36 Unique London Spots Only Locals Know About

From dining on a cheese barge to drinking coffee in a former Victorian toilet and even strolling along parts of the Roman wall from the time when London was known as Londinium 2,000 years ago, there's no shortage of quirky and unique things to do in the UK capital. In this video we're going to take you on an off-the-beaten-path exploration of most places that tourists miss. This video will be divided into chapters sorted out by location for your convenience and so that you can easily incorporate the places we visit into one of your London itineraries. If you're looking for one of those, we actually have a three-day full guided tour on our channel. Paddington is situated in West London and is best known for its proximity to Hyde Park and its big bustling station which sees over 66 million annual entries and exits. Despite being a district with so much thoroughfare, there are a few hidden gems that are a bit off the beaten path which we'll run through now. Little Venice is particularly picturesque and I really love visiting in the spring when all of the cherry blossoms are out and in the fall when you get to see all of the autumn leaves. Like many of these Venice-type names, no one actually knows the origin of Little Venice. However, it was probably coined at some time in the 19th century because of its resemblance to Venice with all of the beautiful canals and canal-side houses. The area grew to particular prominence during the 19th century when lots of canals were built as this was a main way to transport goods in and out of London. During Victorian times, writers, artists and other creatives moved to the area. Today, Little Venice is still associated with lots of big names including Jennifer Saunders, Kate Moss and Robbie Williams. One of the more picturesque spots within Little Venice is at the junction where three canals meet to form a triangular basin. Here you'll find an abundance of local wildlife which might be surprising considering you're right in the heart of central London. One of the more unique boats in the area is the Puppet Barge which has been entertaining younger visitors to Little Venice for over 30 years. Because of all the canals, there are a surprising number of boat-themed activities you can do. Of course, you can go on a canal cruise along the water but one of the most fun things to do in the area is actually to go onto one of the many boats into the cafes and bars and restaurants. We're currently on the cheese barge which offers up small plates of British cheese. We've ended up going for the set menu which is a soup, a choice of a cheese sandwich and there's also a dessert which we'll have afterwards. It's so cheesy. So overall, it was a really fun experience however I probably wouldn't go again for two reasons. Firstly, although it's a cheese restaurant the food was still very oily and the second thing it was very very slow. So we spent over an hour in the restaurant and all we had was like a sandwich and a soup. Paddington Bear is a beloved fictional character created by Michael Bond in the 1950s. Today you can follow a trail of Paddington Bear characters all over Paddington. This one's quite fluffy. This Paddington Bear statue can be found on platform one of Paddington station. It has a pretty special place in the story of Paddington Bear because this is where the little bear was first found by Mr and Mrs Brown. It was actually unveiled to the public in 2000 by Michael Bond. The real-time clock was created by Dutch artist Martin Bas in 2009 and it depicts a worker inside the clock visually creating each minute as the seconds go by. We've just arrived at the floating pocket park to relax for a bit which is why I've picked up this matcha. Now the really interesting thing apart from the fact that the park floats is the bridge we're on at the moment actually lifts up a few times a week to present a fan shape. All over London there are these little pockets of calm called muse streets. They date back to a time when London was run on horsepower and traditionally they would have housed stables. Today they're some of the most exclusive residences in the city. Some of the more popular ones include Kynance Muse and St Luke's Muse which are both found in Notting Hill and South Kensington. This one is Bathurst Muse and it's particularly charming. So something I didn't realise about this particular muse street is that it's actually still home to a stables where you can see some horses. Italian gardens sit between Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens. They're believed to have been created in the 1860s and were probably a gift from Prince Albert to his beloved Queen Victoria. Today they comprise of five basins and some beautiful flowers. Honestly this is a very quiet peaceful spot where lots of Londoners love to come and hang out. I think a lot of people don't know about them but they are very gorgeous. While there's no bad time to visit the gardens per se, the best time to visit is probably during the late spring when an abundance of flowers can be enjoyed. This isn't necessarily a hidden gem but there is a huge number of parakeets living across London. There's tens of thousands of them and it's thought that they arrived in the 1970s when a few caged birds escaped into the wild. Today they're thriving and they can easily be spotted because they're bright green. This is Reformers Tree and once upon a time an oak tree would have stood here on site and this is where members of the Reformers League who were campaigning for the right for all men to vote would have gathered and protested. In 1866 the tree was burnt down and the remaining stump became a notice board of sorts and here people would gather as this had become a symbol for the right to protest and the right to gather. In 1872 following an Act of Parliament, Speaker's Corner was established on the corner of Hyde Park. This meant that anyone could talk about anything they wanted as long as they refrained from using obscene language. This place doesn't look like much but this is Tyburn Tree which is where Tyburn Gallows was situated and this was the main execution point in London from the 16th to 18th centuries. Today we're really close to the Marble Arch Tube Station, Oxford Street and to be honest right now we're in the middle of a crossing in a busy busy street but yeah the plaque denotes the place. London's west end is pretty iconic because here you can explore the world-famous Covent Garden, the beautiful streets of Marylebone and many other famous London attractions. It's probably where you'll spend most of your time in London when you come to the city. Luckily however there is still a plethora of hidden gems and unique things to do in this area which we're going to explore now. Just because you're going in an underground passage to cross the street doesn't mean it doesn't have to be fun. This is the Wonder Pass and it's full of local historical facts and little miniature artworks. It's also a bit of a hidden gem because most people just use the level crossings to cross the street and so there's hardly anyone else here. London is obviously quite famous for all of its massive green spaces but the other thing that it is home to is lots of smaller gardens and parks which are tucked away in residential areas and not that many people know about. We're going to go and visit one of those now. The Garden of Rest commemorates a church which was on site on Marylebone Road that was sadly very very damaged by the blitz. Unfortunately the money wasn't around at the time in order to restore the church and so in 1949 it was demolished. Today this lovely quiet peaceful park is dedicated to the graveyard and church that once stood on site. You can even see some of the former gravestones lining the corners of the park. While most churches in the UK are protestant the Church of St James is actually a catholic denomination church. It's one of the finest examples of gothic architecture here in London and it dates all the way back to 1890. So let's go and have a look inside. I've probably mentioned this in a few videos before but this is one of my favourite museums in London and I consider it a bit of a hidden gem because not that many people know about it. This is the Wallace Collection and it's housed within Hertford House. It's completely free to visit and features a particularly fine collection of 18th century French paintings, porcelain and furniture. There's also a really nice cafe in the back in the conservatory area. The centre of London is peppered with muse streets but one of my personal favourites is this one which is Wimpole Muse. Unfortunately there is a bit of construction here right now but the street remains lovely and calm. Have you ever dreamed of having a coffee in a former Victorian toilet? Well that's the exact experience you'll get if you head to a tenant coffee in Fitzrovia. There's a few branches across the city but the one in this area specifically is housed within a former men's urinals. Despite the fact that we're really close to Covent Garden which is one of the busiest places in London and is in fact so busy that often my phone doesn't even have signal when we go there, St Martin's Courtyard is quite quiet. It's quite busy today because it's currently the school holidays but it's still quite peaceful in comparison to nearby Covent Garden. They even have these little deck chairs that you can sit on and there's lots of cafes and restaurants in this space. You may well already know this but London is one of the most surveilled cities in the world and all of the CCTV cameras actually started to become installed in the 1990s and at that time there were lots and lots of protests against them. Well one artist named Rick Buckley decided to take matters into his own hands and in 1997 he took plaster casts of his own nose and installed them in the most unusual places all over the city. He didn't publicize this but gradually authorities started to take the noses down. At one point there were over 30 of them. Today there are just the seven Soho noses that survive and the legend goes that if you manage to find all of them then you'll be rewarded with great prosperity. We actually managed to find one earlier and to be honest it was very hidden on the side of a very narrow side street so we're very lucky to have spotted it. I'm not sure we have time to find all seven. Cecil Court is a delightful pedestrian street that's known for its antiquarian books and fine prints. It's also here where Mozart lived for a brief time with his family and it's alleged that he might even have written his first composition while living here. Today it's still really nice, it's quite peaceful in comparison with many other places in the area and another alleged thing is that there's a Harry Potter connection because many tour guides say that this is what inspired JK Rowling to create Diagon Alley. Of course there's no way for us to know exactly what inspired her but it's a very nice street to visit nonetheless. In a place as busy as Trafalgar Square you wouldn't expect to find a hidden gem but right behind me is Britain's smallest police station although it's no longer in use. Popcorn is literally my favourite food and so when I saw that there was a shop right near Covent Garden that sells only popcorn in lots of different flavours I knew we had to go. It's called Godfrey's and I think it's quite new but there are lots of delicious flavours. I asked the person inside what are the most popular flavours and she told me We ended up getting a mixed bag of caramel and butter so let's try it. The butter one is really good, I think it's worth the high price and now the caramel. Honestly I think that's one of the best caramel popcorns I've ever had which is quite good considering it's quite pricey. Hoban is known for its ties to the legal sector and its beautiful green spaces although it's right next to Covent Garden it's much quieter and peaceful and that means it's home to numerous hidden gems. The Old Curiosity Shop is believed to be the oldest shop in London and even survived the Great Fire of 1666. In its time it's been used as a bookshop, as a tailor's and now it's owned by the University LSE. The World Upside Down is a 2019 creation and it shows the globe in far as to how we usually see it. Obviously it's not actually upside down because of how gravity works and everything. The other thing to note about this artwork is that the names haven't been changed since 2019 which has proved to be quite controversial among many of the students. Of course you can't create a hidden gems to London guide without mentioning at least one pub. This is one of my personal favourites, it's called the City of York and it looks really really old inside. The truth is that there has probably been a pub in situ since the 15th century though much of what you see today was actually cobbled together in the 1920s using parts of older buildings. The result is a beautiful beautiful space and my favourite part of it is that you have all of these intimate booths where you can sit in for a day or a chat among family and friends for drinks. Antoine got a beer and that is probably what you should get if you come to a pub but it's a very nice day out today and I'm a bit sick of beer so I got a rosé. We've just arrived in Star Yard in order to see a rather unusual leftover from Victorian London. This is a pissoir which was a men's urinal. They were first introduced in Paris in the 1830s in order to stop men from relieving themselves on the street before spreading all over Europe. The first one in the UK was in Glasgow in 1850 and this one was installed in 1851. It's no longer in use but you can still see this leftover from Victorian times in the middle of the street. There are two rather unique things to know about this particular pissoir. The first is that it's one of the only ones in the UK to have a royal coat of arms on it and the second is that now it's actually owned by the house opposite and is used as storage. As is often the case with these kinds of subjects there's a lot of debate around this but it's generally believed that the statue behind me of Elizabeth the First is the oldest statue here in London. In fact it's believed to have been created in 1586 and is the only surviving statue from during her reign. Today you can see it on the side of Fleet Street but originally it was part of one of the London city gates. This is Holborn Viaduct and it's a spectacular Victorian road bridge which dates back to 1869. We've just arrived in Bermondsey which is a lively area of London known for its amazing foodie scene, its many markets and the Bermondsey Beer Mall which is a mile-long stretch of breweries. Maltby Market is a weekly pop-up street market which takes place on Maltby Street underneath the rail tracks. Although it's a bit less of a hidden gem than some of the other things we're showing you it's definitely more of a hidden gem than nearby Borough Market which is always busy. So we've ended up going for some Cuban food. I got some vegetarian tacos and Antoine has got a Cuban sandwich. Now for the most important part, the taste test. That is so good. So finally that was quite good value for money. The Cuban sandwich was £11.50 and the tacos were also £11.50. Now on to our next destination. While definitely not a hidden gem, Borough Market is probably the busiest food market in all of London. It's also the oldest as there's been a market in some form or another on site since the 12th century. Despite the fact that we're currently on Bankside which is one of the busiest pedestrian walkways here in London alongside the Thames, this is one hidden gem that's often overlooked by visitors. This is the ferryman seat and it's thought that it has ancient origins. You see hundreds of years ago there weren't actually bridges crossing the Thames and so in order to get across Londoners would have to pay a ferryman to take them either side of the River Thames. Obviously that's no longer the case today but it's thought that in those times this seat served for the ferryman to rest for a little while before he started ferrying customers back and forth. The Palace of Winchester was once one of the most important medieval buildings in London. It dates back to the early 13th century when it was built for the really really powerful bishops of Winchester. Unfortunately it largely burned down in 1814 and what you can see behind me is all that remains. It's actually a bit of a hidden gem of the Borough Market area because a lot of people go past it every day without even noticing it. However it's really really beautiful. There is a little garden inside which unfortunately you can't really access as a member of the public but you can still snap some nice photos of. The City of London is just one square mile but it's packed with history thanks to the fact that this is where London was founded 2,000 years ago. Here you'll find vast skyscrapers interspersed with medieval churches that date back many centuries. As a result this area is home to lots of hidden gems some of which we're going to explore now. Right behind me is the Church of All Hallows by the Tower. This is allegedly the oldest church in the City of London and probably dates all the way back to 675. Well that's actually according to the church themselves because new evidence shows that this might actually not be the case. In any case it is very old and it survived the Great Fire of London of 1666 though it barely damaged during the Blitz of World War II. Today you can go inside and see the crypt and the rest of the church for free. I should also mention it's pretty convenient to add it into any London itinerary because it's right by the Tower of London. This is the London Stone and it's the oldest monument in London. No one's actually sure of the origins of this stone but it's thought that it was called the London Stone as early as the 12th century which means it's very very old. It probably has Roman origins. We're in this beautiful square and if we go through the doors just behind Antoine we're going to go to one of the most unique hidden gems in London because it's in a car park. Let's go. Gosh this is not what I expected. I hope it's worth it. We've made it down here. It's very very chilly. There's hardly any cars parked here so I'm not sure if it's because it's expensive or it's because it's the weekend but right behind me is a slice of the London Roman walls. These would once have encircled Roman Londinium. Today there's hardly any of them remaining and if you know anything about history in the UK then as time wore on layers upon layers would be built up over the centuries and so Roman London is actually below street level which is why we're in this underground car park. I know we've just spoken about the Roman wall but this piece of wall in particular is a great way to demonstrate how the London layers have built up over time. In the Sunken Garden, the other side of this wall, you can see the level of where Roman London once was. You can then see street level followed by the medieval wall followed by the wall added by Edward IV. It's honestly a great slice of London's history. London has a lot of bombed out churches that have since been transformed into beautiful green spaces and I'm guessing most of you who are watching this video have actually already seen about St Dunstan in the east which is a lovely garden also in the city of London. We featured it within our three days in London guide, however not that many people know about this bombed out church. This is all that remains of the church of Elsing Spitel hospital which was a medieval hospital of the city of London. Today you can just see a few ruins and it's really close to the old Roman wall. Postman's Park was opened in 1880 on the former site of St Batolf's burial ground. You see during the middle ages there wasn't that much space to bury people and so corpses were laid one atop of each other creating this raised space. We're actually higher than street level in here but the park is particularly famous for a very special memorial. In 1900, George Frederick Watt created a memorial for heroic self-sacrifice. These were everyday men and women and children who had given themselves and their lives in order to save others. Unfortunately at the time of opening in 1900 only four plaques were erected however there are many many more to see. Here you can discover the story of everyday men and women who did extraordinary things. This park is a really really calm and serene space and I invite you to spend at least half an hour here because it's very very quiet and peaceful and you need the time to be able to read and absorb all of the stories of the people memorialized here because some of their stories are really really heartbreaking. Of course London has many many more hidden gems to explore such as this train running through the heart of a building but we'll have to save that for another video. Thank you for watching and don't forget to like and subscribe because if you enjoyed this London video then you'll probably enjoy this one too.