111 Places in London That You Shouldn't Miss

John Sykes was born in Southport, Lancashire, studied in Oxford and Manchester and lived in London before moving to Germany and making his home in Cologne. He has written and translated books about London, including one in the form of a Sherlock Holmes mystery, and is the author of several travel guides about the British Isles.

• 10 Adam StreetNot Downing Street | 10Albert BridgeA frail old soldier | 12Angela’s FountainThe gift of a remarkable woman | 14Animals in War MemorialA memorial that touches the heart | 16Apothecaries’ HallA survival from the age of guilds | 18The Argyll ArmsA refuge from shopping hell | 20The Athenaeum ClubThe goddess admits those who are worthy | 22The BarbicanA monstrosity or a home with culture? | 24Battersea Power StationA colossus on the Thames, saved from ruin | 26Belgrave SquareFamily property | 28Berry Bros. & RuddWine merchants for 300 years | 30Bevis Marks SynagogueA 300-year-old Jewish community | 32The Boat GardensPink blossom on the grey river | 34Brixton MarketAn explosion of colours and flavours | 36Brockwell ParkAdele was moved to tears | 38The Brunswick PlaneThe urban tree | 40Bunhill FieldsLunch among the tombstones | 42Bushy ParkThe beginning of a mass movement | 44Cabbies’ Shelter in Grosvenor GardensHuts that are architectural heritage | 46ChinatownAn enclave in Soho | 48Christie’sClassier than eBay | 50The Coade Stone LionUnexpectedly humble origins | 52Cousin Lane StairsDown to a beach on the Thames | 54The Duke of York ColumnA man who made it to the top | 56East India DockSpice and dragonflies | 58Eccleston MewsIdeal homes in the stables | 60The Ecuadorean EmbassyAsylum for Julian Assange | 62Edgware Road‘Little Beirut’ in London | 64Eel Pie IslandA refuge for artists and musicians | 66The Fan BridgeIs Tower Bridge too touristy? Try an alternative | 68Fournier StreetThe ghosts of Huguenots and Jewish tailors | 70The Fourth PlinthNo more statues of soldiers, please! | 72Fulham PalaceA country seat for bishops | 74The Gas Lamp in Carting LaneSewers and street lighting | 76Gasholder ParkMirrors of change | 78God’s Own JunkyardRolling Scones and an assault on the eyeballs | 80The Golden BoyGluttony, fire and body-snatching | 82The Greenwich Foot TunnelUnder the Thames and off to Scotland | 84The GrenadierCosy, until the ghost appears | 86Hawksmoor’s PyramidAn enigma in the churchyard | 88The Head of InventionInspiration for designers | 90Highgate WoodThe remains of an ancient forest | 92Holland ParkMore than a Dutch garden | 94The Horniman MuseumVaried fun for all ages | 96Inner Temple GardenFor lawyers and everyone else | 98Isabella PlantationAn enchanted garden in the wide green park | 100James Smith & SonsWhere a gentleman buys his umbrella | 102Jamme Masjid MosqueA house of three religions | 104The K2 Telephone KioskThe prototype of a famous design | 106The Kindertransport MonumentThe place where 10,000 Jewish children arrived | 108Limehouse BasinPost-industrial London | 110Lincoln’s InnA tranquil refuge for lawyers | 112Little BenOff-message since Brexit | 114The Lloyd’s BuildingFuturistic, yet a monument | 116London StoneThe city’s mythical foundation stone | 118Lord’s Cricket GroundA sacred site for fans of the summer sport | 120M. ManzeEel, pie and mash in Peckham | 122The Marx Memorial LibraryLenin, trade unions and the Spanish Civil War | 124The MolehillHow a victorious king was laid low | 126Mudchute City FarmAnimals for urban children | 128The Naked LadiesUnexpected frolics by the Thames | 130Neal’s YardAlternative lifestyle and Monty Python | 132The Niche from Old London BridgeStones that were admitted to hospital | 134Nunhead CemeteryRomantic decay | 136Old St PancrasBones and legends by the railway tracks | 138One New ChangeA free vista of London and St Paul’s Cathedral | 140OrbitAn observation tower on the Olympic site | 142The OXO TowerArchitecture as advertising | 144Paddington Street GardensKeep the city clean and green | 146The Peabody Estate in Whitecross Street150 years of social housing projects | 148Peckham LevelsA car park, garish and creative | 150The Piccadilly LineDesign and architecture in the Tube | 152Pimlico Road Farmers’ MarketMozart and the magic fruit | 154Postman’s ParkA memorial for unsung heroes | 156The Princess Diana Memorial FountainSplashing around is tolerated | 158The Prospect of WhitbyA last drink for condemned pirates | 160Quantum CloudArt beneath wide skies | 162The Queen Mother MemorialHorses, corgis and the Blitz | 164Queen SquareA green place for parents, children and queens | 166Richmond-on-ThamesWhere the river takes on a rural character | 168Robbie Williams’ HouseDisharmony among musicians | 170The Roman City WallLondinium has not quite disappeared | 172The Roof GardenFlowers and concrete | 174The RopewalkStreet food from the railway arches | 176Royal ArcadeConnections to the palace are good for business | 178The ScalpelPlay video! | 180Shad ThamesSought-after homes in Charles Dickens’ slum | 182Shoreditch Street ArtLegal or illegal, subversive or sponsored | 184Shri Swaminarayan MandirA Hindu temple, open to everyone | 186Spencer HouseOld money, expensive taste | 188St Anne’s Church, SohoWhere the German king of Corsica is buried | 190St Bartholomew-the-GreatThe court jester’s church, now a film set | 192St Bride’sSlender steeple, creepy crypt | 194St Helen’s BishopsgateChrist’s message in the financial district | 196St John’s Lodge GardenA sequestered spot in Regent’s Park | 198St Pancras StationAn engineering miracle based on beer | 200The Tactful HouseLove thy neighbour | 202Three Mills IslandGrinding grain with tidal power | 204The Tibetan Peace GardenA mandala at the cannon’s mouth | 206Tower Bridge WharfA clear view of the river | 208The Trafalgar TavernMaritime tradition on the Greenwich Meridian | 210Trellick TowerThe rehabilitation of an architectural villain | 212Tyburn ConventA shrine to Roman Catholic martyrs | 214Waterloo BridgeOne of the best views along the Thames | 216The WestbourneThe stream that flows through a Tube station | 218The White BuildingArt and pizza by the canal | 220Whitechapel GalleryArt for all and a golden tree | 222Wilton’s Music HallBare boards, crumbling plaster | 224The Wimbledon WindmillA survival from rustic village days | 226Word on the WaterThe floating bookshop | 228Ye Olde MitreA well-hidden pub | 230