24 Hidden London Gems You Won't Find in Any Guidebooks

Welcome to London, one of the most famous cities in the world. With the millions of tourists that come here on an annual basis, you would think that there are no hidden gems left to discover. That is, unless you know where to look. Around a year ago, we made a video about the best-kept secrets of London, and so many of you seemed to have enjoyed it, that we decided to make a part From tiny sculptures to the oldest shop in London and plenty of buildings which hide centuries of history, in this travel guide we're going to show you some of the most off-the-beaten path spots in the capital. Thanks to numerous transport hubs here, including train and bus stations, Victoria is a pretty transient neighbourhood and lots of people don't stick around this area in order to see more. However, scratch beneath the surface, especially in the and you'll find several hidden gems. Victoria is also conveniently placed right next to the beautiful neighbourhood of Belgravia, which in turn is home to more off-the-beaten spots, which we're going to explore now. The Grenadier is a little-known pub tucked away down an unassuming new street in Belgravia. It was originally constructed in 1720 as the and only became a pub in 1818. It was then renamed the Guardsman. Following the amazing victory by the Grenadier guards in the Battle of Waterloo, it was finally renamed the Grenadier. But what makes it so special is that it allegedly is one of the most haunted pubs in London. The story goes that in the 19th century, a group of young men were playing cards. However, one of them cheated and the others beat him to the point where he passed away. Just before he died, he is said to have crawled back inside the pub, and it's his spirit that haunts the rooms to this day. Belgrave Square is a pretty exclusive address because if you're a resident here, then you get access to the park behind me, which is unfortunately closed to the general public. However, if you're walking past, then you can have a peek inside because this is home to Homage de Leonardo, which is a really cool statue representing the Vitruvian man by Leonardo. In 2017, the former industrial complex of Eccleston Yard was completely revitalized, transforming it into a pedestrian only space full of independent bars, shops and restaurants. Today, it's a particularly nice space to hang out on a sunny day, and you can get a drink or pick up a souvenir in one of the many independent shops. In times gone by, a lot of people would get around London using horse-drawn carriages. Now, there was a problem with this because obviously the drivers would be very exposed to the elements. In order to stop them from just going inside pubs, the 7th Earl of Shaftesbury established a fund in 1875, so in Victorian times, in order to provide shelter for these people, as well as hot meals and a place to read and rest. Several of these iconic green wooden huts survive to this day, including the one we're at now, where you can actually get a coffee or a sandwich and maybe even see a local cab driver on a rest break. I should also point out that this coffee was only £1.80, making it probably the most affordable coffee we've had in London for a while. Of the original 61 cabmen shelters, only 13 survive to this day, and while the interiors of them are exclusively reserved for taxi drivers, the exteriors often have a pedestrian-only window where you can walk up and order things like bacon baps and sandwiches. The other really unique thing about these cabmen shelters is that they were established with a legal precedent that they weren't allowed to be bigger than a horse and carriage, so they're quite compact. The other thing is that people who visited them were not allowed to drink, swear or gamble, and that remains the case to this day. As their name probably suggests, the Grosvenor Garden Shell Huts are a set of two whimsical huts covered in shells. They were installed in 1952 in order to signify French and British friendship, and they are covered with shells from both British and French shores. Everyone has of course heard of Big Ben, but just outside of Victoria Station you'll find Little Ben. First erected in 1892 in order to signify Franco-British friendship, it was most recently stored in 2016. If you look at the hands, they might be wrong, and there's even a little inscription on the side of the clock saying, sorry, the time might be wrong when you look at it. Everyone has of course heard of Westminster Abbey, but did you know that there's also a Westminster Cathedral? This church is Catholic and was opened in 1903 for public worship. What makes it particularly beautiful inside is that its architecture is inspired by early Byzantine Christian places of worship, and so there's lots of stunning mosaics. Also known as the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Most Precious Blood, Westminster Cathedral was actually built on the site of a former prison. The Chapel of the Holy Souls and the English Martyrs is one of the most important chapels. It's dedicated to men and women who were executed for their Catholic faith during the English Reformation. When it comes to tourist numbers, Westminster couldn't be farther from Victoria. Every single year, millions upon millions of people choose to come here in order to see both Westminster Abbey as well as the Palace of Westminster, which is of course home to the UK Parliament. However, there are still a few hidden gems worth checking out in this area that are pretty much devoid of tourists. We're beginning out our time here in Dean's Yard, which is tucked just behind Westminster Abbey and has hardly any tourists. It's a beautiful green space which the public can freely enjoy. We're now making our way along Tufton Street, which has some really beautiful architecture. There aren't a huge number of people here, but you can probably hear the helicopter overhead, which might be something to do with the fact that the Prime Minister resigned today. Back to historic London, at 57 you'll find a tradesman entrance and just above that a rather unusual carving of a bat. I've mentioned this before, but when you're wandering around London, you'll often find blue plaques which signify where an important person has lived, worked or died. Now on this street, there are not only blue plaques, but also green ones, which are much more unusual. Something I really appreciate about London is that the past is never too far away. We're walking around the back streets of Westminster and we've just come to Lord North Street, where on the side of a 1720s built house, there is a ghost sign. This is a remnant of the Blitz, which would direct the public to nearby public shelters. It's actually quite well preserved. Commissioned by the city of Calais in France in 1884 and produced by Auguste Rodin, the Burghers of Calais is a particularly poignant statue just behind the Houses of Parliament. It depicts a real event in 1347, whereby six men, who were referred to as Burghers, volunteered to sacrifice themselves in order to save their starving populations. Ultimately, the men did not end up dying because they were spared, but this scene depicts them walking to what they expected to be their execution. What proved to be particularly controversial is that these men were not depicted as being really, really brave or anything. Instead, you see the anguish of their faces, the sadness, and all of the emotions that someone might feel upon walking to their death. While we're on the subject of statues, whenever you're coming to London, do be on the lookout for art trails. There are often specific art trails following a unique theme. For example, it's currently the World Cup and so there is a set of 17 lions and the theme is following the pride across London. Small yet mighty, the Jewel Tower is nestled between the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey. It dates all the way back to the 14th century when it was constructed at the behest of Edward III between 1365 and 1366 to act as his private treasury. Once upon a time, it would have been way more fortified and you can still see some of those fortifications to this day. It's now owned and managed by English Heritage and you can go inside for a small fee to see things like the vaulted ceiling. St James's Park is one of the loveliest green spaces in the city. It's obviously pretty well known but the jewel in the crown here is all of the stunning wildlife. There are dozens of varieties of birds and the most famous have got to be the local pelicans. They were first introduced to the park in 1664 and have been here permanently since 1897. Just a few days ago for the first time ever in the history of the park, the pelicans actually gave birth to some chicks. We're now headed into the smallest square in London which is Pickering Place. There are several unique stories about this square. The first of them is that this is rumoured to be the last place in London where a jewel took place. The second is that from 1842 to 1845, this was home to the Ministers of Texas. And finally, this is one of the only places left in London with original gas lamps. Just down the road from Pickering Place, you'll find Locke & Co Hatshop. This was founded all the way back in 1676 which means it has a pretty rich history. Welcome to Locke & Co. Our company was originally founded in 1676 during the reign of Charles II which makes us the oldest known hat shop in the world in what is the oldest shop in London here at No. 6 St James's Street. The whole reason Robert Davis set up the first hat shop in our business where he did and when he did was because when Charles II returned from exile in Europe, he attracted a lot of aristocracy and nobility and wealthy powerful people and so Robert Davis did very well serving the court at St James's. He was succeeded by his son Charles Davis who also did well but he had a problem in that he had no son or male heir but he had a daughter called Mary. Mary happened to marry a certain James Locke who'd become a hatter's apprentice for the Davises and in 1759 he and Mary inherited the business. James Locke ascended to master hatter and continued the business in his name and just a few short years later in 1765 they moved the business from the original shop which was just across the road from here into No. 6 St James's Street where we've been ever since. Humans have been wearing hats for thousands of years and for all sorts of reasons for protection against the elements, the weather, the hot, the cold, the sun, the rain etc. For identification, military uniforms and also status and fashion reasons as well. And what's your most famous hat? Probably the cook hat also known as the bowler hat. In the 1800s the top hat was very popular, ubiquitous amongst the middle and upper classes but not entirely practical for all pursuits so in 1849 we had a visit from the Earl of Leicester who wanted something more practical for his gamekeepers on his hunting estate. At that time we had a partner here, a felt supplier called Thomas Bowler who also had a hat business with his brother William and we commissioned him to come up with a design. So he produced this which has a much lower crown than the top hat so it's more stable on the head. It's got a rounded domed shape to the crown so it can deflect branches much better and it's a hard helmet for protection. And so this was the original hard helmet? Yes, if you like. Certainly for equestrian use it was frequently worn by supervisors and foremen in shipyards and factories where they were worn as protection from things like falling nuts and bolts and rivets and then eventually they got popular into the cities as well, popular with bankers and civil servants and by then they were producing soft felt versions, crushable type, purely as a fashion item but an original or proper bowler hat or cook hat is a helmet. I understand you have some pretty famous customers? People like Admiral Lord Nelson, Winston Churchill, Charlie Chaplin, Oscar Wilde, members of the royal family and many more. Here we can see one of our old ledgers. This page in the ledger pertains to Winston Churchill. This is a lovely piece of history we have in the shop. In 1805 Lord Nelson arrived at the shop requiring a new hat. The design shows the shape and the measurements of the hat and in the actual ledger it says here 1805 9th of September, Monday, Lord Nelson Admiral Hat Cockade and Green Shade 7 full which is the size. The famous Trafalgar Square monument, the column with Lord Nelson figure on the top, there he is in our hat from this design here and the one we have on display in the shop is a replica of that hat. The original that he was wearing is actually on display in Westminster Abbey. Very close by, you can combine a visit to both places, the shop and the Abbey. Naturally I've gone to see it myself. Just outside of Charing Cross Station you will find this memorial cross. Looking pretty medieval it's actually a Victorian reconstruction in the 1860s of a memorial cross dating all the way back to the 1290s which commemorated the death of Queen Eleanor. Once upon a time it was around 100 meters down the road at the official centre point of London on which now a Charles I equestrian statue now stands. Mayfair is home to some of the most exclusive addresses in the world but the name Mayfair actually comes from an annual Mayfair. The first recording of this was actually all the way back in 1560 when it was recorded as the St James Fair of Westminster. It was moved to Mayfair in 1686. At that time the area was just open fields. Many people actually credit this Mayfair taking place in the first two weeks of May every year as developing Mayfair to what it is today. However the fair actually attracted people of ill repute and so much so that by 1764 it had actually been banned. Today Mayfair is wonderful to wander around especially because there are a number of hidden gems here. This Victorian lamppost doesn't look like much but during the cold war it was actually used by KGB spies in order to share information with their superiors. They would hide information in a little hidden hatch and British authorities only found out about this decades later. The rest of the architecture on this street is pretty beautiful too. How they would know if a drop had happened or not is that a little chalk marking would be added to the lamppost. Up until 1854 what are now Mount Street Gardens were used as a burial grounds for St George Hanover Square Church. In the latter half of the 19th century they were then laid out as a public garden and it's been that way ever since. Now you can come here for a quiet moment of calm and to see some of the many birds that call this park home. Blink and you might miss it because Davey Street is home to one of the smallest sculptures in London. The story goes that Davey Street has always had number three to seven and there was no number five and so the business here Hedonism Wines decided to create a number five in the form of a mouse hole. In recent years this sculpture has been upgraded to a mouse mansion which is particularly cute. Barclay Square is one of the most charming green spaces in this area but what many people don't know is that it's also the site of a haunted house. Number 50 is alleged to be haunted by several different things. In the attic there's supposedly an entity and in 1887 two sailors broke into the house in order to sleep there. However they were haunted so much that by morning one of them had actually died of fright. During the 19th century this was probably the most haunted house in all of London. Not only is Coach and Horses Mayfair one of the most aesthetic buildings on Bruton Street it's also the oldest one still standing. It's alleged to be haunted and is very close to the birthplace of Queen Elizabeth the first. New Bond Street is known for all of its luxury shops. It's also home to the world famous Sotheby's auctioneer house and right outside of the main entrance you'll find the oldest statue in London. This is an ancient Egyptian statue of Sekhmet and several websites online claim that it's worth millions of pounds. When you're wandering around London you'll likely come across these police call boxes. These were introduced in the 1890s and were widely used throughout the 20th century so that citizens could contact police officers and on-call police officers could use these as a respite. Today they're obviously redundant but still a great piece of history. Thank you so much for watching and don't forget to like and subscribe for more UK travel content. See you next time!