Despite writing about my experiences of other cities I’ve visited, I realised that I’ve never written anything on the subject of London. I think that as I’ve lived either in or very near the capital my whole life I tend to forget that it’s somewhere that people travel to from all over the world, and take my knowledge of it for granted. I won’t be writing about the typical popular tourist attractions as that information is readily available elsewhere, but will give an idea of which parts of London I’ve enjoyed most over the years.
I grew up in the London suburbs about twelve miles from the centre, then lived in Kentish Town (near Camden), Cricklewood and Sutton, before moving a bit further out. Whilst I can’t claim to actually live in London anymore we can get up there quickly, have one of London’s airports (Gatwick) in our town and are still within the broadcast area to receive London news on the television, which makes it feel like we’re not far away.
One of the things I love most about London is that it’s constantly changing and there is always something new to see. For example we took a ride on the newly opened Northern Line extension in September 2021 and since then Battersea Power Station itself has opened in its new incarnation that includes a shopping mall, giving us something else to visit soon. I find it difficult to believe that it’s finally been redeveloped at last, as it had been disused since I was a child!
As a fan of modern architecture, especially transport related, I also really enjoy the stations of the Jubilee Line Extension and the Elizabeth Line.
Of course what lots of people come to London for is its history. My favourite area for getting an idea of what London used to be like is around the London Bridge area. The roads near the station, with their railway arches and narrow streets have always had a feel of the past to me, despite the modern developments that have sprung up in recent years. One of my favourite walks is from London Bridge station down to the riverside and along to Waterloo via Blackfriars, which as shown in the opening photo has possibly one of the best views from a railway platform anywhere in the world (and is also home to another disused power station, the old Bankside which is now Tate Modern).
Another redeveloped area that we discovered recently is Kings Cross. When I was growing up it had a reputation for being both derelict and rather seedy. Not so any more, there are lots of restaurants and shops and it’s a very pleasant place to spend a few hours. I particularly like how they’ve incorporated the old industrial buildings into a modern setting.
A highlight of London for many is the number of museums and galleries, many of which are free to enter. Two that we have been to over the last year are the Design Museum and Whitechapel Gallery. The Design Museum is set in what used to be the Commonwealth Institute in Kensington, and it was only after visiting that I realised I’d been there for a work Christmas party many years ago when it looked somewhat different! It shows the changing styles of various products over the years and is nice to combine with a stroll around nearby Holland Park.
Whitechapel Gallery is in a part of East London that I don’t know very well, it’s a small gallery that has quite unusual exhibits and a fantastic bookshop. Afterwards we walked towards Shoreditch up the neighbouring Brick Lane which is an eclectic mix of restaurants, vintage shops and street art, and seems to be popular with tourists now judging by the number of tour groups. There is also a new arts centre run by Gilbert and George which was opening around the time of our visit.
Which brings me to the subject of food. When we lived in central London we would eat out regularly, and got to know the best parts of the city for different cuisines. I think most people are familiar with Chinatown, and it does have a great variety of Chinese restaurants, but they may not know that the place to go for Korean food is New Malden, a short train journey to the south out of Waterloo.
Brick Lane is famous for mainly Bangladeshi curry houses, but another area worth looking into for an authentic curry is Southall to the west, which has some great Indian and Pakistani restaurants which were full of families when we went there.
Fans of Middle Eastern food should head to the Edgware Road, and Portugal is best represented in the Stockwell area. When living in Kentish Town I was lucky to have an Ethiopian restaurant across the road, and in Cricklewood there were some good Sri Lankan places.
There are numerous other types of food available in different parts of the capital, especially outside the very central area that still includes anachronisms such as the Angus Steak House (previously Aberdeen Steak House) which is one of those eateries that seems squarely aimed at foreign tourists. One restaurant that we did used to go to regularly in the West End is sadly no longer there. The Stockpot was a casual dining experience where you sat at long benches with shared tables, and offered a daily handwritten menu including a variety of mains (stuffed aubergine was my personal favourite) and desserts (I have fond memories of sponge puddings with custard and jelly with cream) all for a very modest sum. The West End Kitchen opposite it in Panton Street was similar, and I’m sure both would do very well nowadays in these cost conscious times.
I still enjoy the novelty of travelling on the driverless DLR (Docklands Light Railway) and we’ve taken it a few times to Stratford to the east. The station is named Stratford International as the original plan was for Eurostar services to stop there, unfortunately that never happened, but it’s still an important hub for mainline trains and the Tube. Stratford is the site of the Olympic Park and as well as being enjoyable to walk around there is the added attraction of the Westfield shopping mall. I know that wandering around shops isn’t everyone’s idea of fun, and I rarely actually buy anything in these places, but it is quite impressive to see the range of stores and eateries. The other Westfield at Shepherd’s Bush is equally grand and is not far from the Design Museum and Holland Park which I mentioned earlier.
London has an impressive amount of parkland in the centre for such a big city, and one of our favourite areas for a walk on Sundays when living nearby was Hampstead Heath. We invariably got lost there but always eventually found our way to Kenwood House with its pleasant outdoor café. It was also a wonderful place to spend a Saturday evening in the summer listening to the outdoor concerts with a picnic.
Greenwich Park is also worth a mention for the views, and after walking around the town you can go down through the Greenwich foot tunnel under the river, trying to avoid the people speeding through on cycles and scooters, which emerges near to a DLR station on the other side.
For a trip outside the centre my recommendations would be either Wimbledon or Richmond. Although normally associated with the tennis, Wimbledon itself has a lot to offer. Starting in the main shopping area by the station (on both train line from Waterloo and Tube) if you go up the hill to the village you’ll find a variety of pubs and restaurants, and Wimbledon Common has some great walks. In fact you can walk all the way through to Richmond via the common and Richmond Park. The easier way to get to Richmond is also by Tube or by train from Waterloo. It too has many cafés, restaurants and pubs, and a walk up Richmond Hill will reward you with timeless views down over the Thames, there are also riverside walks past some fields of cows along to Petersham, where Captain George Vancouver (who discovered Vancouver Island) is buried in St Peter’s Church.
And finally, are there any areas of London that I don’t enjoy? Yes, some of which are actually quite popular with tourists. I made the mistake of going shopping in Oxford Street a few years ago, something I used to do regularly when I lived up there, but now it’s quite a disheartening experience as amongst the flagship stores are a lot of dubious American candy places and there’s a general rundown feel to the area. I would prefer to shop in one of the Westfields, and perhaps that’s one of the reasons for Oxford Street’s demise. I also avoid Piccadilly Circus as that has deteriorated even more than Oxford Street, with tacky souvenir shops and too much traffic. Covent Garden is very popular and whilst I can see that it’s perfectly pleasant, it’s not somewhere I would choose to go, possibly just because I’ve been there so many times in the past and the novelty has worn off.
On a school exchange trip to Germany in my teens I was met with the same response several times when saying that I was from London – “Have you been to Madame Tussauds?”. For the life of me I can’t understand why waxworks of celebrities are so popular, to the extent that it’s the first thing some people associate with London, and a couple of subsequent visits with friends from other countries who were keen to go confirmed that it really isn’t my thing. It does seem amazingly popular though, perhaps even more so now in the age of the selfie.
So that’s a description of just some of my experience of London to date, but ask anyone who knows London well for their recommendations and I’m sure each person would tell you something completely different. I look forward to discovering new areas on a regular basis, so in time my favourite haunts could have changed to places I haven’t yet visited or even that don’t yet exist, that’s the great thing about a vibrant metropolis that is constantly evolving.
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