Middle Temple Hall is a hallowed space, one of the most extraordinary historical venues in London. It’s hosted the who’s who of London’s legal and royal past, from medieval times to the present. However, unless you’re a member of Middle Temple or if you’re on a private tour, it’s hard to get a peek into…
Secret London
Secret London: a guide to London's cultural gems including quirky, historical and unusual places that tourists don't always see.
Cosmic House: is this the quirkiest house in London?
The Cosmic House in London’s leafy Holland Park is not for the faint-hearted. Designed by Charles Jencks, the house is considered one of the most important examples of Postmodern architecture and is the UK’s first Grade I listed house of that style. No psychedelic drugs are required for your visit which will convince you that…
Horniman Museum & Gardens: A Guide
Many Londoners will never have heard of the Horniman Museum, one of the quirkiest museums in London and a historical and anthropological cabinet of curiosities. It’s home to the most famous Walrus in the world and you’ll even see a fossilised, ahem, merman. It houses a fabulous aquarium, one of the prettiest conservatories you will…
Host Café: is this the quirkiest café in London?
Walk around the timeworn streets off St Paul’s Cathedral and you might come across Host Café, a stunning daytime pitstop hiding away behind the doors of the church of St Mary Aldermary. St Mary Aldermary St Mary Aldermary, like so many churches in the area, was badly damaged in the Great Fire of 1666. The…
Jamaica Wine House: the oldest coffee shop in London
The oldest coffee shop in London isn’t what you would expect. For starters, it’s named the Jamaica Wine House and not the Jamaica Coffee House. But it is actually a pub cum wine house as we will discover in a moment. It does sell coffee but no, it doesn’t sell Jamaican food or drink. Confused?…
How to time travel in London at Christmas
Did you know you really can time travel back to London’s yesterday? And there is no better time than at Christmas when you can experience the sights and smells of ‘ye old London as you tread in the footsteps of Christmas past. I might not be able to give you a horse and carriage, but…
Sambourne House: A Victorian time capsule
Tucked behind the green door of Number 18 Stafford Terrace is Sambourne House a house museum which time forgot and an extraordinary five-storey cabinet of curiosities. You may have seen it before in Merchant Ivory’s A Room with a View or in Maurice. It’s the former family home of Punch cartoonist, Edward Linley Sambourne, his…
A Tour of Leighton House Museum
It’s safe to say that Leighton House in Kensington probably houses the most beautiful room in London. This historic house, once owned by celebrity artist of the day, Lord Frederic Leighton, has one of London’s showstopper interior gems, hiding an Arab Hall which looks like a Fabergé egg just had babies with Ali Baba’s cave….
A tour of Spencer House
Last updated on March 29th, 2022Spencer House in Mayfair is one of the finest examples of eighteenth-century architecture in London. The Georgian mansion, which has one of the most drop-dead interiors in the capital, once provided a backdrop for many a glittering soirée. It’s now one of London’s most exclusive venues – the Queen invited…
London’s Best Tour Guides
Last updated on April 23rd, 2023Are you looking for the best tour guide in London? Hiring a private tour guide or joining a public tour in London can be one of the best ways to experience the capital as a tourist, or even as a Londoner. You might be looking for an accredited Blue Badge…