39 Hidden Gems Across London | Discover the (mostly) undiscovered
Bold statement: There are loads of absolutely amazing hidden gems in London.
Unbold that statement, and it still rings true.
London is rife with major attractions that lure in millions of tourists each year – The London Eye, the Tower of London, all those panoramic viewpoints where you can soak up the iconic London skyline – but there are plenty of pockets in the capital less travelled, and equally worth exploring. Although the digital age, social media and big round-ups (like this one) have made it harder to keep these spots secluded from mass attention, it’s too early to start speaking of a hidden gem decline just yet.
Most of the entrants on the list below have earned their rightful place here due to their far-flung locations (neighbourhoods like Chiswick and Richmond…), nondescript entrances (bars in public toilets, shops down dark alleyways) and off-beat concepts that offer something different to the usual (floating bookshops).
Time to give these hidden gems the recognition they deserve – just don’t tell anyone else about them.
JUMP TO: NORTH | WEST | SOUTH | EAST
HIDDEN GEMS IN CENTRAL LONDON
Go Cheese Shopping in Neal’s Yard | Covent Garden
Duck down the right side street in Seven Dials, and you’ll emerge into a colourful pocket of revamped warehouses right in the thick of Central London. These historic buildings now house some of the best bars and restaurants in Covent Garden (26 Grains, The Barbary, St John and Compagnie des Vins Surnaturels to name a few), as well as independent shops (including the original Neal’s Yard Dairy and Neal’s Yard Remedies). In the warmer months, a table in the sun-splashed courtyard here is one of London’s loveliest spots for al fresco dining.
Details: Neal’s Yard, London WC2H 9DP | More of the best things to do in Covent Garden
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Uncover London’s Secret Gardens
London’s big parks are abuzz in the summer, with groups sprawled out across the lawns reading and picnicking, playing football and sinking a few tins in the sun. But as the greenest major city in Europe (with over 3,000 green spaces), there’s a lot more to explore beyond Hyde Park – like an ancient walled apothecaries’ garden; a bombed-out church reclaimed by nature; a pocket park devoted to Victorian everyday heroes; and a perfect recreation of a Japanese garden (complete with peacocks). Discover London’s secret gardens here.
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Eat Fresh Pasta in a Church | Mayfair
The wub/Wikimedia Commons
If you’ve been yearning for a gourmet street food market inside a historic church, then you’ll be pleased to know the team behind Mercato Metropolitano have answered your prayers. St Mark’s is a grade-I listed 18th-century church in Mayfair, that’s been revived as a bustling food hall with dozens of street food traders. And as a bonus hidden gem within this hidden gem, these two floors of food and drink are topped by a little-known roof terrace shaped around the bell tower.
Details: 13a North Audley Street, W1K 6ZA | More the best food markets in London
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Follow The Knights Templar to Temple Inn | Temple
J D Mack/Flickr
Walk around two of London’s oldest ‘inns of court’ (where barristers practise) and explore flagstoned alleyways, gaslit street lamps and pristine gardens… then dip into one of London’s only round churches, founded by the Knights Templar in the 12th century and still going strong.
Details: The Temple Church, London, EC4Y 7BB | Open weekdays | £5
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Step Back in Time at Sir John Soane’s Museum | Covent Garden
Stroll through the time-warped abode of a Georgian architect, who insisted that everything in his house was preserved exactly as he left it. Which means stairwells crammed with classical sculptures; rooms with moving walls; and an Egyptian sarcophagus in the basement.
Details: 13 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, Holborn, WC2A 3BP | Free entry
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Drink Moonshine (or Cocktails) in London’s Secret Bars
Back in Prohibition-era New York, hidden cocktail bars that took around ten minutes (and a password) to find were all the rage. And a century later, London’s finally caught on… Track down London’s hidden bars here.
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HIDDEN GEMS IN NORTH LONDON
Pick Up A Book at Word on the Water | King’s Cross
Word on the street is that Word on the Water is London’s most unusual bookshop: a floating store moored on the canal in King’s Cross that also holds occasional readings, plays, poetry sessions and live jazz.
Details: Regent’s Canal Towpath, London N1C 4LW
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Explore Hampstead Hill Garden and Pergola | Hampstead
Hampstead Heath is a vast 800 acres, so it’s very possible to have walked across it dozens of times and never have happened on the Hampstead Pergola. So make the trip to seek it out: it’s an enchanting stone walkway overgrown with wisteria and roses that was once the site for a very wealthy lord’s garden parties, and now offers endless opportunities for photobombing influencers.
Details: The Pergola, Inverforth Close, London NW3 7EX | More info
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Brush Up on Italian Futurism at the Estorick Collection | Islington
At first glance this building in Islington looks like a beautiful Georgian townhouse, and while your first glance would be correct – it is a beautiful Georgian townhouse – your first glance wouldn’t tell the whole story. Step inside, and you’ll find yourself in an art gallery dedicated to futurism, which has possibly the city’s finest collection of modern Italian art on display across its three floors.
Details: 39A Canonbury Square, Islington, N1 2AN | See what’s on
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HIDDEN GEMS IN WEST LONDON
Little Venice | Paddington
Little Venice might not have masquerade balls, ducal palaces or a gold-ceilinged basilica, but it does bear more than a passing resemblance with its floating namesake in Italy: quaint waterways, boats that slowly drift by, enticing waterside restaurants and paths on either side of the canal that make for one of the most picturesque walks in London. Don’t fancy stretching your legs? Take it all in on a waterbus cruise all the way along to Camden Market.
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Biscuiteers | Notting Hill, Belgravia
The Biscuiteers craft painstakingly hand-iced luxury biscuits that come in cute shapes like Peter Rabbit and Paddington Bear, which you’ll then demolish in about two seconds. If you’ve got time to linger, come for their great-value afternoon tea or join an evening icing workshop, where you’ll flex your creative muscles while drinking prosecco (obviously).
Details: 194 Kensington Park Road, London W11 2ES | More info
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Isabella Plantation | Richmond
David Robinson/iStock
Richmond Park isn’t exactly a hidden gem (after all, it’s the biggest royal park in London), but this park within Richmond Park certainly is. The Isabella Plantation is a secret garden filled with reflective lakes, winding footpaths, exotic trees and in spring, a breathtaking bloom of bright pink Japanese azaleas.
Details: Richmond Park, Richmond TW10 5HS
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Mosaic House | Chiswick
Carrie Reichardt’s trade-off for turning the front of her Chiswick property into an unofficial public art gallery following a 20-year mosaic tiling process, is that she now has strangers taking photos outside of her house everyday…
Details: 4-6 Fairlawn Grove, London W4 5EL
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Pitzhanger Manor House and Gardens | Ealing
If you were impressed by Sir John Soane’s Museum – the 18th century architect’s time-warped central London abode – you should see where he stayed when he was looking to escape the hustle and bustle. His country home out in Ealing has been earnestly restored back to its former Georgian glory, and is now attached to a sharply-curated contemporary art gallery.
Detail: Pitzhanger Manor & Gallery, Ealing Green, London W5 5EQ
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Portobello Schoolyard | Notting Hill
Yes, everyone knows about the sprawling Saturday market on Notting Hill’s Portobello Road. Which is why you should make a beeline for this lesser-known extension to the market, a hidden gem tucked away in a school yard at the southern end, which slings fresh produce, boutique homeware and street food.
Details: Vicente Cañada Blanch School, 317-318 Portobello Road, London W10 5SZ | Saturdays, 10am-4pm
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Kynance Mews | South Kensington
Kynance Mews’s status as a ‘hidden gem’ might be waning due to its prominence on Instagram, but nevertheless this cobbled West London street, with its wisteria-clad walls and balconied houses, is like a little slice of country village charm in the middle of the city. Go on a mews crawl through West London
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Osterley House & Park | Isleworth
A well-preserved neo-classical mansion with ornate period rooms, a grade-II listed park (with a lake) and a quaint little café housed in the old stables. Osterley House was also used as Bruce Wayne’s manor in the Dark Knight Rises. No word on if there’s still a bat cave underneath…
Details: Osterley Park, Isleworth, TW7 4RB
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Strand on the Green | Chiswick
It’s an old-school river village sitting on the north bank of the Thames, lined with 18th century houses and a dozen or so charming cafes and pubs. In saying that, you probably wouldn’t mind being stranded here…
Details: Strand-on-the-Green, London W4 3NS
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Strawberry Hill House | St Margaret’s
Those that expect fruit may be disappointed, but otherwise a grand tour of Strawberry Hill House – an architectural wonder designed by Horace Walpole in the 1700s – is well worth it if you’re up for spending the day mooching around a sprawling gothic castle.
Details: 268 Waldegrave Rd, Twickenham TW1 4ST
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Foster Books | Chiswick
Bookshops selling first-edition, hard-to-come-by books are, well, hard to come by… but this hidden gem in Chiswick (look out for the emerald-green facade) has been stockpiling rare finds for over 50 years now. Prices aren’t cheap, but you can always come for a sniff and a browse.
Details: 183 Chiswick High Road, London W4 2DR | More of the best second hand bookshops in London
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Ham House | Richmond
This massive red-brick ‘house’ in Richmond, is a) massively undersold by the name, and b) has been in the possession of The National Trust since 1948. It isn’t too far changed from its 17th century upbringing, and may give you a new-found design taste for 17th century cabinets, rococo mirrors and Dutch art.
Details: Ham Street, Ham, Richmond TW10 7RS
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Eel Pie Island | Twickenham
Maggie Jones/flickr
To absolutely nobody’s dismay, Eel Pie Island no longer sells eel pies. The days of reeling in eels from the Thames are over, and now this tiny islet in the river is more known for the quirky community of 120 or so artists that reside there. Twice a year, these residents very kindly let the public into their private home, to peruse and possibly buy their work, and it’s a great opportunity to get a rare glimpse of one of London’s true hidden gems.
Details: Eel Pie Island, Twickenham, TW1 3DY | See open dates here
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Orleans House Gallery | Twickenham
For anyone who’s exhausted London’s art galleries and can name every painting at the Tate Britain and the National Gallery, then Orleans House Gallery is a hidden gem. An essential stop on any Twickenham itinerary, the place boasts rolling gardens, a Grade-I listed Octagon Room (with dazzling baroque interiors) and displays work from Richmond’s art collection, including pieces by explorer Richard Francis Burton.
Details: Orleans Road, Twickenham, London, TW1 3BL
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HIDDEN GEMS IN SOUTH LONDON
The Painted Hall | Greenwich
Britain’s answer to the Sistine Chapel lies within the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich (which you’ll probably recognise from, oh, just about every period film ever made). The exterior was designed by arguably London’s most famous architect, Sir Christopher Wren, and the Painted Hall inside took artist Sir James Thornhill a mere 19 years to complete. Bonus points if you can find where he painted himself in.
Details: Old Royal Navy College, Romney Road, Greenwich, SE10 9NN
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House of Dreams | Dulwich
The definition of a ‘hidden gem’, being, as it is, actually inside someone’s house. That someone is artist Steven Wright, who has covered every spare inch of his Dulwich home in bric-a-brac, collages and found objects. Something between a souk, a 90s bedroom and a kind of modern-day shell grotto, it’s an absolutely jaw-dropping feast for the eyes. Scratch below the surface, though, and you’ll realise its the artist’s unique way of commemorating the love, and moving on from the loss and trauma, that life has thrown at him.
Details: 45 Melbourne Grove, London, SE22 8RG | Open once a month – book here
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Cross Bones Graveyard | London Bridge
Garry Knight/Flickr
The big cemetery boom of the Victorian era means that London’s filled with dramatic final resting grounds – the ‘Magnificent Seven’ (including Highgate Cemetery, Brompton Cemetery and Kensal Green Cemetery) are, weirdly, hidden gems in themselves. But Cross Bones in Southwark has the most unusual backstory of them all. For centuries it was the unholy burial site for prostitutes and paupers, and has now been reclaimed as a memorial garden for ‘The Outcast Dead’. A shrine of ribbons, messages and random paraphernalia has been growing since the 90s, and a vigil takes place here at 7pm on the 23rd of each month.
Details: Union St, London SE1 1TA
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Horniman Butterfly House | Forest Hill
The Horniman Museum & Gardens is one of the most unusual museums in London, counting two galleries of stuffed animals and handicrafts from across the globe; a small farm; a musical garden; a conservatory; a Dutch barn and one giant overstuffed walrus amongst its attractions. So it’s understandable that the butterfly house often flies under the radar…
Details: 100 London Road, SE23 3PQ
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The Midnight Apothecary | Rotherhithe
All those years wondering if London has a secret garden on a museum rooftop where you can drink botanical cocktails and toast free marshmallows while huddled up around an open fire? Over…
Details: Brunel Museum Rooftop Garden, Railway Avenue, SE16 4LF
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Shad Thames | London Bridge
Nirmal Rajendharkumar/Unsplash
This riverside backstreet gives an atmospheric peek into the city’s dockyard past. Only these days, the warehouses store Michelin-approved restaurants like Legare, rather than tea and spices…
Details: Shad Thames, Southwark, London, SE1 2YT
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Crossness Pumping Station | Abbey Wood
One of the better days out you’ll have at a sewage pumping station. Crossness has a striking Victorian interior wrought with ironwork, arches and columns where you can admire the infrastructure used to sort out the great stink of 1858 – plus a toilet museum, which gives you the chance to brush up on your bogs.
Details: The Old Works, Bazalgette Way, Abbey Wood, SE2 9AQ
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Eltham Palace | Eltham
A medieval palace rebooted as a millionaire’s 1930s country pile, complete with stunning art deco interiors, a bedroom for a pet lemur, and its very own moat.
Details: Court Yard, Eltham, SE9 5QE | Book tickets
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Buzz Bingo | Tooting
Yes, bingo. Because this bingo hall was once the Granada Cinema flagship (a sibling to the picturehouse currently getting a glow-up at Soho Theatre Walthamstow). Inside, theatre architect Cecil A. Masey unleashed his wildest gothic fantasies to create a ‘cathedral of cinema’ – and it now has a Grade I listing, just like Buckingham Palace.
Details: 50 Mitcham Rd, London SW17 9NA
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Brixton Windmill | Brixton
Lukas Juhas/Unsplash
It’s a thing! And you can book a tour to explore inside, mill your own flour, or practice tai chi in the gardens.
Details: Windmill Gardens, Blenheim Gardens, Brixton, SW2 5DA| Book a visit
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Bermondsey Street | London Bridge
How much can you cram into one street? Bermondsey’s answer to the challenge includes a glass-blowing workshop, the Fashion & Textile Museum, The White Cube (an avant-garde contemporary art gallery), exceptional restaurants (Casse-Croûte, José, Flour & Grape), pubs galore, a spot that’s landed on our list of best cafes in London and the charmingly-named coffee shop, Fuckoffee…
Details: Bermondsey Street, SE1 3TX
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HIDDEN GEMS IN EAST LONDON
Red House | Bexleyheath
After being wowed by the William Morris Gallery, the next logical step would be to check out the family home of the Victorian designer, activist, innovator, translator, poet, and fantasy writer (the man was prolific at many things). And it all started at this steep-rooved red brick house in Bexley, equipped with gardens and an apple orchard.
Details: Red House Lane, Canterbury Crescent DA6 8JF
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The Epping-Ongar Railway | Epping
Ride the tube to the end of the line in Essex and transfer onto a Victorian steam train that’ll take you on a ride through leafy Epping Forest (which is well worth exploring on foot afterwards). And tickets are approximately 230 times cheaper than the Orient Express…
Details: Ongar Station, Station Approach, CM5 9AB
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Wilton’s Music Hall | Wapping
Peter Dazeley
London’s only remaining Victorian music hall, tucked down a back alley off the Thames. Nowadays it stages offbeat theatre shows, gigs, and quirky events like One Track Minds. And at the interval, you can enjoy a pint at the Mahogany Bar, which has been serving thirsty punters since 1725.
Details: 1 Grace’s Alley, E1 8JB | See what’s on
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Smithfield Market | Farringdon
Perhaps best to ignore this one if you’re a vegetarian… but if you’re not a vegetarian, get up at the sociable hour of 2am to see London’s oldest meat trading market in action – running for over 800 years – before it closes down forever in 2028.
Details: Grand Avenue, Farringdon, EC1A 9PS | Open weekdays, midnight-10am
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Ciné Real | Hackney
Ciné Real is a regular movie night held in Homerton’s restored Castle Cinema, which solely shows films in 16mm. And for some film buffs, this is the only real way of taking in the silver screen. Looking for something more intimate? Ask to hire out Ciné Real’s own cosy 15 seater cinema for a private screening…
Details: 35 Lower Clapton Road, E5 0NS | See what’s on
So there you have it… some hidden gems that are no longer anything of the sort. And frankly, there’s a lot more out there to be discovered. You can make a good start by checking out the most unusual things to do in London, and all these excellent free things to do in London – and don’t forget the annual Open House weekend in September, when hundreds of buildings usually closed off to the public open their doors…