himself ended up buried in an unmarked former plague pit just down the road within 48 hours. Did he really die? Or was his death faked and did he move to Europe and pen the poems and plays later attributed to William Shakespeare? Where could such befuddled, gossipy murkiness occur but in a timeless London tavern? | a well-kept house down Deptford way; Marlowe buried in an unmarked former plague pit just down the road | — (geo pending) | 4 Legendary London Boozers No Longer With Us |
| Electric Avenue, Brixton | Electric Avenue is the first market street to be lit with electricity. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | The Hustle And Bustle Of Brixton, Captured In Photos | |
| Elephant and Castle Shopping Centre | The Elephant and Castle Shopping Centre was a 1960s mall that housed some excellent Colombian restaurants and bars, but became something of a 'Marmite' landmark in later years. It was demolished in 2021. The iconic pink elephant that once stood above the entrance of the shopping centre now stands in the modern Castle Square. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | What's Going On At Elephant And Castle? An Explainer | |
| Elephant and Castle Tube Station | For many years, Elephant and Castle Tube station has struggled along, with passengers having to use antiquated lifts — or otherwise the stairs — to access its Northern and Bakerloo line platforms. TfL reckons that without intervention, by 2031 some 2,000 passengers would be overflowing out of the station at peak time. A brand new ticket hall entrance is being built for the Northern line, with new escalators, lifts and passenger tunnels, folded into The Elephant development; works are expected to be completed in late 2027. The station has also been 'safeguarded' for a Bakerloo line extension. The 1906 Bakerloo line building, designed by Leslie Green, remains and will continue to operate with lifts only for the foreseeable future. | UAL's London College of Communication stands across from the Northern line Underground entrance, next to the Metropolitan Tabernacle Baptist Church | map ↗ Maps place · exact | What's Going On At Elephant And Castle? An Explainer |
| Elephant and Castle, south London | Elephant and Castle was once known as the 'Piccadilly Circus of south London'. The south London district underwent dramatic development following heavy bombing during the Second World War. In later decades it was fair to say the area had been under-appreciated — not exactly gone to seed, but certainly not looked after as well as it could have been. In 2004 it was identified in the Mayor's London Plan as an Opportunity Area and earmarked for major redevelopment. Over 20 years and £4bn later, big changes have occurred, with more just around the corner. It's in a prime spot — easy walking and busing distance to central London and London Bridge, and incredibly well connected, on two Tube lines and National Rail. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | What's Going On At Elephant And Castle? An Explainer | |
| Euston St Pancras (proposed Crossrail 2 station), London | Crossrail 2 plans would create a combined 'Euston St Pancras' station by linking the existing stations at Euston and King's Cross St Pancras. The linking up would be achieved with two new platforms, 250 metres long and 20 metres below the ground, situated between the two stations and running beneath Somers Town — a neighbourhood directly behind the British Library. Cross-passage walkways would link one platform to the other. Crossrail 2 entrances and ticket halls would be installed in St Pancras station and at King's Cross, while an entirely new station entrance and ticket hall would be built in Grafton Place near Euston station. 30 Crossrail 2 trains would run through Euston St Pancras each way per hour during peak hours, meaning 14,000 more passengers would fit in — a 25% reduction in crowding. The area was already set to become even more of a transport hub, especially with HS2 having been given the go-ahead, linking Crossrail 2 with the Victoria and Northern lines as well as high speed services to the Midlands and the north. | situated between Euston and King's Cross St Pancras, running beneath Somers Town — a neighbourhood directly behind the British Library; new station entrance and ticket hall in Grafton Place near Euston station | — (geo pending) | Euston St Pancras - The Crossrail 2 Station You Didn't Know About |
| Euston Station Arch and Great Hall, London | The giant arch at Euston station was demolished in the 1960s, to much anger. Many of the stones have been recovered from an east London waterway, and there are tentative plans to rebuild the structure. The Great Hall was another casualty of the same 1960s rebuild — a sad loss to London's architecture and character. It was unrivalled in scale and almost palatial in its execution, but stood in the way of modernisation and was torn down along with the arch. Euston station was entirely rebuilt in a more efficient but less inspiring style. The station is once again being reworked, with towers designed by Richard Seifert — the man behind Centre Point and Tower 42 — under demolition as part of the works for HS2 and a general station revamp. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | See The Gates To The Euston Arch At National Railway Museum | |
| Falafel Hut, Shepherd's Bush Market | Falafel Hut in Shepherd's Bush Market has been serving what Londonist describes as one of the tastiest falafels west of Beirut for about five years. Throughout that time the price had always been £2.50 — until the price leapt to £3, a whopping 20 per cent week-on-week increase, making it a handy unofficial economic indicator of west London's inflation. | map ↗ Google (address) · exact | Londonomics: Falafel Inflation | |
| Featherstone Street pocket park | A ‘pocket park’ behind car-choked Old Street . | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | London's Hidden Parks, Gardens And Green Spots Mapped | |
| Finchley Road junction with West End Lane and Frognal, NW3 | The junction of Finchley Road with West End Lane and Frognal in NW3 is the setting for a crucial scene near the beginning of Wilkie Collins's The Woman in White. It is here where the main character, Walter Hartright, is walking home from Hampstead late one night when he comes across a mysterious woman, Anne Catherick, dressed all in white, who demands to know which way London is. He directs her down Finchley Road towards Regent's Park and off she goes. | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | London Literary Locations: Wilkie Collins | |
| Finsbury Park tube station | Finsbury Park is nowhere near the original Finsbury, which is to the north-west of the Square Mile. At the mid-point of the 19th century, the area had become densely packed with ramshackle housing and the people needed green, open space; the site a couple of miles north was chosen and Finsbury Park was opened in 1869. The original Finsbury supposedly got its name from a man called Finn, whose manor house was located in the area. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | How The Piccadilly Line Stations Got Their Names | |
| First gas-powered street lighting plaque, Pall Mall | Pall Mall bore witness to the world's first demonstration of gas-powered street lighting. The light itself is no longer in situ, but a green plaque records the occasion. The street's name comes from 'Paille Maile', an obscure lawn game — like croquet — popular with the Stuart court. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | 10 Hidden Treasures To Look Up For In Central London | |
| First Postmark plaque, Princes Street, NatWest | One of Rowland Hill's predecessors as a postal innovator was Henry Bishop, Postmaster General to Charles II. In 1661, after complaints that letter-carriers were delaying the post, he came up with a handstruck date stamp so they could no longer do so. It was first used in the General Letter Office just off Post Office Yard, and there is now a plaque on the Princes Street side of NatWest to commemorate it. The stone even has a small AP/19 'Bishop Mark', because the first day of use was 19 April. | on the Princes Street side of NatWest | map ↗ Google (address) · exact | London’s Top Postal Curiosities |
| Fishmongers' Hall, London Bridge | Fishmongers' Hall, beside the modern London Bridge, contains an ornate chair made from the wood of the medieval span of Old London Bridge. The nearby Watermen's Hall has to make do with a simple fragment. | beside the modern London Bridge | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | Whatever Happened To Old London Bridge? |
| Former Booth's gin distillery reliefs, Britton Street, Clerkenwell | In the 19th century, Britton Street in Clerkenwell was dominated by Booth's gin distillery, one of the largest in London. Although demolished in 1978, you can still look up to see carvings celebrating gin production, created by Frederick W Pomeroy in 1903. | map ↗ Google (address) · exact | 10 Hidden Treasures To Look Up For In Central London | |
| Former Wrights Dairy, Old Church Street, Chelsea | Around the King's Road, cow heads look down as a surprising reminder of Chelsea's rural past. They once promoted Wrights Dairy which, from the late 1700s, had around 50 grazing cows providing milk for Londoners. The heads can be found on the old dairy HQ and former shop on Old Church Street. | around the King's Road, on Old Church Street | map ↗ Maps place · exact | 10 Hidden Treasures To Look Up For In Central London |
| Fountain and Ink, Waterloo | The Fountain and Ink by Waterloo is based in a building which once housed the company that made indelible ink so trusted, it was used to sign the Treaty of Versailles. | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | "We Went In Search Of The Meaning Behind 650 London Pub Names" | |
| Fountain Court, Middle Temple, London | In Fountain Court chuckles a single jet of crystal water close to the Thames, described by one writer as a 'pert squirt'. It stands in a courtyard shaded by 17th century black mulberry and plane trees. Charles Dickens certainly came to Middle Temple, and the fountain appears in one of his novels as a meeting place for John Westlock and Ruth Pinch — described in The Life And Adventures Of Martin Chuzzlewit as a welcoming contrast to the smoke and grime of the capital. | close to the Thames | map ↗ Maps place · exact | An Escape Hatch On Fleet Street Into A More Hushed And Secretive World |
| Foyles | Charing Cross Road. Visit website | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | Biblio-Text: Joseph's Bookstore | |
| Foyles | St Pancras station. Visit website | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | Biblio-Text: Joseph's Bookstore | |
| Foyles | Royal Festival Hall. Visit website | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | Biblio-Text: Joseph's Bookstore | |
| Foyles | Waterloo station. Visit website | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | Biblio-Text: Joseph's Bookstore | |
| Foyles | Westfield Stratford City. Visit website | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | Biblio-Text: Joseph's Bookstore | |
| Freedom Press | 84b Whitechapel High Street, E1 7QX. Visit website: | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | Biblio-Text: Joseph's Bookstore | |
| French's Theatre Bookshop | 52 Fitzroy Street, W1. Visit website | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | Biblio-Text: Joseph's Bookstore | |
| Frontline Club, Norfolk Place, Paddington | The Frontline Club is a media club for independent journalism and freedom of expression that prides itself on being completely devoid of air-kissing and bullshitting. Originally a collective of freelance journalists working in warzones, it is now a membership organisation for international photographers, journalists and cameramen. The club hosts weekly talks and double-bill screenings of ground-breaking documentaries. | nearest tube Paddington | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | Managing A Hostage Crisis, Frontline Club |
| Fulham | The Woman in White: Marian and Laura move to 5 Gower's Walk (either a fictional street or since destroyed). | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | London Literary Locations: Wilkie Collins | |
| Fulham Palace, Bishop's Park | Fulham Palace — the former summer retreat of the Bishops of London — was once enclosed by the largest moated site in England. Its Great Hall dates from 1495. You can visit the Palace and gardens five afternoons a week and admission is free. | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | Top 10 Things To Do In The Borough Of Hammersmith & Fulham | |
| Full Circle artwork, King's Cross tube station | In 2009 the London Underground got its first permanent work of art for a quarter of a century: Full Circle by Knut Henrik Henriksen (born 1970), installed in the remodelled passages of King's Cross tube station. Found at the end of a corridor on the Northern line, it consists of nothing more than a lip-shaped piece of metal, upended like a lopsided crescent moon. The title is the key: that lip of metal represents the missing piece of any tunnel on the London Underground — the part that completes the full circle. Most of the subterranean tubes were bored out with circular cutting heads, yet the lower part of that cross-section is never seen, always filled with track beds and rails while pedestrian passages are levelled off to provide flat floors. The piece hides in plain sight, easily mistaken for a random bit of wall panelling, and millions ignore it every year — all of which, once you are in on the concept, makes the work even more special. | at the end of a corridor on the Northern line | — (geo pending) | Bet You Never Noticed This Conceptual Art In King's Cross Tube |
| Garden Museum, Lambeth | Lambeth's Garden Museum inhabits a former church. The museum was set up in the 1970s in order to save the abandoned church building from demolition. A 17th century royal gardener father and son, both named John Tradescant, were buried in the churchyard, making it an apt location for a museum of garden history. The interior of the church was renovated in 2008, creating gallery space that hosts three exhibitions a year. | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | These Abandoned Churches Have All Been Resurrected | |
| Gardners' Market Sundriesman, Spitalfields | Gardners' Market Sundriesman opened in Spitalfields in 1870 and is now a fourth-generation family business. Paul Gardner — London's Paper Bag Baron — runs the shop at 149 Commercial Street, dealing in brown bags, white bags, paper bags, vacuum-sealed bags, takeaway bags and Christmas bags, 150 years on. | 149 Commercial Street, Spitalfields, E1 6BJ | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | Meet Paul Gardner, The Paper Bag Baron Of London |
| Gay's the Word | 66 Marchmont Street. Visit website | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | Biblio-Text: Joseph's Bookstore | |
| Geffrye Museum (Museum of the Home), Kingsland Road | The Geffrye Museum is in a row of almshouses surrounded by gardens, just behind Hoxton station. The museum takes a look at how homes have been used and furnished from 1600 to the present day. Within the grounds is a café set in a modern pavilion, overlooking the beautiful period gardens. | just behind Hoxton station | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | London's Top Museum Cafés |
| Gillespie Park | A little known north London nature reserve. | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | London's Hidden Parks, Gardens And Green Spots Mapped | |
| Gloucester Road tube station | Gloucester Road is named after Maria, Duchess of Gloucester and Edinburgh, who built a house on the street — at the time called Hog Moore Lane — in 1805. It is one of two stations on the Piccadilly line named after women. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | How The Piccadilly Line Stations Got Their Names | |
| Golden Lane Estate, City of London | Golden Lane in the City of London rubs shoulders with the elite of London's housing estates — alongside the likes of the neighbouring Barbican, and the Alexandra & Ainsworth estate in South Hampstead. It's earned a reputation as a modernist microcosm of everything that's right with post-war architecture. The estate was designed by Chamberlin, Powell and Bon and built in a quarter of the City that was obliterated by second world war bombing. Some apartments retain their original 1950s/60s features — such as kitchens with dark-stained hardwood work surfaces, and floors that are part quarry tile, part finger parquet. Resident Joan Flannery has lived there since November 1969, and still remembers moving in: 'It was fantastic as there was central heating!' The author Stefi Orazi, who lived on the estate for almost a decade, saw a decline in its maintenance and increasing frustration from residents who felt unheard by those running the estate — but concluded: 'The sense of community, however, is still very strong — and like nowhere else I have experienced before or since.' | neighbouring the Barbican | map ↗ Maps place · exact | Inside The Apartments Of Golden Lane Estate |
| Goldhawk Road, Shepherd's Bush | The character of Tony Manero in Saturday Night Fever — the hit 1977 film — was not based on a real Brooklyn disco-goer, as journalist Nik Cohn had claimed. Two decades after the film premiered, Cohn admitted that Vincent (the character's original name) had never existed. Instead, as Tom Holland explains in an episode of The Rest Is History podcast, Cohn had based him on a Mod he knew in Shepherd's Bush — a one-time king of Goldhawk Road — named Chris, whom Cohn had got to know in 1965. The original Tony Manero wasn't consumed by glitter balls and Donna Summer but motorbikes and the Small Faces. By adapting Chris's debauched tales of swigging from whisky bottles, violent bust-ups and back seat fumbles, Cohn projected 1960s Shepherd's Bush onto the canvas of 1970s Brooklyn — and came up with the blueprint for the gritty film that would scoop an initial $85 million at the box office. | — (geo pending) | Saturday Night Fever Is Actually Set In Shepherd's Bush | |
| Goodge Street Deep-Level Shelter, Chenies Street, Camden | Originally conceived before the Second World War as part of an express Northern Line route through the capital, the two parallel tunnels beneath Goodge Street underground station were instead built as a deep-level air raid shelter between 1940 and 1942. Each tunnel had decks equipped with bunks, medical posts, kitchens and toilets, and the shelter accommodated up to 8,000 people. In late 1942, part of the shelter was used as headquarters for General Eisenhower, Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in Europe, and much of the D-Day invasion was planned here. The tunnels were used after the war as an army transit shelter, and after a fire later that year, the shelter became a storage facility. | beneath Goodge Street underground station, Chenies Street, Camden | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | Beautiful Historic Photographs Of London |
| Gosh Comics | 39 Great Russell Street, WC1. Visit website | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | Biblio-Text: Joseph's Bookstore | |
| Grant and Cutler | Read review . Now in Foyles Charing Cross Road. Visit website | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | Biblio-Text: Joseph's Bookstore | |
| Great Comp Garden Folly Tower, Platt, Kent | The tower on the Crescent Lawn at Great Comp Garden is not what it appears. Surrounded by trees and bushes on three sides and open lawn on the fourth, the folly is no longer whole — crumbling stone walls of various heights leave two staircases open to the elements, moss covering many surfaces, plants wrapping their tendrils around anything they can get a grip on. Despite putting on a thoroughly convincing show, these are not real ruins. They were installed in the 1970s–80s by Roderick Cameron, created from materials excavated when the gardens were being laid out. | on the Crescent Lawn, surrounded by trees and bushes on three sides and open lawn on the fourth | — (geo pending) | Flowers And Follies: The Intriguing Ways Of Great Comp Garden |
| Great Comp Garden, Platt, Kent | Great Comp Garden is a 7-acre plot of greenery surrounding a 17th century manor house in the Kent countryside, describing itself as 'near Sevenoaks' but so tranquilly remote that many Sevenoaks residents have never heard of it. It was once the home of Roderick and Joy Cameron, who bought the property in the 1950s and made the garden into what it is today. There are memorials to them dotted around the site, and they are buried under the Square Lawn, right outside their former home. The manor house is a private residence and its interior is off-limits to the public, though its country cottage-style chimney can be seen from all over the garden. | Comp Lane, Platt, Kent, TN15 8QS, near Sevenoaks | map ↗ Maps place · exact | Flowers And Follies: The Intriguing Ways Of Great Comp Garden |
| Green Lanes, Haringey | Green Lanes starts at Newington Green and winds north a long way into Enfield. The Haringey stretch, in particular, was massively Cypriot in the 1960s and 70s — print shop owner Tasos remembers how Cypriots used to move house following the route of the 29 bus. The area is home to well-known local characters, including the owner of Pringipessa, who has regulars turning up every Friday and Saturday for live Greek music; London Greek Radio, which broadcasts live; Nicholas Printers, with its original Heidelberg Press; Paneri's huge restaurant lurking behind an unassuming kebab shopfront; and Mr Lefteris himself making bread. | starts at Newington Green and winds north a long way into Enfield; the Haringey bit in particular | map ↗ Maps place · exact | London Documentary: From Green Line To Green Lanes |
| Green Park tube station | Unlike other Royal Parks, Green Park lacks formal flower beds. An old myth attributes this to Catherine, wife of Charles II, who supposedly spotted the merry monarch plucking flowers in the park for his mistress and in wroth ordered all flowers removed — it has remained barren ever since. The open space was originally called Upper St James's Park but changed to The Green Park in 1746, probably reflecting its nature at the time: open meadow with few trees. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | How The Piccadilly Line Stations Got Their Names | |
| Greenland Docks, Surrey Quays | Plaques dotted around Greenland Docks document the area's past in the whaling trade. The bubber boiling houses that once stood here gave off quite a whiff. The long-lost Grand Surrey Canal also once flowed through Surrey Quays, its route now traced by Paul Talling's walks — which sell out well in advance. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | What Is There To Do In Surrey Quays? | |
| Greenwich Book Place | 258 Creek Road, Greenwich. Visit website | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | Biblio-Text: Joseph's Bookstore | |
| Griffin Park, Brentford | Griffin Park — over 100 years old — is the home Brentford FC are set to leave, moving a mile down the road to Lionel Road South. The old stadium will be turned into 75 family homes plus a memorial garden celebrating Brentford FC's history. Griffin Park is home to the legendary Griffin Park pub crawl, made up of four pubs, which fingers crossed will pull in enough punters to stay open. | map ↗ Google (address) · approx | London's New Football Stadiums: A Timeline | |
| Grosvenor Square, Mayfair | Grosvenor Square has been a part of central London since the 1720s, and was home to the US Embassy from 1938 until 2017. Built as part of a residential development by the Duke of Westminster between 1725 and 1731, Mayfair's Grosvenor Square spent much of its life as a private garden, only becoming a public park post-Second World War, thanks to the Roosevelt Memorial Act 1946. As it stands, the space is a welcome — if somewhat uninspired — park consisting of lawns sliced up by symmetrical pathways, and sprinkled with plane trees. In recent winters, the square has become the setting of the charitable Ever After Garden. Now the square is about to undergo perhaps its largest transformation yet — only the fourth redesign of the garden in its 300-year history. The garden closed on 8 June for just over a year, to be radically overhauled to designs by architects Tonkin Liu, with planting overseen by horticulturalist Professor Nigel Dunnett, who worked on the Tower of London's Superbloom project. An oval lawn will be reinstated at the centre, in a nod to the garden's original design, while its fringes will be planted with woodland-inspired spaces featuring 44 new trees, miniature wetlands, and 70,000 plants including primroses, bluebells and honeysuckle. A new education building, children's play areas, two new pavilions with public toilets, and a café kiosk will also be added. The square's memorials — to Franklin D Roosevelt, the Eagle Squadrons, and the 67 British victims of the September 11 attacks — will remain. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | Grosvenor Square Will Be A Woodland Garden By Summer 2026 | |
| Guildhall Art Gallery, City of London | It wasn't until 1985 that the Roman amphitheatre beneath Guildhall Art Gallery was revealed. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | Things That Have Been Dug Up In London: A Brief History | |
| Halcyon Books | 1 Greenwich South Street. Visit website | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | Biblio-Text: Joseph's Bookstore | |
| Hall Place, Bexley | Hall Place in Bexley has a three-century long connection with the silk industry. Local silk makers David Evans & Co Ltd, founded in the 1800s, developed ingenious methods of silk making and printing in the area. Augustus Applegath, founder of the original print works in 1826, eschewed traditional handblock printing for curved copper plate methods. Silks from Evans graced the shelves of Liberty's, Elizabeth Emmanuel, Holland and Holland, and even lined the wardrobes of Elton John. Evans' back catalogue also inspired British designer JW Anderson for two Top Shop collections. The works have been closed since 2001 but the rich print archive remains. | Bourne Road, Bexley DA5 1PQ, easily reached by rail from Charing Cross or London Bridge | map ↗ prior geocode · exact | Pattern To Print @ Hall Place In Bexley |
| Hall Place, Bexley | The Haunting of Hall Place in Bexley provided the sounds of ghostly footfalls and slamming doors for a journalist. Candidates for the haunting include the mansion's White Lady, supposedly the ghost of Lady Constance At-Hall, who threw herself from the tower after seeing her husband killed by a stag, and Edward of Woodstock, the Black Prince, whose ghostly appearance at Hall Place always bodes badly for Britain. | map ↗ prior geocode · exact | Fortean London: A Ghost In Every Borough: Barking to Enfield | |
| Hall Place, Bexleyheath | A building known as Hall Place was first the stately home of the At-Hall family, who took their name from Hall Place in the 14th century. The house was passed down and sold a number of times until it passed into the hands of Sir John Champneys, a former Lord Mayor of London, in 1537. Champneys then built the grey castle-like half which we see today, with stone from the nearby ruins of Lesnes Abbey. The outside boasts an impressive checkerboard effect made of flint and rubble, which was a popular type of masonry at the time. The red brick half of the house was the bright idea of Sir Robert Austen, who acquired the houses in 1649 and made little to no effort to match the two sides. | near the ruins of Lesnes Abbey | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | Things You Never Knew About The Borough Of Bexley |
| Hammersmith tube station | Hammersmith has disputed origins as a place name. Some sources suggest it derives from Hammoder's Hythe (a safe haven belonging to Hammoder), others — perhaps more satisfyingly — suggest it's simply a concatenation of 'hammer' and 'smithy', denoting an area important for metal working. | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | How The Piccadilly Line Stations Got Their Names | |
| Hampstead Garden Suburb | Hampstead Garden Suburb was devised by Dame Henrietta Barnett and founded in 1907, as an alternative to the urban sprawl that was enveloping London's green belts. Sir Edwin Lutyens was appointed as consultant architect and a picturesque housing plan was created around open green spaces and a hill. The suburb lacks any social amenities of shops, pubs or cafes but it does have two monumental churches on Central Square — St Jude and the Free Church, both designed by Lutyens — plus a school named after the suburb's founder. The original vision of housing for all classes has long since evaporated and the buildings are now extremely desirable, expensive residences. | map ↗ prior geocode · exact | A Verdant Stroll With Some Of London's Greatest Views | |
| Hampstead Heath | Hampstead Heath, referred to in the Domesday Book as Hemstede, covers 320 hectares and comprises rolling grassland, trees, 25 ponds, streams, three natural swimming pools, a lido and a running track. It is the largest public space in north London. The heath sits upon a sandy and clay ridge and is the source of four rivers: Brent, Tyburn, Westbourne, and Fleet — the latter three flow directly into the Thames. | map ↗ prior geocode · exact | A Verdant Stroll With Some Of London's Greatest Views | |
| Hampstead Heath Extension | Hampstead Heath Extension was created out of farmland acquired by Hampstead Garden Suburb Trust. It is now an area of largely grass, playing fields and streams that connects the Suburb to Hampstead Heath. | map ↗ prior geocode · exact | A Verdant Stroll With Some Of London's Greatest Views | |
| Hampton Court Palace | Roundels commissioned by Thomas Wolsey and installed on the gatehouse walls of Hampton Court Palace have been found to be made of London clay following a research and restoration project. The eleven terracotta roundels, made by Italian Giovanni da Maiano around 1520, have long been thought to depict Roman emperors. It was presumed that they were shipped from Italy, but analysis has shown they are in fact made from good old London clay, indicating the little-known Renaissance artist set up a London workshop. Rather than depicting Roman emperors, the roundels' subjects may be 'military heroes and leaders including Scipio, Pompey, and a youthful Alexander the Great'. | on the gatehouse walls | map ↗ Maps place · exact | Restoration Of Hampton Court Roundels Reveals London Origin |
| Handel & Hendrix House, Brook Street, Mayfair | George Frideric Handel's Brook Street residence neighbours that of another great musician, Jimi Hendrix, with both now twinned as an unlikely museum. | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | 9 Great London Immigrants | |
| Harleyford Road Community Garden | find little bit of the green stuff in busy bustly Kennington. | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | London's Hidden Parks, Gardens And Green Spots Mapped | |
| Harry Beck's House, 60 Courthouse Road, West Finchley | Harry Beck (1902–1974), creator of the London Underground map, lived at 60 Courthouse Road, close to West Finchley Underground station. His house overlooks the Northern line. | just along from Courthouse Gardens, close to West Finchley Underground station; overlooks the Northern line | map ↗ prior geocode · exact | A Verdant Stroll With Some Of London's Greatest Views |
| Hatchards | Read review . 187 Piccadilly, W1. Visit website: | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | Biblio-Text: Joseph's Bookstore | |
| Hatton Cross tube station | Hatton simply means a farmstead on the Hounslow heath. The 'cross' is less certain; probably a reference to the crossroads with the old Roman road to Staines. | crossroads with the old Roman road to Staines | map ↗ Maps place · exact | How The Piccadilly Line Stations Got Their Names |
| Heathrow Airport | A small grassy airfield, one of the earliest in the London area, opened here in 1930 beside the sleepy hamlet of Heathrow. This settlement was first recorded in 1410 as La Hetherewe, meaning simply a row of houses on a heath. The three Heathrow tube stations are the only ones on the network to feature numerals in their official names; Heathrow Terminals 2,3 is also the only tube station name to include a comma. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | How The Piccadilly Line Stations Got Their Names | |
| Henry Wood Hall, Borough | Henry Wood Hall was formerly known as Holy Trinity Church. It came to the attention of the London Philharmonic and Symphony Orchestras in the 1970s when they were looking for a new rehearsal space, at which point it had been sitting empty for 10 years. In 1972, the orchestras held a rehearsal to test out the new space — with the musicians wearing helmets to protect them from falling plaster. It was considered a success, so funds were raised and plans produced to convert the church. But on the night before work was due to start, the building was gutted by fire, meaning that it had to be almost totally reconstructed. Work was complete in 1975, and the building has functioned as a rehearsal space and recording studio ever since. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | These Abandoned Churches Have All Been Resurrected | |
| Herne Hill Books | 289 Railton Road SE24. Visit website | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | Biblio-Text: Joseph's Bookstore | |
| Hestons' butchers, Kennington Lane | Up until a few months before the article was written, residents in Vauxhall could have gone to Hestons' butchers on Kennington Lane, but that moved premises recently along with several other small businesses due to the effect of the congestion charge. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | What Kate Did Next | |
| Heygate Estate, Elephant and Castle | The Heygate Estate was a 1970s brutalist estate that housed 3,000 people, and was famous for appearing in the Michael Caine film Harry Brown. It was demolished in stages between 2011 and 2014. Much of the former estate has since been supplanted with Elephant Park, incorporating 3,000 new homes and 50 retail outlets, plus restaurants, cafes and a public park. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | What's Going On At Elephant And Castle? An Explainer | |
| Heywood Hill | Read review . 10 Curzon Street, W1J 5HH. Visit website | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | Biblio-Text: Joseph's Bookstore | |
| Highgate Cemetery West | A natural woodland park jam packed with graves and riddled with ivy. | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | London's Hidden Parks, Gardens And Green Spots Mapped | |
| Highgate Cemetery, Highgate | Karl Marx is commemorated across London — including by that left-leaning memorial in Highgate Cemetery. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | 9 Great London Immigrants | |
| Hillingdon tube station | Hillingdon appears in Domesday Book as Hillendone, suggesting a hill belonging to a man called Hille, Hilla or Hilda — probably where Hillingdon Hill rises near Uxbridge. The once localised name has widened its geography to encompass a whole London borough. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | How The Piccadilly Line Stations Got Their Names | |
| HMS Belfast, South Bank, London | HMS Belfast is a giant warship moored near Tower Bridge. No other surviving British vessel witnessed historic events of the same magnitude — from the Arctic Convoys and Normandy Landings of the Second World War, to the Korean War and beyond. She has nine decks to explore, each packed with maritime marvel and powerful stories from her launch in 1938 through to her arrival in London in 1971. | moored near Tower Bridge | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | HMS Belfast Turns 80 This March, And You're Invited To Her Birthday Celebrations |
| Holborn tube station | Holborn's name — traditionally pronounced with as few letters as possible (O'b'n) — has watery origins, stemming from either 'old bourne' or 'holl bourne' (old brook or hollow brook), and probably describes a long-lost tributary of the nearby River Fleet. | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | How The Piccadilly Line Stations Got Their Names | |
| Holloway Road tube station | The origins of Holloway Road are disputed, with three theories sharing similar credibility: it may be simply low-lying (a hollow) compared with the hills of Highgate and Islington; it might recall a pronounced dip along the centre of the road worn in by centuries of cattle on their way to Smithfield Market; or it could be a corruption of hallowed-way, a reference to a pilgrimage route up towards Norfolk. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | How The Piccadilly Line Stations Got Their Names | |
| Horsenden Hill, Perivale | Horsenden Hill in Perivale is the largest open space in Ealing and one of the highest points in the capital. Once you've huffed and puffed your way up 276ft, you'll be rewarded with superb views of the city. At some stage in its past, wild boar, bears and wolves roamed round formerly dense woodland — now you're more likely to bump noses with the butterflies that flit around the meadows and grassland. In spring the oak and willow trees of Perivale Wood are rooted in a bed of bluebells. Nearby Paradise Fields is a wetland area for swans, herons and goldfinches. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | Where To Feel Like You're In The Countryside In London | |
| Horseshoe Brewery / Dominion Theatre site, St Giles | The great beer flood of 1814 took place at the Horseshoe Brewery of the Meux company, at or very near the site of where the Dominion Theatre now stands. | at or very near the site of where the Dominion Theatre now stands | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | Why Don’t You Come On Over Valerie? The Remarkable Lady Meux |
| Hounslow tube stations | Hounslow may have canine origins. The name means something like 'mound of the hound' in Old English — though whether the reference is to a dog or a nickname of the landholder is not known. | — (geo pending) | How The Piccadilly Line Stations Got Their Names | |
| Housmans | 5 Caledonian Road. Visit website | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | Biblio-Text: Joseph's Bookstore | |
| Hyde Park | On the Queen's birthday, after passing Buckingham Palace at midday, the King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery stages a 41-gun royal salute in Hyde Park. | after passing Buckingham Palace at midday | map ↗ Maps place · exact | In Pictures: 21 Guns Of London |
| Hyde Park | The last wild ravens in London were noted in Hyde Park exactly 200 years ago. A breeding pair were forced out by a park-keeper in 1826 and, according to noted naturalist William Henry Hudson, that was the last the capital saw of wild ravens. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | Ever Spotted A Raven In London? (Not Including The Tower) | |
| Hyde Park Corner tube station | Henry VIII acquired the land now called Hyde Park as his own private plaything following the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1536. Previously it was under the control of the canons of Westminster Abbey and known as the Manor of Hyde — thought to be a corruption of the Manor of 'Eye' or 'Eia', an Anglo-Saxon term meaning island, from a time when the lands around the nearby River Westbourne were marshy. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | How The Piccadilly Line Stations Got Their Names | |
| Ickenham tube station | The name Ickenham is ancient. The suffix -ham simply refers to a collection of dwellings, while the Icken- bit probably refers to a personal name. It is first recorded in Domesday Book (1086) as Ticheham, suggesting a Mr Tichea or similar. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | How The Piccadilly Line Stations Got Their Names | |
| Ignatius Sancho plaque, Charles II Street, St James's | Between two mighty government buildings — The Treasury and the Foreign Office — is Charles II Street, where a plaque remembers Ignatius Sancho, who escaped slavery in Greenwich and became a self-made businessman, as well as the first known person of African descent to vote in a British election, in 1774. | between The Treasury and the Foreign Office | map ↗ Google (address) · approx | 10 Hidden Treasures To Look Up For In Central London |
| Ingress Abbey, Greenhithe, Kent | Ingress Abbey was built by James Harmer, a wealthy solicitor whose role as a City alderman left him well placed to buy stones from the demolished medieval London Bridge. According to the Harmer Family website, the fragments were used as 'core stone in the middle of the structure' and on the southern perimeter wall — so the southern perimeter wall is potentially the genuine article, and visitors can sit on a piece of the medieval London Bridge along the A226. | on the southern perimeter wall; head to the A226 | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | Whatever Happened To Old London Bridge? |
| Interchange Building (Dead Dog's Hole), Camden | The red-brick Interchange Building has been a Camden landmark since the early 20th century. This vast warehouse was a hive of local industry, built over the place where canal met railway. The canal entrance still exists and is spanned by a recently refurbished pedestrian bridge that carries the towpath off towards Regent's Park. The space beneath is known informally as Dead Dog's Hole, on account of the unfortunate animals whose fate it was to wash into its maw. It was once possible to kayak into this aquatic cavern and gain access to an extensive network of abandoned horse tunnels, but a barrier now prevents such urbex adventures. | built over the place where canal met railway; canal entrance spanned by a pedestrian bridge carrying the towpath towards Regent's Park | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | 12 Oddities To Spot In Camden Town |
| Italian Garden, Great Comp Garden, Platt, Kent | The Italian Garden at Great Comp was inspired by Roderick Cameron's time stationed in Italy during the second world war. Entered through a brick moon gate to the side of the Square Lawn, it is a walled garden where hedges and walls have been used to create something of a mini maze, with urns, sculptures, busts and Corinthian columns among the greenery, and one wall bearing memorial plaques to the Camerons and others involved in Great Comp over the years. The highlight is a small pond ripe with water lilies and small fish, a fountain at one end and a brick viaduct running over its centre, all watched over by a palm tree. | through the brick moon gate to the side of the Square Lawn | — (geo pending) | Flowers And Follies: The Intriguing Ways Of Great Comp Garden |
| Jewish Daily Post building, Aldgate High Street, Whitechapel | Along Aldgate High Street, beside Gunthorpe Street, the ornate symbol of the Jewish Daily Post — established 1926 and based here until 1935 — is a reminder that this area of Whitechapel was once the epicentre of Jewish London. | beside Gunthorpe Street | map ↗ Maps place · exact | 10 Hidden Treasures To Look Up For In Central London |
| John Sandoe (Books) | Read review . 10 Blacklands Terrace, Chelsea. Visit website | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | Biblio-Text: Joseph's Bookstore | |
| John Snow pump, Broadwick Street, Westminster | The City of Westminster has a memorial to one of London's finest pieces of social and scientific history. John Snow had the handle removed from the water pump on Broadwick Street in September 1854, thus preventing the further spread of cholera from the pump. Through his research, using ghost maps to track the pump down, Snow proved that cholera was a water-borne disease and not an air-borne one. The ghost of the diseased pump subsequently appeared on Broadwick Street, and apparently ceased appearing when the replica memorial pump was installed. | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | Fortean London: A Ghost In Every Borough: Barking to Enfield | |
| John the Unicorn, Peckham | The John the Unicorn in Peckham has a heart-warming backstory: it is named after a child's prized cuddly toy. | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | "We Went In Search Of The Meaning Behind 650 London Pub Names" | |
| Joseph's Bookstore, Temple Fortune | Amid the kosher delis and unbelievably good bakeries of Temple Fortune sits Joseph's Bookstore. As you'd expect from the location, they carry a large selection of Jewish titles, covering history, faith, politics, popular culture, art and texts in Hebrew. For a relatively small shop in the zone 3 suburbs, they also have an impressive events list — previous guests include David Baddiel, Andrew Marr, Jonathan Freedland, Maureen Lipman and Rabbi Jonathan Sacks. The art on the walls is for sale, and, in a nice twist on wedding lists, those wishing to mark a passage into adulthood in literary fashion can set up tailored Bar/Bat Mitzvah lists. Despite its specialism, this is not solely a 'Jewish bookshop' — there are large sections of fiction, art, science and Islam. Joseph's is also one of the fine bookshops to eschew a Starbucks and have its very own eaterie: Cafe Also serves tasty Mediterranean food. | 1257 Finchley Road, amid the kosher delis and bakeries of Temple Fortune | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | Biblio-Text: Joseph's Bookstore |
| Judd Books | 82 Marchmont Street. Visit website | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | Biblio-Text: Joseph's Bookstore | |
| Karl Marx's flat, Dean Street, Soho | After Belgium and Paris decided they didn't want Karl Marx, London took him into its bosom — and he stayed for the rest of his life. From his flat on Dean Street, Marx wrote his magnum opus Das Kapital. London is also where he went on his infamous lamp-smashing pub crawl. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | 9 Great London Immigrants | |
| Kennington Oval, London | The first ever FA Cup final was played at the Kennington Oval in front of about 2,000 people, with a familiar Saturday-afternoon kick-off time of 3pm (ish). London side Wanderers beat Kent's Royal Engineers 1-0. The result was all the more impressive given that the much-vaunted Engineers were pioneering a radical new footballing manoeuvre called 'passing'. The play itself would doubtless have been unrecognisable as the beautiful game we enjoy today — this was a sport of low tactics, and no goalkeepers, or even crossbars. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | What Happened To The Teams That Competed In The First Ever FA Cup? | |
| Kensal Green Cemetery | Wilkie Collins is buried in Kensal Green Cemetery. Being unconventional till the end, he insisted on a simple funeral. His grave has a plain stone cross on a base inscribed with 'the author of The Woman in White', which he acknowledged as his finest work. Both of his common-law wives are in the grave with him — but he's not in the middle, as he died first. | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | London Literary Locations: Wilkie Collins | |
| Kew Bookshop | 1-2 Station Approach, Richmond. Visit website: | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | Biblio-Text: Joseph's Bookstore | |
| Kew Gardens | Kew Gardens has been infiltrated by 'yellowflowered perfoliate Alexanders', which grow up to 1.5 metres tall and starve bluebells of light. The invading weed was first seen at Kew in the early Nineties and is found normally in North Africa, southern Europe and south-west Asia. In recent years the population has spread aggressively, and the manager of natural areas at Kew warned that if nothing is done it is inevitable the weed will escape Kew Gardens and spread throughout London. An army of volunteers has been brought in to bring the plants under control — not to eradicate them, but to ensure a good carpet of bluebells survives. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | Kew Invaded By Giant Weeds | |
| King Edward VII pub, Stratford | King Edward VII — affectionately known as 'King Eddie's' — is one of the oldest pubs in Stratford, dating back to the 18th century. The pub, with its original pedimented doors, was once called The King of Prussia, but this was changed to a more patriotic name after King Edward VII's death in 1910. | map ↗ prior geocode · approx | Where To Eat And Drink In Stratford: The Best Restaurants, Cafes, Bars And Pubs | |
| King Henry's Walk Garden | A thriving, award-winning, organic community garden and peaceful green space. | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | London's Hidden Parks, Gardens And Green Spots Mapped | |
| King William Street station, City of London | King William Street in the City was the first northern terminus of what would become the Northern line, with trains running frequently between Stockwell and King William Street from December 1890. Cars were known as padded cells, thanks to a lack of windows (other than narrow slits); according to one anonymous press man, the subterranean journey "smacked somewhat of Jules Verne". In 1900, the station was bypassed by new tunnels and closed forever more. The old tunnels are still down there. | the diagonal road between Bank and the Monument | — (geo pending) | A Brief History Of The Northern Line |
| King's Arms pub, Newcomen Street, Southwark | The quiet, unassuming King's Arms on Newcomen Street in Southwark sports an actual set of King's arms — the Royal coat of arms which adorned the southern gateway of Old London Bridge from 1730 until demolition. | on Newcomen Street; close to the alcove in Guy's Hospital | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | Whatever Happened To Old London Bridge? |
| King's Cross St Pancras tube station | Until the 19th century, the King's Cross area was called Battle Bridge after a local crossing of the River Fleet. The modern name comes from an unpopular memorial to the reviled George IV, which blighted the area between 1830 and 1845. St Pancras, meanwhile, was an early Roman saint and boy-martyr; Augustine supposedly brought relics of young Pancras to England, inspiring several churches dedicated to the saint. London's St Pancras church still stands (though much rebuilt) and is often said to be one of the oldest sites of Christian worship in the country. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | How The Piccadilly Line Stations Got Their Names | |
| Kingsmeadow, Norbiton | AFC Wimbledon's Norbiton ground Kingsmeadow, with a 4,850 capacity (2,265 seated), will be sold to Chelsea for the bargain price of £2m, to be turned into a 4,800-seat ground for ladies' and academy matches. | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | London's New Football Stadiums: A Timeline | |
| Kirkdale Bookshop and Gallery | Read review . 272 Kirkdale, Sydenham. Visit website | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | Biblio-Text: Joseph's Bookstore | |
| Kirkwood Nature Garden | A disused road/railway embankment which has been given back to nature. | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | London's Hidden Parks, Gardens And Green Spots Mapped | |
| Knightsbridge tube station | There was once a bridge at Knightsbridge, spanning the River Westbourne, which now runs through the same sewer that can famously be seen at Sloane Square tube. The name is first recorded as far back as 1046, when Edward the Confessor was new to the throne. The 'knight' element is mysterious; the Old English word 'cniht' can represent young people in general, so this may simply have been a bridge where medieval youths once hung out. | the River Westbourne now runs through the same sewer that can famously be seen at Sloane Square tube | map ↗ Maps place · exact | How The Piccadilly Line Stations Got Their Names |
| La Délivrance Statue, North Circular Road, Finchley | La Délivrance, a social realist statue sculpted by Emile Guillaume, was presented to the Finchley Urban District Council in 1927 by the newspaper publisher Viscount Rothermere, to celebrate the end of the First World War. It was located at this intersection on the North Circular Road, as Rothermere would often pass by en-route to visiting his mother in Totteridge. | at the intersection on the North Circular Road, en-route between London and Totteridge | map ↗ prior geocode · approx | A Verdant Stroll With Some Of London's Greatest Views |
| Landmark Arts Centre, Teddington | Teddington's impressive Landmark Arts Centre used to be the Church of St Alban the Martyr, built in 1889 and known as the 'Cathedral of Thames Valley' due to its impressive size. The pulpit, still in situ today, was unusually situated halfway down the nave, rather than at the front of the church. In the early 1970s the church was neglected, and a campaign was launched to preserve its architecture and turn it into an arts centre. Today it hosts fairs, concerts and book clubs, and is available for hire. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | These Abandoned Churches Have All Been Resurrected | |
| Leadenhall, City of London | The City of London is alive with ghosts, none better than the ghost of Old Tom the Goose. He escaped being slaughtered at Leadenhall in the 19th century and became a popular figure honking around the inns of the area begging for scraps. He died in 1833 at the age of 38 but, according to Haunted London Pubs, he honks there still. | map ↗ Google (address) · exact | Fortean London: A Ghost In Every Borough: Barking to Enfield | |
| Lee Valley Regional Park | The Lee Valley Regional Park is a corridor-shaped area of green space that snakes for 26 miles along the River Lee from Ware in Hertfordshire right down to Bow in the East End. At 10,000 acres, it is not an insignificant slice of nature for the south-east. The park's unusual shape allows it to house riverside trails, open romping ground, nature reserves and urban green space. | snakes for 26 miles along the River Lee from Ware in Hertfordshire right down to Bow in the East End | — (geo pending) | Lee Valley By Bike: Explore A Lesser Known Slice Of London Greenery |
| Lee Valley White Water Centre, Waltham Cross | A brand new sports facility, the Lee Valley White Water Centre near Waltham Cross, opened to the public in April 2011. It was built as part of the area's preparations for the Olympics, and the park was playing a part in the games. | near Waltham Cross | map ↗ Maps place · exact | Lee Valley By Bike: Explore A Lesser Known Slice Of London Greenery |
| Leicester Square tube station | Leicester Square was developed in the 1670s on land belonging to the Earl of Leicester. His title ultimately derives from the Ligore, a Celtic tribe about which little is known, who occupied the area around Leicester before the Romans built their town. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | How The Piccadilly Line Stations Got Their Names | |
| Leicester Square Underground Station | Leicester Square tube station was the victim of a 'major branding takeover' by Apple, who purchased pretty much every last piece of advertising at one of the major west end tube stops to promote the iPod Shuffle. Apple created what they called the 'iPod Zone', with media critics floating the possibility that consumers might even forget the name of the station and just call it the 'Apple stop'. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | The 'Apple Stop' | |
| Lesnes Abbey, Erith | The ruins of Lesnes Abbey, founded in 1178, are still visible today not far from Erith. From almost the very beginning, the abbey struggled with financial hardship. Many of its buildings were completely neglected, and efforts to rebuild in the early sixteenth century could not do much to improve the crumbling structure. The final blow came from Henry VIII, who wanted to raise funds for Cardinal Wolsey's College at Oxford and received permission from the Pope to close every monastery in England and Wales with less than eight inhabitants. As Lesnes only housed an abbot and five canons, it was one of the first to be abandoned. | not far from Erith | map ↗ Maps place · exact | Things You Never Knew About The Borough Of Bexley |
| Lloyd's of Kew | 9 Mortlake Road, Richmond (vintage and antique books). Visit website: | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | Biblio-Text: Joseph's Bookstore | |
| London Aquatics Centre, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park | The Baghdad-born architect Zaha Hadid made her mark on the capital with the spaceship-like London Aquatics Centre. Zaha Hadid Architects remains in Clerkenwell. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | 9 Great London Immigrants | |
| London Bridge Experience, London Bridge | The London Bridge Experience is a tourist attraction beneath London Bridge. The ground floor contains a small museum about the bridge, offering a potted history and a handful of artefacts. The rest of that level comprises the Experience itself, where visitors are taken on a theatrical trail through stories connected with the bridge — meeting a Roman foot soldier, William Wallace, a head preserver, Charles Dickens and several others, with the emphasis more on showmanship than education. Below that, the London Tombs dispenses completely with any notions of history: at no point in the bridge's 2,000-year chronology was it troubled by a rock monster, zombies or a giant python, but the Tombs offer genuine scares even to the most cynical of punters, with the living dead hiding behind every corner, strobe lighting used to disorientate, and an Aladdin's cave of dismembered body parts. | beneath London Bridge | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | London Bridge Experience Dieing To Meet You |
| London Eye | In what Londonist called 'surely the city's most troubled attraction', the London Eye became embroiled in a bitter ownership dispute when British Airways was accused of 'betrayal' over their decision to sell their third share to the Tussauds Group. Architects David Marks and Julia Byfield, who owned a third of the attraction themselves, had been negotiating with BA to buy their stake and had put together a funding package along with Tussauds, who also owned a third. The architects claimed they were 'frozen out' of discussions, saying BA had told them over a year earlier that they wished to exit 'elegantly' and had invited consensual bids. BA maintained there were no consensual bids put forward at any stage, adding that when they got involved in 1998 the Eye only had planning permission for five years. The total debt on the Eye stood at around £175m, though BA agreed to sell their stake along with the debt for £95m. Tussauds planned to invest £50m in the Eye over the next five years, creating 100 jobs in the process. | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | The Saga Of The Eye Continues | |
| London Review Bookshop | Read review . 14 Bury Place, Bloomsbury. Visit website | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | Biblio-Text: Joseph's Bookstore | |
| London Stock Exchange | At the London Stock Exchange, a cry of 'fourteen-hundred' was used to warn that a stranger was in the building. The cry is said to have had its origin in the fact that for a long while the number of members never exceeded 1,399, and it was customary to hail every newcomer as the fourteen-hundredth. The usage dates to the late 19th century. | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | 20 Forgotten Words From London's Past | |
| London Wildlife Gardening Centre | A secret garden teeming with life in Peckham. | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | London's Hidden Parks, Gardens And Green Spots Mapped | |
| London Zoo | The Woman in White: Count Fosco offers to donate his birds to the Zoo. | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | London Literary Locations: Wilkie Collins | |
| London Zoo, Regent's Park | London Zoo saw its first baby gorilla born in 20 years on 26 October. The baby was born to first-time mother Mjukuu, with 'aunties' Zaire and Effie present at the birth and remaining with Mjukuu throughout. The baby's own father had died in March of that year, and the zoo's staff were making every effort to assist a smooth introduction to Kesho, the dominant male of the group. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | London Zoo's Latest Arrival | |
| Lower Thames Street area, City of London | In Wilkie Collins's The Moonstone, there is a murder in a pub called the Wheel of Fortune in the fictional Shore Lane that leads into Lower Thames Street, just west of the Tower of London. The diamond-thieves manage to board a Rotterdam-bound boat from Tower Wharf, which is at the eastern end of Lower Thames Street. | just west of the Tower of London; Tower Wharf at the eastern end of Lower Thames Street | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | London Literary Locations: Wilkie Collins |
| Lutyens & Rubinstein | Read review . 21 Kensington Park Road, W11. Visit website | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | Biblio-Text: Joseph's Bookstore | |
| Lyndhurst Way Railing Sidings | A profusion of nettles, wild flowers, ivy, honeysuckle, and lobelia in Peckham. | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | London's Hidden Parks, Gardens And Green Spots Mapped | |
| Lyons Restaurant, Chancery Lane | A Lyons restaurant in Chancery Lane was a cool place for mods to hang out at lunchtimes during the height of the allegedly swinging 60s. | — (geo pending) | Len Deighton's London Dossier, Chapter 1: Teenagers | |
| Mail Rail, Mount Pleasant to Whitechapel and Paddington | The British Postal Museum and Archive, crammed into a small site behind Mount Pleasant post office, was planning a new interactive museum that would also open up part of Mail Rail — the underground railway that shuttled from Whitechapel to Paddington. Visitors would be able to ride in the tiny carriages under the city. The museum was scheduled to open in 2017. | behind Mount Pleasant post office | map ↗ Google (address) · exact | London’s Top Postal Curiosities |
| Manor House Library, Lee | The beautiful grand property in Manor House Gardens was renovated and converted into a library — a delight to local bookworms. The library houses its books within stunning listed architecture and has escaped the recent cutbacks that have hit many others in the borough. | in Manor House Gardens | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | Top 10 Things To Do In The Borough Of Lewisham |
| Manor House tube station | Manor House is the only station on the Piccadilly Line named after a pub. The Manor House inn was a well-known stop along the Green Lanes turnpike, perhaps named after the local manor house of Brownswood. It opened at the start of the 19th century and had a distinguished history — Queen Victoria is thought to have stopped here during a journey in 1843. In the 20th century it became a music venue, hosting the likes of Rod Stewart, Fleetwood Mac and Jimi Hendrix. Today, the building is an organic cafe and supermarket. | along the Green Lanes turnpike | map ↗ Maps place · exact | How The Piccadilly Line Stations Got Their Names |
| Margravine Cemetery | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | London's Hidden Parks, Gardens And Green Spots Mapped | ||
| Marian Goodman Gallery, London | Marian Goodman, one of the world's largest art dealers, opened a London branch at 5-8 Lower John Street. Since opening, there had been a string of exhibitions featuring big name artists with mediocre works, until the William Kentridge show finally delivered on the reputation of the gallery's brand. | 5-8 Lower John Street, W1F 9DY | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | A Macabre Procession By William Kentridge |
| Marshalsea Prison, Borough High Street | The remains of Marshalsea Prison, a debtor's jail, are still there behind Borough High Street. Dickens's father was locked up there, and it was mentioned in Little Dorrit. | behind Borough High Street | map ↗ Maps place · exact | A Tour Of Bermondsey With Saint Saviour |
| Meantime Brewing, Greenwich | Meantime began in a Greenwich flat back in 1999, when young brewer Alastair Hook set out to create great-tasting beers. It's long-since outgrown that flat, but stayed true to its south-east London roots, with a modern brewery and visitor centre in SE10. With its maritime history, creative undertones and sweeping views, Greenwich isn't short of pioneering spirit — and that translates into its beer too. | Lawrence Trading Estate, Blackwall Lane, SE10 0AR | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | Meantime Brewing: The Greenwich Brewhouse Leading London's Craft Beer Revolution |
| Meat Mission, Hoxton Market | Meat Mission is named for the building it resides in — a former Christian Mission. You wouldn't know it from the outside, but once you're through the doors, the stained glass window, church-style pews and memorial plaques on the walls give the game away. The confessional booth is now a photo booth. The piece de resistance: the entire ceiling is a Gilbert and George-style demonic Last Supper blowout. | map ↗ Google (address) · approx | These Abandoned Churches Have All Been Resurrected | |
| Melcombe Street postbox, Baker Street (Danger Mouse lair) | Both iterations of the Danger Mouse cartoon place the rodents' lair inside a postbox on Baker Street. Head to Melcombe Street opposite the tube exit on Baker Street and you'll find just such a box. It was recently decorated with a fake Blue Plaque dedicated to the duo — sadly that got stripped away. Then, in 2024, an intricate postbox topper appeared there. | Melcombe Street, opposite the tube exit on Baker Street | map ↗ Maps place · exact | Around London In 11 Mice And Rats |
| Metropolitan Police Hook, Great Newport Street, Covent Garden | On the building next to the Arts Theatre on Great Newport Street, Covent Garden, there is a Metropolitan Police hook of indeterminate vintage. Rather than serving as a place to dangle suspects, the hook was a handy place for Edwardian coppers to stow their heavy capes in hot weather. | on the building next to the Arts Theatre on Great Newport Street, Covent Garden | map ↗ Maps place · exact | London's Old Forgotten Signs |
| Meux Brewery, Clerkenwell / St Giles | The Meux Brewery was founded in 1764 in Clerkenwell before moving to the Horseshoe brewery site in St Giles. After Lady Meux's time it underwent a number of mergers and takeovers before finally ceasing trading in 1961. | founded in Clerkenwell before moving to the Horseshoe brewery site in St Giles | — (geo pending) | Why Don’t You Come On Over Valerie? The Remarkable Lady Meux |
| Michael Faraday Memorial, Elephant and Castle | The stainless steel cube at Elephant and Castle is simultaneously a Michael Faraday memorial, an Aphex Twin rumour, and an electrical substation — and it's staying put. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | What's Going On At Elephant And Castle? An Explainer | |
| Middle Temple Hall, London | Middle Temple Hall is described as the finest Elizabethan hall in England. Built between 1562 and 1573 and financed by treasurer Edmund Plowden, whose larger-than-life marble bust stares across the dining room, the hall is 101 feet long and 41 feet wide. It retains its original function as a dining room and ceremonial place of debate, and hosted a performance of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night in February 1602. When the floorboards were taken up in 1764, hundreds of tiny dice yellowed by age were found to have fallen through the chinks, evidence of gambling among former diners. The fabled double hammer-beam oak roof has an almost surreal appearance; beneath it are windows with original stained glass from the 1570s (removed during the war) and whitewashed walls with empty suits of armour facing each other on either side. The Bench Table at the front is constructed from three 29-foot planks from a single oak cut down in Windsor Forest, reputedly a gift of Queen Elizabeth I. The table described as the 'Cupboard' has an 18th century base while its top is said to have been made from the hatch of Francis Drake's ship The Golden Hinde, though there is no documentary evidence to this effect. On the night of 15 October 1940 a landmine exploded in Elm Court, shattering the heavy oak Renaissance screen at the back of the hall; the remains were gathered into 200 sacks and pieced back together like a gigantic jigsaw puzzle, so well that you can't see the joins. Dickens belonged to the Inn but fell foul of a regulation requiring a minimum number of dinners to be eaten at the Hall each year. | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | An Escape Hatch On Fleet Street Into A More Hushed And Secretive World | |
| Middle Temple, London | Middle Temple is one of the four Inns of Court (the others being Inner Temple to the east, Lincoln's Inn and Gray's Inn). This is where barristers get their training, carry their briefs in sheaths of paper tied with a pink ribbon — a tradition dating from 1787 — and are called to the Bar. All trainee barristers must belong to one of the Inns to qualify. The entrance lies at 222-225 Strand, opposite the Royal Courts of Justice, where a doorway nestled between rose-granite pilasters leads through a mosaic floor panel into a Victorian glaze-tiled passageway with wrought iron girders and heavy lamps. Both Middle and Inner Temple Inns were bombed during the war, and while the area is often described as a portal to a bygone age, much of what you see is reconstructed. Middle Temple lost 122 of its 285 sets of chambers. Number 2 Essex Court was built in 1677 and is largely unaltered from that time — a fine example of the Inn's archaic romance. | at 222-225 Strand, opposite the Royal Courts of Justice, just before passing from Westminster into the City, doorway nestled between rose-granite pilasters on the right | map ↗ Maps place · exact | An Escape Hatch On Fleet Street Into A More Hushed And Secretive World |
| Mooney's, The Strand | Stroll along the bustling Strand and stand opposite 395. Look down and you'll likely see a tourist tat-fest; but look up and you get some idea of the grand pub that once stood here. It's not difficult to imagine the long, panelled bar being thronged by those in search of hand-pumped Guinness with an oyster or two on the side. The barmen came directly from Dublin to ensure the finest pull, and the humble food offerings drew regular and repeat clientele. Patrons included commuters dashing across Waterloo Bridge, market porters from Covent Garden slaking their hard-won thirst, or journalists popping to Bush House or Savoy Hill for a BBC recording, not forgetting those coming from or going to the many theatres hosting plays, ballets and operas in the area. As journalist Maurice Gorham put it: 'anybody who is interested in London pubs should not rest from searching until he has once leaned his elbows on the pink marble bar at Mooney's on The Strand.' | at 395 The Strand | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | 4 Legendary London Boozers No Longer With Us |
| Moorgate station, London | In February 1975, the Northern City line branch suffered the worst peacetime tragedy on the London Underground, when a train failed to stop at Moorgate and smashed into the end of the tunnel. 43 people were killed and over 70 were badly injured. No fault was found with the train or tracks and the enquiry attributed the accident to driver action. This section of the Northern line was decoupled from the network in October of that year — under plans that predated the crash — to be run by British Rail. It still operates today and has never rejoined London Underground. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | A Brief History Of The Northern Line | |
| Moorgate tube station (Metropolitan Railway diamond sign) | A pastiche of the Metropolitan Railway's diamond logo for platform names — used from 1914 as a counterpart to the UERL roundel, asserting Metropolitan independence — can be seen at Moorgate. It was installed in 2013 to mark 150 years of the London Underground. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | The Tube Roundel: An Evolution | |
| Mount Street Gardens | A microclimate in Mayfair | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | London's Hidden Parks, Gardens And Green Spots Mapped | |
| Muswell Hill Bookshop | Read review . 72 Fortis Green Road, N10. Visit website | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | Biblio-Text: Joseph's Bookstore | |
| Nambucca, Holloway Road, North London | Nambucca on Holloway Road was a music venue where musicians played their early shows. It burnt down a couple of years after opening. It was a great place, and a big loss on the North London indie scene. | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | Listen Up Interview: Alan Pownall | |
| National Gallery, Trafalgar Square | The National Gallery is 46,396 metres squared and has around 2,300 exhibits on display — including a secret room with 800 paintings alone. Taking the opposite approach to the V&A, it may have the most space per exhibit of any major London museum. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | What Is London's Biggest Museum? | |
| National Railway Museum, York | The ornate iron gates from Euston's demolished arch were saved from destruction and are now on proud display at the National Railway Museum in York. Alongside them, visitors can see a dedication plaque that was for many years on show in Euston's Great Hall. The museum also holds a freestanding clock, the station bell, a statue of George Stephenson, and an architectural model of the 1960s Euston rebuild — now out of date as the station is reworked again. | a 5 minute walk from the station | map ↗ Maps place · exact | See The Gates To The Euston Arch At National Railway Museum |
| Near St John's Wood Road | The Woman in White: Count Fosco lives at the (apparently fictional) 5 Forest Road off St John's Wood Road. Dr Goodricke lives at 12 Croydon Gardens in the same area, also similarly non-existent. | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | London Literary Locations: Wilkie Collins | |
| Nelson Mandela bust, Royal Festival Hall | The bust of Nelson Mandela outside Royal Festival Hall is unusual because it was unveiled in 1988 while Mandela was still alive — it's normal for statues to be erected after the subject has died. The man who created it, Ian Walters, actually died before Mandela himself did. Walters was also responsible for designing the Mandela statue in Parliament Square, although he died before it was completed. The bust is Grade II listed. | outside Royal Festival Hall | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | 6 Secrets Of Southbank Centre |
| New River Walk | A charming linear park landscaped alongside the New River in Islington. | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | London's Hidden Parks, Gardens And Green Spots Mapped | |
| Newham Books | 745-747 Barking Road, E13. Visit website | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | Biblio-Text: Joseph's Bookstore | |
| Nightingale Gardens | A neglected formal garden cared for by the community | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | London's Hidden Parks, Gardens And Green Spots Mapped | |
| Nobu, Mayfair | Nobu got a clean bill of health with the only black mark against its name being the fact that Madonna eats there. | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | Ramsay's Kitchen Confidential No More | |
| Northala Fields | What are those four mounds flanking the A40 at Northolt? | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | London's Hidden Parks, Gardens And Green Spots Mapped | |
| Northern line extension tunnels, Battersea to Kennington via Nine Elms | The 6.4km of tunnels created for the Northern line extension are the widest tunnels on the tube network, with a 5.2 metre diameter — 1.6m larger than the standard 3.6m of current tube tunnels. The reason for this extra width is that the new tunnels have something no tube tunnel has had before: a walkway. A 1m wide path runs alongside the tracks to allow passengers to evacuate on foot in an emergency, or to allow emergency services to access the train from nearby stations. The tunnels are the work of two tunnel boring machines, named Amy and Helen after astronaut Helen Sharman and aviation pioneer Amy Johnson. Tunnelling took place between April and November 2017, on two 3.2km tunnels between Battersea and Kennington via Nine Elms. | — (geo pending) | There's Something Unique About The New Northern Line Tunnels | |
| Northern line extension, Nine Elms and Battersea Power Station | Construction began on the Northern line extension to Battersea Power Station in November 2015 — the first extension of the Northern line since the second world war, and the first in south London for almost 100 years. The extension opened in September 2021, including a new station at Nine Elms. A further extension to link up with Clapham Junction has been safeguarded but not yet approved. | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | A Brief History Of The Northern Line | |
| Northfields tube station | Northfields is self-evidently an old agricultural term that outlived its original purpose when housing was built there. Notable locals include tightrope maestro Charles Blondin, US President John Quincy Adams, singer Dusty Springfield, and weather forecaster Tomasz Schafernaker. | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | How The Piccadilly Line Stations Got Their Names | |
| Notting Hill Bookshop | 13 Blenheim Crescent, W11 2EE. Visit website | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | Biblio-Text: Joseph's Bookstore | |
| Nunhead Cemetery | A wonderfully imposing semi-wild cemetery surrounded by iron gates. | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | London's Hidden Parks, Gardens And Green Spots Mapped | |
| Nunhead Cemetery, Nunhead | Poet Chris McCabe has restyled himself as a literary detective to discover the lost poets residing in Nunhead Cemetery, one of London's Magnificent Seven cemeteries. His book Cenotaph South: Mapping the Lost Poets of Nunhead Cemetery documents his findings. McCabe also combed through the other magnificent six cemeteries, discovering 12 other poets. A special edition of the book contains a map of his findings, illustrated by Frances Ives. The cemetery's ruined Anglican chapel is the venue for a reading by McCabe. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | Mapped: Where London's Lost Poets Are Buried | |
| O'Neill's (former church pub), Muswell Hill | The O'Neill's Irish bar in Muswell Hill was colloquially known as 'the church pub' — it's since become a steakhouse. It's a Grade II listed building, built in 1902, and still retains much of the original architecture both inside and outside. | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | These Abandoned Churches Have All Been Resurrected | |
| Oakwood tube station | The station was named after the nearby Oakwood Park, which itself was named after Oak Lodge, a prominent local building. That in turn was inspired by the namesake tree, which grows in abundance across Enfield Chase. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | How The Piccadilly Line Stations Got Their Names | |
| OBEY street art, Brick Lane | A newish poster from OBEY (aka Shepard Fairey) appeared round the back of Brick Lane, seemingly one of a pair, with a similar effort outside Cargo. The OBEY sticker attempts to stimulate curiosity and bring people to question both the sticker and their relationship with their surroundings. Because people are not used to seeing advertisements or propaganda for which the product or motive is not obvious, frequent and novel encounters with the sticker provoke thought and possible frustration, nevertheless revitalizing the viewer's perception and attention to detail. The sticker has no meaning but exists only to cause people to react, to contemplate and search for meaning in the sticker. Fairey's stylized Andre the Giant faces have appeared around the world and have a tidy cult following. | round the back of Brick Lane, with a similar effort outside Cargo | — (geo pending) | Random Graffiti Of The Week |
| Old Dairy Tearoom, Great Comp Garden, Platt, Kent | The Old Dairy Tearoom at Great Comp Garden is housed in a barn-like structure that, as the name suggests, was once the estate's dairy, and it has retained many of its original features. | at the other end of the Italian Garden | — (geo pending) | Flowers And Follies: The Intriguing Ways Of Great Comp Garden |
| Old London Bridge | The medieval London Bridge crossed the river between the 13th and 19th centuries. For much of its existence it was overloaded with housing, shops, chapels and even a palace. Those buildings caused such a supreme bottleneck that in 1722 the Lord Mayor instigated a 'keep left' rule for traffic — often said to be the origin of Britain's left-side driving. The buildings were swept away in the 1760s to create a wider roadway, and the bridge itself was removed and replaced between 1824 and 1831. Much of the stonework was reportedly dumped in the river following demolition, while other medieval stone was reused in properties around London and further afield. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | Whatever Happened To Old London Bridge? | |
| Old Street / Goswell Road running route | On 9 May 1770, a costermonger named James Parrot ran a mile in a wager worth 15 guineas — about a third of a typical costermonger's annual income. He chose a route along the northern City fringes, through the same area that would launch England's first balloon flight 14 years later. The starting line was on Goswell Road (then Goswell Street) beside the wall of the Charterhouse, and much of the course took him along Old Street. Given the passage of over a quarter of a millennium, it is arresting to see just how little the route has changed. Few buildings survive from that time, but Old Street still follows the same curves — especially that dog-leg into the finish. The only spoilsport is that wretched junction above Old Street tube, which would still present a significant obstacle to any runner hoping to repeat Parrot's achievement. | starting line on Goswell Road beside the wall of the Charterhouse, running largely along Old Street | — (geo pending) | A Four-Minute Mile… In 1770? |
| Old Wembley Stadium | The old Wembley stadium was demolished in 2003. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | Artful Prints Conjure Up Lost Football Stadiums | |
| Olympic Stadium, Stratford | The Olympic Stadium in Stratford is already one of the most famous in the world. As West Ham move in, the 'here's one we made earlier' behemoth will accommodate 54,000, as opposed to the very exact 35,016 of the Boleyn Ground. West Ham will have to play nice and share with athletes from time to time, and the stadium is set to get a hefty lick of claret and blue. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | London's New Football Stadiums: A Timeline | |
| Osterley tube station | Osterley is best known today for Osterley House, former home of Tudor finance king Thomas Gresham. But the name is much older, first mentioned in the 13th century. Its name could mean either 'hillock' or 'land for sheep' — humble beginnings for this affluent corner of London. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | How The Piccadilly Line Stations Got Their Names | |
| Out of Order by David Mach, Kingston upon Thames | David Mach's Out of Order still delights visitors to Kingston upon Thames with its riff on toppling dominoes — a sculpture made from phone boxes. | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | The Stained Glass Phone Box Of Embankment | |
| Owl Bookshop | 209 Kentish Town Road. Visit them on Facebook | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | Biblio-Text: Joseph's Bookstore | |
| Pages of Hackney | 70 Lower Clapton Road. Visit website | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | Biblio-Text: Joseph's Bookstore | |
| Park Royal tube station | The regal name belies the industrial character that has long characterised Park Royal. Before all that came, the open land was used as a showground for the Royal Agricultural Society from 1903. The showground was short-lived, but coincided with the opening of the underground station; hence the name. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | How The Piccadilly Line Stations Got Their Names | |
| Peckham Rye, Peckham | In the course of his research into the lost poets of London's Magnificent Seven cemeteries, poet Chris McCabe made an important discovery about William Blake's vision of an angel on Peckham Rye. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | Mapped: Where London's Lost Poets Are Buried | |
| Pedestrian alcove from Old London Bridge, Courtlands Estate, East Sheen | A less well-known alcove from Old London Bridge survives at the south-western end of the Courtlands Estate in East Sheen, Richmond, where it once formed a garden decoration for a posh house called Stawell House (pronounced 'shawl'). The house is long gone but the alcove remains. A second niche once occupied the site, along with some balustrades from the bridge, but these were spirited away in the 1930s during construction of the estate. | at the south-western end of the Courtlands Estate, East Sheen, Richmond | — (geo pending) | Whatever Happened To Old London Bridge? |
| Pedestrian alcove from Old London Bridge, Guy's Hospital courtyard | A pedestrian alcove from Old London Bridge can be found in the courtyard of Guy's Hospital in the modern London Bridge area. It is currently occupied by a seated statue of John Keats. | in the courtyard of Guy's Hospital, in the modern London Bridge area | map ↗ Maps place · exact | Whatever Happened To Old London Bridge? |
| Pedestrian alcoves from Old London Bridge, Victoria Park | Two of the distinctive pedestrian alcoves that once graced Old London Bridge in Georgian times — 14 of which were added to the bridge after its medieval buildings had been cleared from the roadway — can be found at the eastern end of Victoria Park. | at the eastern end of Victoria Park | — (geo pending) | Whatever Happened To Old London Bridge? |
| Persephone Books | Read review . 59 Lambs Conduit Street. Visit website | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | Biblio-Text: Joseph's Bookstore | |
| Piccadilly Circus tube station | Piccadilly Circus takes its name from the street of Piccadilly, which harks back to a 17th century tailor named Roger Baker who gained his fortune making frilly collars called piccadils. His house and shop on what was then known as Portugal Street soon came to be known as Pickadilly Hall, and the peculiar term spread to the wider area. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | How The Piccadilly Line Stations Got Their Names | |
| Pickled Pepper Books | Middle Lane, Crouch End. Visit website | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | Biblio-Text: Joseph's Bookstore | |
| Pitshanger Bookshop | 141 Pitshanger Lane, W5. Visit website | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | Biblio-Text: Joseph's Bookstore | |
| Platform, Tooley Street, London | Platform is at 56-53 Tooley Street, SE1, open from breakfast through to dinner. The menu adheres to the "Nose to Tail" approach made famous by Fergus Henderson. It always mentions the breeds of meat served, and because the restaurant works directly with farmer Barny Butterfield — who grows the animals himself — it knows precisely what people are getting. Butterfield wanted to get Platform up and running because so many places he had eaten in felt so far removed from the farmer and grower. | 56-53 Tooley Street, SE1 2SZ; opposite Borough Market | map ↗ prior geocode · approx | Eco Eating: Platform - Meet The Farmer |
| Plough Lane, Wimbledon | AFC Wimbledon are swapping Kingsmeadow for a 20,000-capacity new build at Plough Lane, Wimbledon — a big upgrade. Revenue from football tickets will be bolstered by the likes of 602 new homes, a retail space, a squash and fitness club, and car and cycle parking. The characterful greyhound stadium that currently stands at Plough Lane will be going to the dogs. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | London's New Football Stadiums: A Timeline | |
| Point Hill Viewing Plaque, Greenwich | Point Hill in Greenwich is graced with a hilariously outdated viewing plaque from 1984. The City contains no skyscrapers, other than the NatWest Tower (now Tower 42). The BT Tower is still the London Telecom Tower, while Tate Modern is shown as Bankside Power Station. Someone has pencilled in the Shard. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | London's Old Forgotten Signs | |
| Polo Bar, Liverpool Street | Polo Bar dates back to 1953 when Bruna Inzani opened a cafe serving proper British café food. Over 65 years later not much has changed, apart from the addition of a 24-hour alcohol licence. In the wee hours of the morning, a cavalcade of characters come through — well, not the door, it doesn't have one — proving how perennially open it is. | 176 Bishopsgate, EC2M 4NQ, a hop, skip and jump down Bishopsgate from Duck and Waffle | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | Where To Get A Drink When London's Sleeping |
| Portland Place, Marylebone | In Wilkie Collins's The Moonstone — claimed by T. S. Eliot as the first and the best of the modern British detective novels — the leading female character Rachel Verinder's residence is in Portland Place, just up the road from Broadcasting House. | just up the road from Broadcasting House | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | London Literary Locations: Wilkie Collins |
| Power to the People artwork, Paddington Station | Power to the People, created by art collective Acrylicize for The Office Group's main meeting space on Platform 1 at Paddington mainline station, is made up from 2,500 genuine train tickets each terminating at Paddington and collected in the space of one afternoon. The tickets radiate out to form the impression of a power button. Sadly, it's not readily accessible to the public. | The Office Group's main meeting space on Platform 1 at Paddington mainline station | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | Londonist Underground: A Wall Of Train Tickets |
| Primrose Hill | Primrose Hill is, at 78 metres above sea level, renowned for its fantastic views over London and beyond. Once a part of Henry VIII's hunting ground, the hill has given its name to the 'village' located to the north and east. | map ↗ prior geocode · exact | A Verdant Stroll With Some Of London's Greatest Views | |
| Purley Arms, Purley, Croydon | The Purley Arms in Purley was haunted by the ghost of a man whose back was broken by a falling beer barrel in 1830. He had passed his time messing about with beer pumps and, when they were invented, juke-boxes. Two clairvoyants, an astrologer and a journalist eventually aided the ghost in going free from the pub, though another spirit remained to distil 'its protection and loving warmth over the whole pub'. | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | Fortean London: A Ghost In Every Borough: Barking to Enfield | |
| Pymmes Brook Trail | Through open parkland, shady lanes and grassy fields. | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | London's Hidden Parks, Gardens And Green Spots Mapped | |
| Queens Park Books | 87 Salusbury Road. Visit website | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | Biblio-Text: Joseph's Bookstore | |
| Rayners Lane tube station | Rayners Lane is said to be named after Daniel Rayner, a local farmer who once owned the land upon which the Metropolitan line was constructed in the first years of the 20th century. The Piccadilly line swung this way from 1933. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | How The Piccadilly Line Stations Got Their Names | |
| Red House, Bexleyheath | Red House in Bexleyheath was artist and textile designer William Morris' Palace of Art. It was designed by Morris and his architect friend Philip Webb for Morris' family, with its variety of windows, roofs and chimneys, and saw many a talented artist through its doors while he was in residence. After only five years, Morris was forced to sell the house in 1865 due to the financial burden of its upkeep. He apparently vehemently vowed never to return to it, for to see the house again would 'be more than he could bear'. | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | Things You Never Knew About The Borough Of Bexley | |
| Regency Bookshop | 45 Victoria Road, Surbiton, KT6 4JL. Visit website: | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | Biblio-Text: Joseph's Bookstore | |
| Regent's Canal | The 8.5-mile Regent's Canal opened in 1820 as an industrial waterway to connect the Grand Junction Canal at Paddington to the River Thames at Limehouse. It closed as a working canal in the late 1960s. The towpath is now a popular walking, jogging and cycle path. The section within a cutting through the northern rim of Regent's Park has a splendid rural feel — with just the trees, the water, moorhens, an occasional narrowboat and a few walkers, it is hard to believe you are within a major capital city. | within a cutting through the northern rim of Regent's Park | map ↗ prior geocode · exact | A Verdant Stroll With Some Of London's Greatest Views |
| Regent's Park | Regent's Park is a public space within a mile of central London. In the early 1800s the park was laid out by John Nash, with the assistance of Decimus Burton. It now consists of a zoo, a boating lake, sports pitches, a former industrial canal, an open-air theatre and the residence of the US Ambassador. The park perimeter is lined with many fine Regency stucco terraces and buildings. | map ↗ prior geocode · exact | A Verdant Stroll With Some Of London's Greatest Views | |
| Regent's Park | The Biter Bit: a key rendez-vous happens at the Avenue Road entrance to the park. | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | London Literary Locations: Wilkie Collins | |
| Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, Chelsea | An inspector who visited Ramsay's three-star Michelin restaurant in Chelsea found several problems that fell foul of the 1990 Food Safety Act. The inspector demanded that the chef fix broken tiles — where scraps can accumulate — and split door seals, and stop storing cleaning materials next to food. Most embarrassingly for a chef with a spotless approach, Ramsay was ordered to 'thoroughly clean' the freezer. The restaurant was also breaking rules on electrical safety and did not have an accident book. Inspectors found a 'risk of contamination', and soap was missing from the ladies' staff lavatory. A spokesperson pointed out that these 'are all incredibly minor points and they praised the overall standards', and that their kitchens 'are completely immaculate'. | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | Ramsay's Kitchen Confidential No More | |
| Retro Bar, off the Strand, Westminster | The Retro Bar, off the Strand, is a delightfully lived-in gay bar playing rock and indie-pop music for a discerning crowd — except for the second Thursday of every month when the bar goes über-pop with a Eurovision theme. Douze Points has been running at the Retro for 8 years. | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | Couldn't Escape If We Wanted To: Retro Euro-pop | |
| Review Bookshop | Read review . 131 Bellenden Road, Peckham Rye. Visit website | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | Biblio-Text: Joseph's Bookstore | |
| Ripley's Believe It or Not, Piccadilly Circus | Ripley's had been in Blackpool for nearly 40 years but had always wanted to be in London too. The perfect location at 1 Piccadilly Circus became available and they jumped on it. London would also serve as a stepping stone for future Ripley expansion in Europe. The London Odditorium would be the biggest and best of Ripley's 30 locations worldwide, with 500 exhibits. Highlights include a crystal-covered 'American Icon' Mini Cooper with 1 million Swarovski crystals, and an entire gallery of British-themed artefacts — among them a 16-foot working replica of Tower Bridge made entirely from matchsticks by a gentleman from Manchester. | at 1 Piccadilly Circus | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | Interview: Edward Meyer of Ripley's Believe It or Not |
| Ripping Yarns | Read review . 355 Archway Road, Highgate. Visit website | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | Biblio-Text: Joseph's Bookstore | |
| River Thames, London | Winters in London used to be much colder. Just over 200 years ago, the River Thames would freeze so solidly that frost fairs were held atop its iced waters, with London in the grip of a 'mini ice age' at the time. Changing climate isn't the only reason the Thames no longer freezes — the Victorians narrowed the river significantly by building embankments, meaning the water now runs much faster, so is much less likely to freeze over. | — (geo pending) | Will It Snow In London This Christmas? | |
| Riverside Bookshop | Hay's Galleria. Visit website | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | Biblio-Text: Joseph's Bookstore | |
| ROA's Giant Rabbit mural, Hackney Road, East London | Among all the artists who decorate the streets of east London, ROA and his monumental animal portraits are perhaps the most distinctive. His giant rabbit on Hackney Road faced a removal order from Hackney Council, who deemed it a blight on the local environment. The decision was particularly strange given that the work was painted with permission from the building's owners. Other nearby art — including mushrooms by Christiaan Nagel, various pieces by Eine, and a giant toaster — were presumably also threatened by the council's order. A petition was set up to help save the rabbit. | — (geo pending) | Splitting Hares: ROA's Giant Rabbit Faces Chop | |
| Rose Playhouse, Bankside | Bankside's Rose Playhouse was discovered in 1989, and (sort of) saved by Dustin Hoffman. | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | Things That Have Been Dug Up In London: A Brief History | |
| Roundhouse, Chalk Farm Road, Camden | The Roundhouse on Chalk Farm Road is one of London's best known music venues, but few people notice the Antony Gormley statue sticking up from the roof. It has been there since the late Noughties. | on Chalk Farm Road, a short walk up from Camden; a few paces from Chalk Farm tube | map ↗ Maps place · exact | 12 Oddities To Spot In Camden Town |
| Royal Festival Hall organ, Southbank Centre | When the Royal Festival Hall organ underwent a major restoration in 2011, yellow nicotine traces were found on the inside of the original pipes — a relic from when audiences were permitted to smoke in the hall. In 1969, the hall welcomed a meeting of women pipe smokers. | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | 6 Secrets Of Southbank Centre | |
| Royal Festival Hall singing lift, Southbank Centre | When you enter Royal Festival Hall via the main entrance close to the river, head over to the far left corner and you'll find a lift. Hop in and you'll be serenaded. | far left corner of Royal Festival Hall, via the main entrance close to the river | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | 6 Secrets Of Southbank Centre |
| Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre | Clement Attlee laid the foundation stone of Royal Festival Hall in October 1949. Today it is Grade I listed — it was the first post-war building to be given this protected status. Hugh Casson, the architect responsible for overseeing its construction, described the South Bank area beforehand as 'a grimy and battered film-set of a place lying almost in the shadow of Big Ben'. | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | 6 Secrets Of Southbank Centre | |
| Ruislip tube station | Ruislip, pronounced rye-slip, makes reference to the nearby River Pinn. The name is Old English for 'leaping place on the river where rushes grow'. A delightful and unexpected beach can be found at Ruislip Lido. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | How The Piccadilly Line Stations Got Their Names | |
| Rum & Sugar, West India Quay, Docklands | Rum & Sugar is set in a converted warehouse that was originally used for storing rum that came off ships in London's docks. More than just an atmospheric place to enjoy a few swigs, the bar also runs Rum School classes and cocktail masterclasses. | 1 Warehouse, West India Quay, E14 4AL | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | London’s Best Bars…For Drinking Rum |
| Russell Square tube station | The Dukes of Bedford, who held and still hold large swathes of Bloomsbury, carry the family name of Russell, which immediately explains why the area's largest square should carry that title. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | How The Piccadilly Line Stations Got Their Names | |
| Rusty Bucket, Eltham | The Rusty Bucket in Eltham is a piece of imagined cockney rhyming slang, invented by the pub's owners. | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | "We Went In Search Of The Meaning Behind 650 London Pub Names" | |
| Rye Books | 45 Upland Road, East Dulwich. Visit website | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | Biblio-Text: Joseph's Bookstore | |
| Science Museum, South Kensington | The Science Museum was founded in 1857 as part of the South Kensington Museum, and gained independence in 1909. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | Science Museum | |
| Seething Lane plague stone, City of London | A rat features prominently on a plague stone on Seething Lane. London's population has been devastated on numerous occasions by flea-carrying black rats, most notably during the 'Black Death' of the mid-14th century and the 'Great Plague' of 1665. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | Around London In 11 Mice And Rats | |
| Seething Lane, City of London | Samuel Pepys buried his prize Parmesan cheese in a Seething Lane garden — 'I did dig another [pit], and put our wine in it; and I my Parmazan cheese, as well as my wine and some other things.' He never revealed if he dug it up again. Maybe it's still down there, ageing nicely. | in a Seething Lane garden | map ↗ Maps place · exact | Things That Have Been Dug Up In London: A Brief History |
| Selfridges, Oxford Street | Harry Gordon Selfridge gave London its first 'democratic' department store and revolutionised consumerism in the city. He also may be guilty for getting Londoners hooked on Coke — Selfridges once had an American soda room. Selfridge pleaded with London Underground bosses for a tunnel for shoppers leading from Bond Street station to his store; they said he could have it if he paid for it. | Bond Street station nearby; Selfridge sought a tunnel for shoppers leading from Bond Street station to his store | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | 9 Great London Immigrants |
| Serpentine Sackler Gallery, Hyde Park | Zaha Hadid made her mark on London with the Serpentine Sackler Gallery, and most memorably, the spaceship-like London Aquatics Centre. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | 9 Great London Immigrants | |
| Seven Springs, Gloucestershire | Seven Springs is a small hamlet on the A436, about 11 miles from Trewsbury Mead towards Cheltenham, presenting a much more convincing candidate for the true source of the Thames. Down some steps in a small dell, seven trickles of water fall into a pool — natural springs that are the source of the River Churn, a tributary of the Thames. Unlike Trewsbury Mead, Seven Springs is in water all year round. A nearby sign makes an irresolute claim in mossy Latin: 'Hic tuus o Tamesine Pater septemceminus fons' — 'Here, O Father Thames, is your sevenfold spring.' A local council notice explains that if the Churn is counted as part of the Thames, it adds 14 miles to the river's length, which would make the Thames longer than the Severn and therefore the longest river in the UK. Seven Springs is also at higher elevation than Trewsbury Mead — 210 metres versus 110 metres — and where a river is fed by more than one source, it is usual to regard the highest as its source. | beside a handy layby on the A436, 11 miles from Trewsbury Mead towards Cheltenham; down some steps in a small dell | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | Where Is The Source Of The Thames? |
| Sheen Bookshop | 357 Upper Richmond Road, SW14. Visit website: | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | Biblio-Text: Joseph's Bookstore | |
| Sir Rowland Hill Statue, King Edward Building, King Edward Street | Sir Rowland Hill's statue stands proudly outside the former King Edward Building on King Edward Street, for years the Post Office's main hub. Two London streets are named after him: one off Haverstock Hill, Hampstead, and one off White Hart Lane, Tottenham. | outside the former King Edward Building on King Edward Street | map ↗ Maps place · exact | London’s Top Postal Curiosities |
| Skip Garden, King's Cross | King's Cross is home to a garden of skips — an ingenious way of repurposing an object you'd otherwise think of as a giant piece of rubbish to hold, well, rubbish. | 1 Tapper Walk, King's Cross, N1C 4AQ | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | Have You Found The Skip Garden In King's Cross? |
| Skoob Books | 66, The Brunswick, off Marchmont Street. Visit website | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | Biblio-Text: Joseph's Bookstore | |
| Smithfield Market | At Smithfield Market, the meat porters had a practice known as 'ringing-in': if any of their number arrived late and attempted to do so unnoticed, he was thwarted by the massed banging of knives and other metal implements. The custom dates to the early 20th century. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | 20 Forgotten Words From London's Past | |
| Smithfield, City of London | Smithfield has been a livestock and then meat market for almost 1,000 years, and the site of countless executions — it's surely the bloodiest place in London. Still today the smell of flesh is overwhelming. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | In London, Does The Night Still Exist? | |
| SOAS Japanese Roof Garden | A geologist's Eden | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | London's Hidden Parks, Gardens And Green Spots Mapped | |
| SOAS Japanese Roof Garden, Brunei Gallery, Bloomsbury | Tucked away on a roof off the western corner of Russell Square is a small, but perfectly formed, Japanese garden, above the Brunei Gallery at SOAS, part of the University of London. Built in 2001, it's a quiet space enclosed on all sides, with a little raked gravel section and wisteria hanging above benches. The garden is dedicated to forgiveness — the kanji character carved into the base of the water basin — and is perfect for a spot of contemplation. The stage area is occasionally used for tea ceremonies or musical performances. | on a roof off the western corner of Russell Square | map ↗ Google (address) · exact | London's Little Gardens: SOAS Japanese Roof Garden |
| South Bank Lion, Westminster Bridge | The South Bank lion, which now sits on the south end of Westminster Bridge, used to sit atop The Lion Brewery that once stood on the site of Southbank Centre. | south end of Westminster Bridge | map ↗ Maps place · exact | 6 Secrets Of Southbank Centre |
| South Harrow tube station | Harrow is thought to come from the Old English word 'hearg', meaning a heathen temple. The long-lost mystical landmark was probably sited where today you'll find St Mary's Church on Harrow hill. South Harrow is actually south-west of the centre; before a ton of housing was built in the 20th century, this was largely fields and the lost village of Roxeth, meaning rooks' heath. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | How The Piccadilly Line Stations Got Their Names | |
| South Kensington tube station | South Kensington is roughly south of Kensington, which gets its name from another forgotten Saxon, Mr Cynesige or Kenesigne — no known relation to the fellows who gave us Kenton and Kennington. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | How The Piccadilly Line Stations Got Their Names | |
| South London Botanical Institute, Tulse Hill | This unassuming Victorian house on Norwood Road in Tulse Hill is home to the South London Botanical Institute, a herbarium, library and botanical garden. It's a little-known place — only a small sign outside differentiates it from the other houses on the busy road — yet it's been here for over 100 years. The SLBI was founded by Allan Octavian Hume in 1910. He lived in Crystal Palace and bought this house as a base for his botanical collection. When Hume bought it, the house was in the heart of the countryside, separated from the centre of London by fields. Hume spent years in India, where he developed a fascination with birds; on returning to the UK he donated his collection of 6,000 bird skins to the Natural History Museum at Tring, and turned his attention to plants instead. His legacy can be seen throughout the house: a portrait of Hume hangs over the mantlepiece in the events room, and Indian-issued postage stamps bearing his face are prominently displayed. The wallpaper in the events room was specially designed by local artist August Akerman — the plants woven into the design can all be found in the garden and herbarium, and a peony was incorporated as a nod to the design of the fireplace in the same room. The wallpaper is in the style of William Morris, to reflect the time period of the house. In the hallway hangs a beautiful wooden clock, a replica of one that Hume himself owned in India. The library is a satisfyingly old-fashioned room emitting a sort of faded grandeur: floor-to-ceiling wooden shelves cover each wall, filled with books about botanicals, from fungi to mosses, with some leather-bound tomes as old as the Botanical Institute itself. | on the busy Norwood Road, Tulse Hill; only a small sign outside differentiates it from the other houses on the road | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | Visit London's Other Botanical Garden |
| Southgate tube station | The village of Southgate formed around the southern gateway into Enfield Chase, the royal hunting grounds. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | How The Piccadilly Line Stations Got Their Names | |
| Spitalfields Roman Woman excavation site, Spitalfields | The Spitalfields Roman Woman was uncovered in 1999. She was found in a lead coffin decorated with scallop shells, and laying on a pillow of bay leaves. In an echo of the Temple of Mithras unearthing, 10,000 came to see the skeleton when it went on display at the Museum of London. | — (geo pending) | Things That Have Been Dug Up In London: A Brief History | |
| SS Great Eastern slipway remains, Millwall | You can still pose by some of the chains of Brunel's ship the SS Great Eastern at the remains of the slipway in Millwall. | — (geo pending) | 9 Great London Immigrants | |
| St Alphege Church, Greenwich | St Alphege church, a Hawksmoor building, is visible from the secondary outdoor space of The Mitre pub in Greenwich. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | The Mitre, Greenwich | |
| St Andrew's Gardens | The least distinguished of Bloomsbury's old burial grounds. | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | London's Hidden Parks, Gardens And Green Spots Mapped | |
| St Bride's Church, Fleet Street, City of London | St Bride's Church in the City was undergoing a £200,000 restoration. The famous spire — Sir Christopher Wren's tallest church steeple — was cracked and crumbling. Its tiered profile supposedly influenced the shape of traditional wedding cakes. Enough money had been raised for the first phase of the restoration, but further funding was still needed to carry the works to completion and to bring the interior back to its full glory. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | St Bride's: Standing On Top Of The City's Tallest Church Spire | |
| St James's Park tube station (first roundel trial) | The Tube roundel was first trialled at St James's Park station in 1908, when Frank Pick, publicity manager for the Underground Electric Railways Company of London, alighted upon the idea of a blue bar across a red circle that could stand out from the ubiquitous advertising. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | The Tube Roundel: An Evolution | |
| St John's Smith Square, Westminster | The funeral of Suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst was held at St John the Evangelist in 1928, but these days the venue is better known as concert venue St John's Smith Square. The church dates back to 1710, and functioned as a parish church for over 200 years, weathering fires, lightning strikes and other events, before being reduced to ruins on the final night of the Blitz. A group of locals clubbed together to buy the building and have it restored to the original 1710 designs by architect Thomas Archer, opening it as a concert venue in 1969. There's a restaurant in the former crypt, open for lunch and pre-performance dinners. Some of London's last remaining gas lamps are situated right outside the building. | some of London's last remaining gas lamps are situated right outside the building | map ↗ Maps place · exact | These Abandoned Churches Have All Been Resurrected |
| St Leonard's Church, Shoreditch | The gates of St Leonard's church in Shoreditch were the finish line of James Parrot's legendary 1770 mile run. Parrot's route began on Goswell Road and ran largely along Old Street before that dog-leg into the finish at St Leonard's. | at the end of a dog-leg from Old Street; the finish line was the gates to the church | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | A Four-Minute Mile… In 1770? |
| St Luke's Gardens | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | London's Hidden Parks, Gardens And Green Spots Mapped | ||
| St Luke's, Old Street | The London Symphony Orchestra is based in a Grade I listed church on Old Street. St Luke's was designed by Nicholas Hawksmoor around 1730, although today it's no longer used as a church. The orchestra rehearses and holds workshops and concerts within. The column-like spire is often illuminated at night — an odd, glowing beacon. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | These Abandoned Churches Have All Been Resurrected | |
| St Magnus the Martyr church, City of London | A collection of stones thought to be from Old London Bridge can be found in the courtyard of St Magnus the Martyr. The church once stood at the northern mouth of the bridge and is full of historical reminders. Inside there is a magnificent model of the medieval span, and timbers preserved from a Roman bridge at this site. | in the courtyard of St Magnus the Martyr; the church once stood at the northern mouth of the bridge | map ↗ Maps place · exact | Whatever Happened To Old London Bridge? |
| St Magnus the Martyr, City of London | St Magnus the Martyr, across the water from the London Bridge Experience, houses a splendid replica of London Bridge in its nave. | across the water from the London Bridge Experience | map ↗ Maps place · exact | London Bridge Experience Dieing To Meet You |
| St Mary Magdalen Church Garden | A 200 year old public park and former burial ground. | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | London's Hidden Parks, Gardens And Green Spots Mapped | |
| St Mary's Church, Neasden Lane, Brent | Neasden, once named the 'loneliest village in London', is haunted by a jovial monk in black robes in the churchyard of St Mary's Church on Neasden Lane, and by a spectral priest who causes annoyance to all by regularly rattling the vestry door handle. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | Fortean London: A Ghost In Every Borough: Barking to Enfield | |
| St Pancras International | Almost everyone would agree that St Pancras International is London's most impressive rail terminus. The great arched train shed, designed by William Henry Barlow, was the largest single-span structure in the world at the time of its construction in 1868. This is matched up with George Gilbert Scott's fairytale castle, originally known as the Midland Grand Hotel, and now reborn as residential apartments and the five-star St Pancras Renaissance London Hotel. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | Video: Secrets Of St Pancras International | |
| St Pancras Old Church, London | A series of walrus bones were dug up in a coffin at St Pancras Old Church. It wasn't a whole walrus, mind. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | Things That Have Been Dug Up In London: A Brief History | |
| Stained Glass Phone Box, Embankment | A stained glass figure of a knight watches over the inside of an old BT phone box on Embankment, opposite Middle Temple Lane. The incongruous window was first clocked in autumn 2019 and has been delighting and befuddling passers-by ever since. The appearance of a knight here — a stone's throw from Temple station and the Middle Temple area — isn't strange in itself; it can be presumed to be a nod to the Templars, an ancient order of knights who once resided in the area and eventually gave it its name. Like the stained glass warrior, Templar knights also wore white mantles with red crosses. The real mystery is how the knight got there and why. Historians such as David Hay, trustee at Sainsbury Archives, have scratched their heads over it, while investigative efforts led to ruling out BT having anything to do with the work, despite this being a BT phone box. The skilled artist is yet to fess up. | on Embankment opposite Middle Temple Lane, a stone's throw from Temple station and the Middle Temple area | map ↗ Maps place · exact | The Stained Glass Phone Box Of Embankment |
| Stamford Bridge, Chelsea | Chelsea FC are applying to expand Stamford Bridge from a 41,600 stadium to a 60,000 one. Club owner Roman Abramovich has called on the services of Swiss architectural giants Herzog and de Meuron, whose early mock-ups show a brick-ribbed structure inspired by gothic architecture and the stadium's nearby Victorian-era brick terraces. Herzog envisages it as 'a castle, or a medieval walled village'. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | London's New Football Stadiums: A Timeline | |
| Stanfords | 12-14 Long Acre. Visit website | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | Biblio-Text: Joseph's Bookstore | |
| Stave Hill & Russia Dock Woodland | An eighties woodland, artificial hill, ecology park and reminders of a bygone trading age. | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | London's Hidden Parks, Gardens And Green Spots Mapped | |
| Stoats Nest Village Bus Stop, Coulsdon | Stoats Nest Village bus stop in Coulsdon (served by route 466) takes its name from a street, which took its name in turn from a village. Note the Finnegans Wake-style lack of apostrophe: this is not 'a nest belonging to some stoats', but something verb-ier. At one point, this Surrey hamlet actually had its own railway station, Stoats Nest & Cane Hill, just south of Purley. This closed in 1983, but some spoilsport had changed its name years ago — first to Coulsdon & Smitham Downs, then to Coulsdon West, and then, after all of three weeks, to Coulsdon North. How the village itself got its name is not entirely clear. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | The Next Stop Is...Stoats Nest Village | |
| Stoke Newington Bookshop | Read review . 159 Stoke Newington High Street, N16. Visit website | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | Biblio-Text: Joseph's Bookstore | |
| Sudbury Hill and Sudbury Town tube stations | The '-bury' is from the Old English for a manor house. So Sudbury is simply the southern manor, relative to Harrow. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | How The Piccadilly Line Stations Got Their Names | |
| Surrey Canal Walk | A bit of historical-but-filled-in canal full of green stuff in Peckham. | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | London's Hidden Parks, Gardens And Green Spots Mapped | |
| Swan Books | 27 Corbets Tey Road, Upminster. Visit website: | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | Biblio-Text: Joseph's Bookstore | |
| Tabard Square, Borough | A glowing beacon sits atop a tower block in Tabard Square, a new residential development near Borough Tube built on brownfield land. The beacon glows different colours depending on the barometric pressure — red for very high, green for very low. Not all local residents were pleased: some worried about light pollution, others thought it a waste of energy. | near Borough Tube; atop a tower block in Tabard Square | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | Beacon For Urban Regeneration |
| Tales on Moon Lane | 25 Half Moon Lane, Herne Hill. Visit website | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | Biblio-Text: Joseph's Bookstore | |
| Tate Gallery Paving Slabs, Southwark Street | Paving slabs on Southwark Street carry the worn message 'Tate Gallery of Modern Art, opening 2000' — more than a little behind the times. | — (geo pending) | London's Old Forgotten Signs | |
| Tate Modern underground oil tanks, Bankside | Back in the days when Bankside Power Station actually burned oil, it stored its fuel supply in a trio of enormous round tanks lying beneath the rear of the building. Nobody can afford such a quantity of oil these days, but the tanks are still down there, and Tate Modern has big plans for them. While one of the tanks will remain sealed off for 'back-of-house operations,' the other two are to become, respectively, a display space and a performance space. They are odd and cavernous enclosures — the display space will provide a home for works that are too small for the Turbine Hall and too big for anywhere else. This is only the first step in a long-brewing £18 million plan called Transforming Tate Modern. Eventually a new eleven-storey tower of art will rise above the tanks, giving the impression that the Tate has run up against an iceberg. Planning permission is already in place. The tanks themselves are pure industrial functionalism, untouched by the imaginative hand of Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, but they are a unique corner of our always fascinating subterranean London. | beneath the rear of the building | map ↗ Maps place · exact | Revealed: Tate Modern's Secret Art Dungeon |
| Temple Bar, Paternoster Square | Lady Valerie Meux is said to be responsible for persuading her husband to purchase Christopher Wren's Temple Bar from the City of London, and ship it stone by stone to the Meux family seat at Theobalds in Hertfordshire, where it was re-erected. There it stayed until returned to town in the 1990s, when it was placed in Paternoster Square. | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | Why Don’t You Come On Over Valerie? The Remarkable Lady Meux | |
| Temple Church, Middle Temple, London | Temple Church comprises two churches: the Round Church, built by the Templars and consecrated in 1185, and the Hall Church (the chancel) built on its south side in 1236-40, intended as a burial place for Henry III, though in the end he was buried in Westminster Abbey. The Round Church was designed to recreate in London the shape and sanctity of the Round Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem — all Templar churches followed this circular idea, for to stand in the rotunda was, to the medieval mind, to be at the centre of the world. The recumbent marble effigies of knights in full armour belong to the most powerful men of the Crusades; to be buried here was to be buried in Jerusalem. Close to the effigies stand Geoffrey de Mandeville and Saer de Quincy, two of the 25 surety barons charged with ensuring King John stuck to the Magna Carta. William Marshal, Earl of Pembroke — acclaimed the 'greatest knight that ever lived' — is also buried here. The church was spared the Great Fire of 1666 thanks to a change in the wind. Christopher Wren, who married his first wife here, directed a makeover in Classical style. In 1683, a famous 'Battle of the Organs' erupted: Inner Temple backed a Frenchman, Renatus Harris, while Middle Temple put forward a German, Bernhard Schmidt ('Father Smith'). Both organs were installed and played; the contest lasted a year, with cheating and sabotage, before Judge Jeffreys decided in favour of Smith's organ in 1684. Harris reused his materials in organs for St Andrew's, Holborn, and Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin. Smith's organ was silenced by the bombs of the Second World War, and what remains today are a few melted pipes kept in the Vestry. A magnificent 1920s wind-chest from a Scottish ballroom, donated by Lord Glentanar, now surpasses even Smith's instrument. | in Church Court | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | An Escape Hatch On Fleet Street Into A More Hushed And Secretive World |
| Temple of Mithras, City of London | The Temple of Mithras — a place where young Romans probably sacrificed animals and bathed in the blood — bubbled once more to the City's surface during rebuilding works in 1954. 400,000 Londoners flocked to see the temple before it was scooched out of the way so an office block could be built on the site. The temple will soon be ensconced in the Bloomberg headquarters, though you'll still be able to see it. A deeper dig around the Temple of Mithras in 2013 unearthed all kinds of goodies, including an amber amulet shaped like a gladiator's helmet. | the temple will soon be ensconced in Bloomberg headquarters | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | Things That Have Been Dug Up In London: A Brief History |
| Thames Gateway Bridge (proposed), Newham to Greenwich | A planned £455 million toll bridge, officially called the Thames Gateway bridge, would link Newham and Greenwich. The Thames Gateway London Partnership claimed it would 'generate at least 17,000 jobs north and south of the river' and had the backing of the Mayor of London, who had greenlighted the project. Friends of the Earth opposed it, claiming the bridge would 'lead to more traffic congestion, air pollution and an increase in noise pollution', and cited a Transport for London environmental study suggesting the bridge would have 'little impact' on traffic at other local crossings, with traffic in the Blackwall tunnel 'remaining more or less unchanged'. The plans were going through a public enquiry, held at Charlton Athletic's stadium, The Valley. | linking Newham and Greenwich; public enquiry held at The Valley, Charlton Athletic's stadium | — (geo pending) | Is It A Flyover? Is It A Ringroad? No, It's Superbridge! |
| Thames Tunnel, Rotherhithe | Working together on the Thames Tunnel, the Brunel father-and-son team created their finest London legacy — it remains in use today, as part of the Overground network. Put simply, London would not function as it does today without these two great Frenchmen. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | 9 Great London Immigrants | |
| The Alexandra, Wimbledon | The Alexandra in Wimbledon is famous for serving up a free Christmas dinner to anyone who'd be on their own on Christmas Day. | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | What's Open In London On Christmas Day? | |
| The Angel pub, Rotherhithe | The Angel is an unreformed survival from another age. It perches isolated on the river wall, opposite the remains of Edward III's palace — of which it used to be part, on a diagonally opposite site. Inside, The Angel follows the usual soothing pattern of Sam Smith's pubs, with dark-wood partitions and small drinking spaces, as though isolated in time from another era. There's no website, and visitors have been admonished for taking photos in here, as though it might steal the soul of the place. Upstairs there is a larger, sumptuously furnished dining space with exquisite views over the Thames, or you can sit out on the narrow balcony. It is said that this is the spot from which Turner painted the Fighting Temeraire. | perches isolated on the river wall, opposite the remains of Edward III's palace | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | The Angel, Rotherhithe |
| The Ballot Box Pub, Perivale | The Ballot Box Pub on Horsenden Lane North in Perivale is so called because of its use as a polling station for canal boatmen in the 19th century. | Horsenden Lane North, Perivale, UB6 7PQ | map ↗ Google (address) · approx | Where To Feel Like You're In The Countryside In London |
| The Bell pub, Petticoat Lane area (ROA rat mural) | The Belgian artist ROA has painted numerous animals across town, including rodents. A large rat painting has persisted on the side of The Bell pub in the Petticoat Lane area for well over a decade. | on the side of The Bell pub in the Petticoat Lane area | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | Around London In 11 Mice And Rats |
| The Blue, Bermondsey | The old-fashioned part of Bermondsey is known as The Blue. The area is thought to be called that because it was built for the Scottish dockers who worked on the river — and that's what started Millwall Football Club: it was the Scottish dockers' team, and they wore blue. | — (geo pending) | A Tour Of Bermondsey With Saint Saviour | |
| The Bookbox | Read review . 53 Chatsworth Road, Hackney. Visit website | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | Biblio-Text: Joseph's Bookstore | |
| The Boot pub, London | A pub has stood on this site since 1724, and was mentioned as a house of interesting repute in Charles Dickens' Barnaby Rudge. As related in Rudge, The Boot was the headquarters of the anti-Catholic Gordon rioters of 1780, a disturbance that led to widespread turmoil in England and demonstrated the problems faced by not having a professional police force in the country. Kenneth Williams, who grew up in the streets hereabouts, was a notable customer. The Boot was named in the Top 50 best pubs in the 2008 Rough Pub Guide, which is commemorated in a plaque on the wall that includes a still from Carry On at Your Convenience. The pub is decorated with all manner of unlikely objects, from tea boxes to matchboxes to curious brass pots. | — (geo pending) | The Boot | |
| The Castle, Battersea | The fight to revive The Castle in Battersea was ongoing, with Wandsworth Council due to decide whether to list the pub as an Asset of Community Value. | map ↗ Google (address) · exact | Saving London's Pubs | |
| The Eagle, Farringdon | The Eagle in Farringdon is described as the original gastro-pub, where chef Tom Norrington-Davies was one of the leading lights before opening his own restaurant. | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | Chefspective: Tom Norrington-Davies of Great Queen Street | |
| The Hand & Flower, Olympia | The Hand & Flower is named after the Victorian pickpocket Edwin Hand — who was so keen to prove his suitability to marry his 'flower' that he actually bought this property with his stolen wealth. | just across from Olympia | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | 10 Of The Best London Pubs With Accommodation |
| The Hope, Carshalton | Staff and regulars bought The Hope in Carshalton, turning it into a real ale pub. | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | Saving London's Pubs | |
| The Iron Duke, Mayfair | The Iron Duke is named after the Duke of Wellington, and a distinct Wellington theme pervades the pub. Around the walls there are annual photos of the boys of Wellington College from the 1920s and thereabouts, with 98% of the school staff looking thoroughly disgruntled at the imposition. There are also various Wellington boots around the walls, and the upstairs function room is named the Boot Room. | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | The Iron Duke | |
| The Ivy, West End | The Ivy got a bit of a kicking in health inspection reports for fruit flies behind the dishwasher and 'low-level mice activity'. | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | Ramsay's Kitchen Confidential No More | |
| The Lion Brewery site, Southbank Centre | Before the Festival of Britain in 1951, the site now occupied by Southbank Centre was home to The Lion Brewery. The brewery opened in 1837 and functioned until 1924, when the company was taken over. The building sat disused until 1931, when it was destroyed by fire, and the site remained empty until the Royal Festival Hall was built in 1949. | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | 6 Secrets Of Southbank Centre | |
| The Luminaire, Kilburn | On the site where The Luminaire stood, the 'Luminaire Apartments' now sit, with a one-bed flat available at £375 per week. | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | We Need To Change The Debate On London's Venues | |
| The Marquee, Wardour Street | In the height of the allegedly swinging 60s, mods decided which were the in and happening places. The Marquee in Wardour Street was one of the spots they frequented. | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | Len Deighton's London Dossier, Chapter 1: Teenagers | |
| The Mitre, Greenwich | The Mitre is a Grade II listed building that has been through two refurbishments. In the bad old days it was ragged of furniture, replete with sport screens, and may even have had a bullet hole in the window. These days it is a swish and swanky gastropub, but with a likeable laid-back vibe, luxurious leather banquettes and tasteful decor. A secondary outdoor space commands views of Hawksmoor's St Alphege church. | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | The Mitre, Greenwich | |
| The Open Book | 10 King Street, Richmond. | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | Biblio-Text: Joseph's Bookstore | |
| The Orchid, Purley | The Orchid in Purley was described as 'the biggest beat ballroom of them all' in the 60s mod era. | map ↗ Google (address) · approx | Len Deighton's London Dossier, Chapter 1: Teenagers | |
| The Pilot, Greenwich | The Pilot, a nautically-themed pub in Greenwich, featured in Blur's Parklife video, and now hosts Shakespeare plays in the garden. | handy place to bed down after gigs at The O2 | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | 10 Of The Best London Pubs With Accommodation |
| The Quaker Garden | A contemplative city lunch spot | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | London's Hidden Parks, Gardens And Green Spots Mapped | |
| The Square Mile, City of London (Wren's Post-Fire Plan) | After the Great Fire destroyed most of the Square Mile, a number of architects rushed out plans for rebuilding the city. Leading the pack was Sir Christopher Wren, whose scheme included grand boulevards meeting at wide piazzas, as was the fashion on the continent. Had the plans gone ahead, the City would look very different today. In 2013, James Macdonald put together a map showing Wren's scheme overlaid onto a modern map of the Square Mile. The resurrected Fleet Canal to the west and the jaunty angle of Southwark Bridge are notable features, but Bank junction still looks like a bit of a nightmare. | — (geo pending) | 12 Maps Of Alternative Londons | |
| The Standard, Walthamstow | 'Together for Ukraine' is an 80-metre-long artwork adorning the side of former music venue The Standard in Walthamstow, the work of street artist Maser. He used recycled paint delivered from landfill to smother The Standard in his version of the Ukrainian flag, in his dazzle style. The Standard itself has been closed for over a decade but will be redeveloped later into a new venue and shared living accommodation. The mural was created in partnership with Wood Street Walls, an organisation working to empower local communities and artists in public spaces. | at 1 Blackhorse Road, Walthamstow; a few minutes' walk from Blackhorse Road Overground station | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | Scan This East London Street Art To Make A Donation To Ukraine |
| The Tabard Inn, Southwark | The Tabard was the famous starting point for Geoffrey Chaucer's 29 Kent-bound pilgrims in his 14th century Canterbury Tales — often marking their first time away from the confines of the religious order. Finding themselves in the heart of the Southwark 'stews' (brothels), awash with 'Winchester geese', bawdy and humorous tales abound. The landlord of the pub himself joins the group to judge the quality of each forthcoming tale, and promises the prize of a fine dinner to the winning narrator. The inn would have provided stables, board and lodging just to the south of the City of London. A place of loose laws lost in time to a large fire in 1676, with the later reincarnation pulled down in 1873 to make room for the burgeoning railway at London Bridge. The stagecoach era was coming to an end, and the requirements for such characterful offerings were simply no longer there. Visitors to the George Inn can see a picture of the Tabard in the downstairs bar. | in the heart of Southwark, just to the south of the City of London; visitors to the George Inn can see a picture of the Tabard in the downstairs bar | — (geo pending) | 4 Legendary London Boozers No Longer With Us |
| The Totteridge Yew | The oldest living thing in London. | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | London's Hidden Parks, Gardens And Green Spots Mapped | |
| The Two Puddings, Stratford | Historically, The Two Puddings pub was a buzzing cultural institution in Stratford, drawing prominent actors, musicians, writers, World Cup-winning footballers, boxers and notorious gangsters from all over London to its renowned music nights. | map ↗ prior geocode · approx | Where To Eat And Drink In Stratford: The Best Restaurants, Cafes, Bars And Pubs | |
| The Windmill, Clapham Common | The Windmill is a 17th century tavern which stands isolated on the east side of Clapham Common. | stands isolated on the east side of Clapham Common | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | 10 Of The Best London Pubs With Accommodation |
| Thomas Becket figure, Cheapside, City of London | Along the historic thoroughfare of Cheapside, the City's Medieval shopping street, a little figure stares down at passers-by: Thomas Becket, born here around 1120. Son of a Mercer (whose Livery Hall is found around the corner), he rose through the ranks to become Archbishop of Canterbury, only to be brutally martyred in his own cathedral in 1170. | — (geo pending) | 10 Hidden Treasures To Look Up For In Central London | |
| Thresher & Glenny, Fleet Street, London | Thresher & Glenny is a tailors established in 1755 that equips barristers with their court attire — stiff white wing collars with bands, stuff gowns and bespoke shirts. The Royal Warrant inside was first granted by King George III in 1783, and they have held on to it ever since. | passed when ascending the cobbles from Middle Temple back towards Fleet Street | — (geo pending) | An Escape Hatch On Fleet Street Into A More Hushed And Secretive World |
| Tiles, London | Tiles was a place where mods grooved along to Steve Derbishire and the Yum Yum Band, one of the in and happening spots that mods frequented in the 60s. | — (geo pending) | Len Deighton's London Dossier, Chapter 1: Teenagers | |
| Tin Tabernacle, Kilburn | North London Sea Cadets now make use of the Tin Tabernacle in Kilburn, built in 1863 as St James's Episcopal Chapel and used as such until the 1920s. It was one of many prefabricated iron churches that became popular in the 1850s. As well as providing a base for the Sea Cadets, the building hosts a regular folk club and is available to hire. | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | These Abandoned Churches Have All Been Resurrected | |
| Tottenham Court Road | Karl Marx, as a youngster, visited every pub on Tottenham Court Road, before drunkenly smashing all the gas lamps. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | London Pub Crawls Volume 1 | |
| Tower Hamlets Cemetery | 33 acres of woodland and meadow in east London. | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | London's Hidden Parks, Gardens And Green Spots Mapped | |
| Tower Hamlets Cemetery, Mile End | Tower Hamlets Cemetery is the venue for the Dead Poets Social Club, a collaboration between poet Chris McCabe and publisher Penned in the Margins. The series of after-dark performances takes place in the cemetery from 5–7 December. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | Mapped: Where London's Lost Poets Are Buried | |
| Tower of London | An hour after the Hyde Park salute, the Honourable Artillery Company fires a 62-gun royal salute from the bank of the Thames next to the Tower of London — 21 rounds for the basic Royal salute, a further 20 rounds at royal parks, palaces and fortresses, and yet another 21 rounds for being in the City of London. | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | In Pictures: 21 Guns Of London | |
| Tower of London | In the 850 years it functioned as a prison, the near-impregnable Tower of London saw — according to historian Nigel Jones — 37 different escapees, just four a century. Bishop Ranulf Flambard, its first ever inmate, escaped in 1101 by getting his guards drunk at a banquet and hauling himself out of a window on a rope smuggled in via a wine bottle; the Tower had never been designed as a prison. In 1323, rebel baron Roger Mortimer laced the warders' wine with sedatives and went over the walls with two siege rope ladders, before being recaptured and hanged at Tyburn. Jesuit priest John Gerard, imprisoned in 1597 on allegations of treason against Elizabeth I, cultivated a network of Catholic allies via notes written in orange juice as invisible ink, then shinned down a rope tied to a cannon, held by complicit boatmen in the Thames. In 1716, Lord Nithsdale was smuggled out in women's clothes and make-up by his wife, who then held an imaginary conversation impersonating his voice to fool the guards outside. In 1671, 'Colonel' Thomas Blood — not himself an inmate — gained privileged access by befriending the jewel-keeper Talbot Edwards, then bludgeoned him and made off with the Crown Jewels before being caught just past the Tower walls. Remarkably, Charles II spared Blood's life and even gave him land. | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | Audacious Escapes From The Tower Of London | |
| Tower of London | The Tower of London maintains a group of at least six ravens who, according to tradition, protect the Tower from destruction. Consequently, their wings are clipped and they rarely leave the site. The legend about the Tower crumbling if the ravens flee probably dates from the time of the Second World War — there is no record of any raven at the Tower before the mid-19th century. | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | Ever Spotted A Raven In London? (Not Including The Tower) | |
| Tower of London, City of London | William the Conqueror gave a charter of independence to London with one hand, while with the other he built the Tower to show his 'beloved subjects' that, in spite of their liberties, he was their master. The Tower of London remains a jewel in the city's crown. | map ↗ Google (address) · exact | 9 Great London Immigrants | |
| Tower Subway, Tower Hill | In 1870 the Tower Subway was bored beneath the Thames beside the Tower of London. It was the first project to use the new tunnelling techniques developed by James Greathead, and the first deep-level tunnel to feature a railway — albeit one that was very short-lived, and pulled by cable. It served as a practice run for all that was to come on what would eventually become the Northern line. | beside the Tower of London | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | A Brief History Of The Northern Line |
| Town of Ramsgate, Wapping | The Town of Ramsgate in Wapping is named after fishermen from the Kent coastal resort who used to stop here on their way into London. | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | "We Went In Search Of The Meaning Behind 650 London Pub Names" | |
| Trader Vic's, Park Lane, Mayfair | Hidden away in a Park Lane hotel, Trader Vic's has been pulling punters into its Polynesian lair for over 50 years. It's an offshoot of the California original of the same name, where Trader Vic himself is said to have first created the Mai Tai cocktail back in 1944. | 22 Park Lane, W1K 1BE; hidden away in a Park Lane hotel | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | London’s Best Bars…For Drinking Rum |
| Trafalgar Square, London | Ken Livingstone banned pigeons from their ancestral home of Trafalgar Square. Members of Stitch London inundated the Square with tens of hand-made knitted birds, reclaiming the space for dove-kind. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | Tiny Perching Pigeons In Trafalgar Square | |
| Treadwell's | 33 Store Street. Visit website | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | Biblio-Text: Joseph's Bookstore | |
| Trewsbury Mead, Gloucestershire | Trewsbury Mead, a remote field southwest of Cirencester, has long held the accolade as the source of the Thames. It is marked on Ordnance Survey maps, cited in reference books, and marked on Google Maps with a cultural pin. As long ago as 1546, the scholar John Leland declared Trewsbury Mead as the source, and most authorities have agreed with him since. The site is marked by a rather grand stone placed by the Conservators of the River Thames (also known as the Thames Conservancy), who managed this section of the river between 1857 and 1974. The spring itself is marked by a ring of stones — dry during an ordinary visit, but flowing impressively after heavy rain. From 1958 to 1974, a statue of Old Father Thames graced the meadow; the reclining river god was originally commissioned for the grounds of Crystal Palace, but was later shifted here before being moved to St John's Lock near Lechlade. A Thames Path signpost marks the site, offering daunting news to anyone thinking of walking from source to sea. Half a mile away is the Thames Head Inn, whose pub sign features the Old Father Thames statue. | southwest of Cirencester; half a mile from the Thames Head Inn | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | Where Is The Source Of The Thames? |
| Troubadour Greenwich Peninsula, North Greenwich | A huge new auditorium is coming to North Greenwich, constructed on currently derelict land right beside the Thames — like SE10's answer to the National Theatre. The Troubadour Greenwich Peninsula will be the third and largest performance venue from the Troubadour, who currently operate spaces in nearby Canary Wharf and Wembley Park. It's being widely billed as London's largest theatre, but that's only true if you squint through a curtain of caveats: the 3,000 capacity is split between two separate 1,500-seat spaces, which would only be mid-sized considered individually. It's a boxy, lightweight and temporary building — the planning permission lasts for just 10 years, after which the space is anticipated to be used for residential developments. It sits right beside the cable car station. | right beside the cable car station, on currently derelict land beside the Thames | map ↗ Maps place · exact | Huge New Troubadour Theatre Coming To Greenwich Peninsula |
| Turnham Green tube station | The pun-maker's favourite tube station bears a hidden reference to the River Thames. The '-ham' here derives from the Old English word hamm, meaning a watery, meadowy kind of place, because the hamlet stood close to the then much-wider Thames. The river is very twisty hereabouts, and the 'Turn-' prefix supposedly reflects that — 'turn' being an Anglo-Saxon word meaning circular. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | How The Piccadilly Line Stations Got Their Names | |
| Turnpike Lane tube station | A turnpike was another name for a toll road, very common in the days before motor vehicles. The one remembered here is the Stamford Hill and Green Lanes turnpike; the toll gate stood roughly where a Costa can be found today. | toll gate stood roughly where a Costa can be found today | map ↗ Maps place · exact | How The Piccadilly Line Stations Got Their Names |
| Turpin's restaurant, Heath Road, Camden | Singer Lynsey de Paul sensed a ghost while out to dinner with James Coburn at the restaurant Turpin's on Heath Road. She said to Coburn 'There's a ghost here', sensing a girl who had been strangled in the 1700s. She tested the waiter by asking if a girl had been stabbed to death in the pub, and the waiter came back to say a girl had been strangled, not stabbed, and other people had asked to be moved from that table. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | Fortean London: A Ghost In Every Borough: Barking to Enfield | |
| TV-AM Building (former), Camden Lock | The rooftop eggcups on this lockside building were the symbol of TV-AM, a pioneering breakfast show that ran on ITV for much of the 1980s, and was broadcast from this location. The building was designed by Terry Farrell's architectural practice. The client wasn't too keen on the rooftop eggcups and agreed only to include them if Farrell paid for their installation. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | 12 Oddities To Spot In Camden Town | |
| Two-Monarch Postbox, Gray's Inn Road | London contains the only postbox in the country with the symbol of two monarchs. It's on Gray's Inn Road, at the Holborn end, and was erected in 1901 under King Edward VII. It has a lovely, florid, swooping ER VII cipher. However, at some point one of the doors was replaced, and it also has an older VR (Victoria Regina) cipher as well. | on Gray's Inn Road, at the Holborn end | map ↗ Maps place · exact | London’s Top Postal Curiosities |
| Uxbridge tube station | The bridge in Uxbridge spans the River Colne, successor of the one that put the 'bridge' in Uxbridge. The unusual prefix derives from the Wixan tribe, Anglo-Saxons who settled here in the 7th century. The Swan & Bottle pub sits at the very heart of this north-west town. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | How The Piccadilly Line Stations Got Their Names | |
| V&A Café (Gamble, Morris and Poynter Rooms), Victoria and Albert Museum | The V&A Café boasts the world's first museum restaurant, opened in the 1860s. At the end of a long plain white corridor, visitors find three magnificent, interlinked refreshment rooms — the Gamble, Morris and Poynter rooms — all named after their designers and each reflecting the varying tastes of the Victorian era. | at the end of a long, plain white corridor within the museum | map ↗ Maps place · exact | London's Top Museum Cafés |
| Valence House, Dagenham | The borough council of Barking and Dagenham lists the ghost of Agnes de Valence of Valence House, murdered at home and still haunting her Dagenham pile. A dagger was found in the moat of Valence House; it is supposedly the one that did for Agnes. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | Fortean London: A Ghost In Every Borough: Barking to Enfield | |
| Vanbrugh Castle, Greenwich | Vanbrugh Castle is an imposing red-brick pile on the eastern edge of Greenwich Park, designed by John Vanbrugh around 300 years ago. Vanbrugh (1664–1726) also gave us Blenheim Palace and Castle Howard, but this one he created for himself. Built in a light Gothic style, it actually looks a bit like a castle — not many people were building in Gothic at the time, so Vanbrugh was either ahead of the curve, or a few centuries behind it. The Castle was built as a private home and serves as such today — four private and very expensive flats. Back in 1993, a five-bedroom apartment could have been yours for £400,000; today the price is £2.5 million. The novelist Mary Anna Needell (popular in Victorian times) was born here in 1830, and Alexander Duckham, master of lubrication, bought the house in the early 20th century. He eventually donated it to the RAF Benevolent Fund, who used it as a school for boys whose fathers had been killed in service. So it remained until the 1970s, when it was briefly abandoned before conversion to flats. The turrets, towers and crenellations are said to resemble those of the Bastille, the long-vanished Parisian fortress and prison. An Illustrated London News edition from 1906 records that the place was once known as The Bastille, and the connection can be traced back as far as 1792. It's certainly possible: Vanbrugh spent over four years of his 20s imprisoned in France as a possible spy, several months in the Bastille itself. On the other hand, Vanbrugh Castle is hardly a dead-ringer for the Bastille — more likely its architect channelled a number of influences. Whether true or not, the Bastille connection is now received wisdom, and even celebrated by the local community: the Friends of Greenwich Theatre held a Bastille party in the grounds in 1989, to commemorate 200 years since the revolution — complete with faux guillotine and hosted by gameshow presenter Lesley Crowther. Like any old building in London, Vanbrugh Castle comes with stories of secret passages. A letter to the Kentish Mercury in 1905 asserts that 'There is — or as about 20 years ago — a subterranean passage from the Castle, but where it leads I cannot tell; some say as far as Crooms Hill.' Crooms Hill is the other side of Greenwich Park, half a mile away — which seems unlikely, though the whole Greenwich and Blackheath area is riddled with old tunnels and sealed-off caverns, so some kind of passage can't be ruled out. | on the eastern edge of Greenwich Park, on a hill | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | Vanbrugh Castle: What Is The Turreted Building Next To Greenwich Park? |
| Vauxhall Pleasure Grounds, Vauxhall | Mother Kelly's bar backs on to the so-called Vauxhall Pleasure Grounds — a rekindling of a name first used in the Georgian period. | behind Mother Kelly's bar, beneath railway arches in Vauxhall | — (geo pending) | Mother Kelly's Vauxhall |
| Victoria and Albert Museum, Kensington | The V&A has a collection of 4.5 million objects and puts more on permanent display than the British Museum — 1,197,637 objects (and almost the same again in books and periodicals) — despite having 6.5 fewer acres of space. The V&A is also the only London museum to have a Room 101, though this has nothing to do with George Orwell; a sculpture inspired by Orwell's Room 101 did temporarily reside at the museum. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | What Is London's Biggest Museum? | |
| Virgin Active (former church), Woodford Green | The swimming pool at the Virgin Active fitness centre in Woodford Green is in an old church — you can do lengths in what was once the nave. There's a shower at the altar, and the confession box has been converted into a sauna. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | These Abandoned Churches Have All Been Resurrected | |
| W&A Houben | 2 Church Court, Richmond. | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | Biblio-Text: Joseph's Bookstore | |
| Walden Books | 38 Harmood Street, Camden. Visit website | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | Biblio-Text: Joseph's Bookstore | |
| Walthamstow Pumphouse Museum (Victoria line roundel) | A surviving example of the special one-off roundel created in 1965 to promote the Victoria line — the first wholly new deep-level line in half a century — can be found at the Walthamstow Pumphouse Museum. | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | The Tube Roundel: An Evolution | |
| Waterloo Bridge, London | Waterloo Bridge is widely acclaimed for its panoramic views of London. The prospect towards the Square Mile is particularly striking. The interpretation panel on the bridge dates from around 2004, shortly after completion of the Gherkin — 30 St Mary Axe — which was then the second tallest building in the City. Today the Gherkin is barely visible among the growing cluster of towers, and even Tower 42, once the tallest building in Britain, is hardly distinct as an individual tower any more. South of the river, the boomerang profile of 1 Blackfriars now dominates the view; Guy's Hospital, clearly labelled on the old plaque, is now obscured by the Shard; and the South Bank Tower has since grown by another 10 floors. Blackfriars rail bridge has gained a roof and some width. The gap between the old interpretation panel's view and today's is, at most, 14 years — and the view would have been largely unchanged until 2007 when the Heron Tower was completed, meaning that huge step up in the skyline is just a decade in the making. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | How The View From Waterloo Bridge Has Changed Beyond Recognition | |
| Waterloo Station memorial entrance, Waterloo | Outside the main entrance of Waterloo Station, the whole entrance is in fact a massive first world war memorial with huge sculptures by Charles Whiffen. There are two groups: one depicting the skeletal Goddess of War surrounded by misery, while the other is a happier scene of peace and prosperity. | outside the main entrance of Waterloo Station | map ↗ Maps place · exact | 10 Hidden Treasures To Look Up For In Central London |
| Waterlow Park | A meadow full of stunning wildflowers in the middle of an undulating park. | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | London's Hidden Parks, Gardens And Green Spots Mapped | |
| Welling, Bexley | The reason why Welling is called Welling is something of a debated topic with four possible theories. The first is that in the era of horse-drawn vehicles, when Bexley was part of Kent, by the time you reached Welling you were said to be 'well in' to Kent. The second — favoured by local historians — is that the name probably derived from 'Welwyn' meaning 'place of the spring', as there was an underground spring to be found at Welling Corner. The third theory supposes that the name may have something to do with the Willing Family who lived in the area in 1301. The fourth suggests that Welling was 'more properly Wellend', as the way to Welling was rife with highwaymen and if you reached the town in one piece with all your possessions, it was indeed a well end. | underground spring at Welling Corner | — (geo pending) | Things You Never Knew About The Borough Of Bexley |
| Wembley | Archibald Low's rocket-powered motorbike was first demonstrated to a 'crowd approaching cup final proportions' at Wembley on 3 October 1946. The vehicle — described as the only rocket cycle in the world — performed well, travelling at increased speed with fire and sparks shooting out the back. Low saw the rocket cycle as a transport solution for the future, but it proved wildly impractical. | — (geo pending) | The Forgotten Man Who Invented TV, Drones, Rocket Bikes And Strictly Come Dancing | |
| West End Lane Books | Read review . 277 West End Lane, West Hampstead. Visit website | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | Biblio-Text: Joseph's Bookstore | |
| West Norwood Cemetery | Cemetery built on the site of the ancient Great North Wood. | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | London's Hidden Parks, Gardens And Green Spots Mapped | |
| Westland London, Shoreditch | The former Church of St Michael and All Angels in Shoreditch has been converted into a warehouse selling antique fireplaces and chimneypieces, among other decorative stoneware items. Westland London has been in its current Grade II listed building since 1977. The church had closed in 1964, due to a declining local population. | not far from Londonist HQ, the former Church of St Michael and All Angels in Shoreditch | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | These Abandoned Churches Have All Been Resurrected |
| Westway Garden | A surprisingly quiet slice of green behind Ladbroke Grove station. | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | London's Hidden Parks, Gardens And Green Spots Mapped | |
| White City, Hammersmith & Fulham | White City gets its name from The Franco-British Exhibition of 1908 — the exhibition buildings built on the site were all painted white. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | Top 10 Things To Do In The Borough Of Hammersmith & Fulham | |
| White Cube, Hoxton Square | Damien Hirst's Beyond Belief exhibition spanned both White Cube galleries — at Mason's Yard in St James's and at Hoxton Square — running from 3 June to 7 July. The centrepiece was For The Love of God, a diamond-encrusted skull with a £50,000,000 price tag, expected to become the highest priced piece of art sold by a living artist. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | Pimp My Skull | |
| White Cube, Mason's Yard, St James's | Damien Hirst's For The Love of God — a diamond-encrusted skull — was on display at the White Cube gallery in St James's, expected to sell as the highest priced piece of art by a living artist, with a price tag of £50,000,000. Visitors needed to book timed tickets for half-hourly visitation rights, during which no more than five minutes of skull viewing was permitted, under strict supervision. Hirst's Beyond Belief exhibition spanned both White Cube galleries at Mason's Yard and Hoxton Square, running from 3 June to 7 July. | at Mason's Yard, St James's | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | Pimp My Skull |
| White Hart Lane, Tottenham | Spurs' plan is to build a brand new ground partially on the site of the current White Hart Lane — the club is also buying up extra land next to the stadium. The new ground will be the biggest club ground in London at 61,000 capacity, which is, in part, reckoned to be to spite rivals Arsenal whose stadium holds a meagre 60,432. The complex will also feature 579 new homes, a hotel, a community health centre and a Spurs museum — and the NFL will play there too. Assuming everything goes to plan, Spurs will have to play the 2017/18 season away from home so the builders can get on with their work. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | London's New Football Stadiums: A Timeline | |
| Williams Ale And Cider House, Artillery Lane | Williams Ale And Cider House is tucked away down wee Artillery Lane, opposite the commuter hellhole that is Liverpool Street. The place has its own spot in London's quirky history: it is named after a Victorian landlord known for his draconian rules. Under its former guise as The Ship, the pub sported his list of regulations, which included no loud talking, and the curious bar on any customer being served more than once in a drinking session. | down wee Artillery Lane, opposite Liverpool Street | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | Williams Ale And Cider House |
| Winter Gardens | Conifers, winter-hardy ornamentals, and gnarly trees that look good in the nude. | map ↗ embedded map · map-embed | London's Hidden Parks, Gardens And Green Spots Mapped | |
| Wood Green tube station | The medieval village of Wood Green grew up in a green space close to the woods of Enfield Chase. | map ↗ Maps place · exact | How The Piccadilly Line Stations Got Their Names | |
| Wood-block paving, Camden Town | Many decades ago, much of London's road surfaces were made from tarred wooden blocks. Almost all have now been replaced by tarmac, but rare survivors can still be seen in Camden — one near the station and another further along near the Camden Town rail bridge. | one patch near Camden Town station, the other further along near the Camden Town rail bridge | — (geo pending) | 12 Oddities To Spot In Camden Town |
| Woolwich | Woolwich is getting trendier by the hour, these days home to the likes of a SALT taproom and the HQ of immersive theatre company Punchdrunk. It is also on the Elizabeth line. | — (geo pending) | This Free East London Ferry Is Now Running Every 15 Minutes | |
| Woolwich Ferry | The Woolwich Ferry is a free-to-use service traversing the Thames between Woolwich and North Woolwich, available to motorists and pedestrians. It had a limited service since the start of 2022, attributed to 'both mechanical failures and significant resource shortages'. The old ferries — John, James and Ernest — were replaced in 2018 by two new vessels: Ben Woollacott, named for a former deckhand who died working on the ferry, and Dame Vera Lynn, the East Ender known for singing wartime classics such as We'll Meet Again. | traverses the Thames between Woolwich and North Woolwich | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | This Free East London Ferry Is Now Running Every 15 Minutes |
| WWII Air Raid Shelter Sign, Deptford | A painted sign in Deptford dates from the Second World War, pointing locals to the nearest air raid shelter. | — (geo pending) | London's Old Forgotten Signs | |
| Ye Olde Swiss Cottage, Swiss Cottage | Between Swiss Cottage tube station and the Odeon IMAX sits an actual Swiss cottage. It's a chalet-style building, painted the colour of French mustard, with wooden pillars and balconies, shutters around the windows and hanging baskets completing the alpine look. It functions as a pub, Ye Olde Swiss Cottage, sitting on something of a traffic island where Finchley Road and Avenue Road converge. A Swiss chalet was originally built on the site in 1840, known as the Swiss Tavern and functioning as a coaching inn when the area — to the north east of Primrose Hill — was in the countryside. Back then there was a trend for building this style of cottage throughout the UK. Construction of Finchley Road and Avenue Road was authorised in 1926 as part of plans to redevelop the area, and they were built around the existing Swiss Tavern. The Odeon was opened in 1938, joining the Tavern on its traffic island, along with blocks of flats which are still standing today. At some point in the intervening years the name changed from the Swiss Tavern to Ye Olde Swiss Cottage. In the 1960s the building was redeveloped and extended as part of a local road widening scheme — a far cry from its roots in the fields surrounding London, but maintaining its alpine charm. | between Swiss Cottage station and the Odeon IMAX, on a traffic island where Finchley Road and Avenue Road converge, 98 Finchley Road, NW3 5EL | map ↗ Google geocode · exact | Why Is There A Swiss Cottage At Swiss Cottage? |