TfL, through its Hidden London program, offers fascinating tours around the disused Aldwych tube station. This station, once a part of the Piccadilly line, has a unique history waiting to be uncovered.
Aldwych station played a crucial role during World War II, offering protection not only to people but also to historical artifacts from the British Museum during the Blitz. This piece of history showcases the station's importance beyond its original function as a transport hub.
In more recent times, Aldwych station has become a popular location for filmmakers. Its atmospheric and nostalgic setting has been featured in notable productions such as James Bond: Die Another Day, V for Vendetta, and the Prodigy's music video for Firestarter.
The guided tours last around an hour and 15 minutes, offering an intriguing glimpse into the station's past and its role in the city's history. Visitors are advised to wear sturdy shoes, as the tour involves navigating the historic site.
Source - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aldwych_tube_station
An enormous, 135-metre-high observation wheel with 32 exterior glass-walled capsules. It offers incomparable views over central London and up to 40 km (25 mi) away on a good day. Tickets are sold for specific times, so if visitors wish to go on the London Eye at a specific time, they are strongly advised to book in advance, particularly in the summer. On a busy day, you can easily spend 1-3 hr queuing just to buy a ticket. However, you can also purchase tickets in advance online. Then you can collect your tickets at the London Eye in a separate queue, which takes a few minutes or less.
Grade I listed Saxon church founded before the 12th century. The exterior was mostly constructed in the 15th century, and the interior in the 19th. The north side of the church houses a musician's chapel opened in 1955. In addition to the services, there are often evening (chargeable) concerts.
Park overlooking the river, with the local war memorial. Be careful at high tide, as it may flood.
In many cities a local transport museum would be of very narrow interest - not London, however! London's public transport is iconic, and the story of how it developed from horse and cart through early buses, Tube trains and trolleybuses to the present day is well worth coming to find out about. There is plenty of opportunity to clamber aboard the historic buses and Tube trains on display. Also, because London's transport is so well known, the museum shop contains plenty of items that make interesting and original gifts and souvenirs.
The remains of the once-magnificent palace, home to English kings since Edward I, adjoin Richmond Green, a pleasant open green space and historic cricket ground. Only the Gate House and Wardrobe, now converted into flats, remain.
More of an artificial stream than a fountain, flowing in an oval through an open grassy area which, in normal summers, is a popular paddling spot for children and grown-ups alike.
A vast shopping, eating, entertainment and (primarily) business complex, home to Britain's second tallest skyscraper, One Canada Square. Now increasingly lively at weekends as well, but still at its most impressive during the week. Spectacular main exit from the Jubilee line Tube station. There is a substantial amount of information about the history and the architecture of the development on the website of Canary Wharf Group, the company that owns the development.
All non-classified government documents can be read and photographed here, with a (free) reader's card having been obtained. There is also a small museum, which does not require the card to access.
At the junction of five major roads, Piccadilly Circus is the home of the famous aluminum statue of Eros, which sits atop a fountain. The monument is officially known as Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain and initially wasn't supposed to depict Eros, but different god Anteros. The north side of Piccadilly Circus holds an enormous display board of electric advertisements, including Britain's biggest illuminated display (the widest in the world), advertising Coca-Cola.
A vast repository of the world's cultures, controversially including hundreds of items that were looted from their places of origin. Entire sections are devoted to Egyptian, Greek, and Middle Eastern artifacts, as well as the piece which united them all, the Rosetta Stone. Other items on everyone's list are the largest collection of mummies outside Egypt and the Elgin Marbles. The collection also includes some of the world's finest collections of Chinese and Sub-Saharan African art; perhaps the most famous of the latter are the Benin bronzes. A definite highlight of a trip to London. Temporary exhibitions are invariably excellent and meticulously researched, but can be expensive. It has a fine store, mainly selling replicas of items in the collection.
Site of the London residences for the Prime Minister (No. 10) and the Chancellor (No. 11).
Charts the history of the bank from 1694 to the present day. A highlight is the opportunity to handle a genuine bar of gold. Photography allowed, but no flash.
Created by Tonkin Zulaikha Greer and Janet Laurence to remember the Australians who died in both world wars. Made from Australian granite.
At 87 hectares this is the largest open green space in the district.
A private residence which can only be seen from the street. Designed and built in a French neo-Gothic style by William Burges, it features a handsome cone-roofed tower. Legendary guitarist Jimmy Page has been the house's proud owner since he bought it from actor Richard Harris in 1972.
The Guildhall Art Gallery houses the City Corporation's art collection, and also runs special exhibitions throughout the year. During construction of the modern gallery, workers discovered the ruins of London's Roman amphitheatre. The gallery was redesigned, and now the Amphitheatre is open to the public within the Guildhall Art Gallery itself and also free of charge.