An enormous art gallery transformed from the former Bankside Power Station, Tate Modern often fills half a day with bold ideas and striking spaces. Inside, contemporary and modern art from around the world is gathered and arranged by theme, encouraging visitors to move between styles, stories, and eras rather than follow a strict timeline.
The building’s most dramatic feature is the Turbine Hall, a vast industrial space that feels both monumental and inviting. Each year, it becomes the stage for a single major commission created specifically for the hall, turning the room into an evolving artwork that changes from season to season.
Behind the original power station, a ten-storey building expands the gallery’s reach. This extension adds more galleries, new viewpoints, and flexible spaces for installations and performances, opening up fresh ways to experience art on the South Bank.
Source - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tate_Modern
The Wallace Collection is one of the world's finest private art collections, the best known of which is Frans Hals's work The Laughing Cavalier. Other artists on display include Rembrandt, Titian, Poussin, and Reynolds. This is well worth escaping to after the hustle and bustle of Oxford Street.
Properly St Lawrence Jewry next Guildhall, it is the official church of the Lord Mayor of London.
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.
This steel pedestrian bridge connecting Bankside with the City of London has all the lovely views of the Thames that you'd expect, but most of those who cross Millennium Bridge never notice its most distinctive feature. The bridge is dotted with hundreds of tiny paintings, so small that you'll probably miss them under your feet if you're not looking for them.
The ruins of a church dating back to Saxon times, rebuilt by St Dunstan in 950, destroyed in the Great Fire of London, and then rebuilt by Sir Christopher Wren in 1697. Most of the church was destroyed during the blitz, leaving only the tower (dating from Wren's time) and hollowed-out walls (from an 1817 reconstruction). The ruins are now overgrown with picturesque vines and trees, and were converted into a public garden in 1967, complete with benches.
Museum at the former home of Dickens exhibiting writings, paintings, furniture and other items relating to the writer.
The largest open space in London, covering almost 1,000 hectares (2,500 acres) and home to a huge array of wildlife, including 400 wild deer. Also contains the lush Isabella Plantation, which is full of trees and flowers, and the Royal Ballet School, seen in the film Billy Elliot. Popular with cyclists, both for the on-road perimeter circuit and the off-road trails. There are several car parks for walkers and picnickers.
On the UNESCO World Heritage List, the Palace of Westminster is the seat of Parliament in the United Kingdom. It's often termed the "Mother of All Parliaments" - an exaggeration, but perhaps only a slight one. The present building largely dates from the 19th century when it was rebuilt following a fire in a splendid example of Victorian neo-Gothic architecture. The House of Commons (elected Members of Parliament or MPs) is located to the north of the building and is decorated with green leather upholstery, and the House of Lords (unelected Lords) is located to the south and decorated with red leather upholstery.
The former home of Sigmund Freud. A wide range of exhibits, most famously including the psycho-analytic couch that all of his patients used. Freud was an avid collector of antiquities and there is a fine collection of Greek, Roman and Oriental pieces on show.
The oldest church in the City, founded by Saxon abbots in 675 AD.
Peaceful gardens and interesting monuments including the daughter of Richard Cromwell, son of Oliver Cromwell.
A neoclassical church that stands opposite the National Gallery. Since World War I, the homeless have sought shelter at this church, a tradition that continues to this day.
Named in honour of Queen Victoria and her consort Prince Albert, this museum has existed for over 150 years. It contains a huge collection of decorative arts from all over the world and far back in time. Trying to see everything in one day would be exhausting, so use the excellent maps the V&A provides to plan where you want to go. There are regular exhibitions concentrating on a particular theme from Chinese art to fashion designers. Frequently they put on children's activities and late DJ nights.
Created by Tonkin Zulaikha Greer and Janet Laurence to remember the Australians who died in both world wars. Made from Australian granite.