Stemming off of a previous circuit I recommended (the “Kensington Gardens Gallivant“), we’ll be heading West of South Kensington today for a nice neighborhoody stroll that won’t bog us down with too many big attractions. Instead, we’ll pass by and through points of interests and just soak up the atmosphere of a nice London neighborhood on a hopefully nice day outside.
If you’re in the vicinity of South Kensington station, start heading west on Brompton Road and stay on it as it becomes Old Brompton Road. You’ll pass by a string of shops and restaurants that you can pop into to your heart’s content. One cute one along the way is Bumpkin, which would make for a nice brunch stop. My husband also likes to ogle the Ferrari dealership further down on the left-hand side. If you’re more keen on a pub breakfast or lunch, two great options just across the street from each other are the Duke of Clarence (for higher grade gastropub fare) or the Drayton Arms (your more laidback variety with classic pub grub and a great English breakfast). Otherwise, around this same intersection you’ll see a variety of ethnic cuisines like Indian and Vietnamese.
Keeping on Old Brompton, on your left you’ll eventually see a long brick wall with a blue plaque signifying it as the site of the former home of Beatrix Potter, author of the treasured Peter Rabbit books. A primary school now stands on the site, but you can take a stroll around this neighborhood, called The Boltons, to get a taste for the affluent residences that have stood there since Beatrix’s time.
As you approach the intersection with Earls Court Road, to your left is the building where Lady Diana lived when she was courting Prince Charles, Colherne Court. Turning right onto Earls Court Road here will take you along a corridor highly populated with cafes and pubs, as well as Earls Court tube station if you’re needing to catch the District or Piccadilly lines.
Otherwise, if you’re a film buff, if you stay on Old Brompton, walk past Earls Court Road and turn left at the next street, 64 Colherne Road is the site of the famous metamorphosis scene in the cult-classic An American Werewolf in London—it’s Nurse Alex’s flat! The scene of a more recent film, Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law, is just a block further West on Old Brompton Road at the Brompton Cemetery. This graveyard is one of the Magnificent Seven located all over London that came into being during the Victorian era to solve the issue of overcrowding in individual churchyards. Almost 40 acres in size, it makes for an atmospheric and peaceful walk and/or sit, and is free, as opposed to its Highgate sister from yesterday’s London Bundle.
Across the street from the cemetery, you can’t help but notice the enormous Earls Court convention center that houses major fairs like the London Book Fair and Great British Beer Festival, as well as the prestigious music award show, the BRIT Awards. And, actually, if you’re willing to back-track a bit, on Old Brompton Road just between Colherne Road and the cemetery is a great coffee shop/restaurant named The Troubadour. Established in the 1950s, its music venue downstairs has hosted performances by legends like Bob Dylan (it was the first place he ever performed in London, in fact), Jimi Hendrix, Paul Simon, and Joni Mitchell.
With all this celebrity exposure, you could continue the trend by staying on Old Brompton (which turns into Lillie Road eventually) and hang a left on Fulham Road to catch a flick at the Fulham Broadway Cinema. This positions you perfectly if you’re looking for dinner—there is plenty to choose from within the mall at the cinema or outside in the general Fulham Broadway area (a favorite of mine is Hell Pizza)—or ready to head back to the comforts of the fabulous London flat where London Relocation Ltd. has placed you after your move to London …this being because the cinema is located directly above the Fulham Broadway tube station. Ta da!
The weather is SO gorgeous outside, my recommended day-touring on a day like this would be to head North. Catch the Northern Line to either Archway or Highgate tube stations and catch the afternoon tour at Highgate Cemetery. You can tour the East cemetery on your own for £3, seeing notable graves such as that of Karl Marx, then partake in the guided tour of the cemetery’s atmospherically overgrown West cemetery, also the resting place of reputable people such as the Rossetti family. Under the shade of the immense trees (a few of which are Redwoods from America’s West coast), you’ll meander through the lush vegetation and look on the chipped and eroded outcroppings of Victorian-style gravestones; perhaps the most unexpected part of this tour is the “Egyptian Avenue,” crypts fashioned after ancient Egyptian burials, which was the vogue thing to do in 19th-century England, evidently.
From Highgate Cemetery, you are in walking distance of the nearly 800 green acres of Hampstead Heath. Tour this immense park at your leisure, hiking the hills, sitting by the duck ponds, or even swimming in the designated human ponds A great pub located just outside the Northwest edge of the heath is the Spaniards Inn, where you don’t yet have to forego the outdoors when you seat yourself in the sunshine of their beergarden. Otherwise, make your way to the high street for any assortment of sidewalk cafes and boutiques. From here, you can hop the tube at either Hampstead or Belsize Park stations.
Depending on how your day is progressing, you can close it out here or perhaps take advantage of the extended summer daylight hours and make your way to the darling village of Primrose Hill (via tube to Chalk Farm or walking) for dinner and to watch the sunset from Primrose Hill itself, which, like Hampstead Heath, offers an outstanding city view.
This is a trek that not many tourists make, but when you actually move to London, make a point to explore these serene, residential Northern villages.
Moving a little Eastward from our previous Residential Roam bundle, today we’re going to immerse ourselves in London’s literary culture. (And please let me preface this by saying that I seriously wouldn’t expect anyone to see everything I suggest for these bundles in only one day…I’m just letting you know what’s around so you can pick and choose or in case you really are this ambitious!)
An ideal place to start is from King’s Cross Tube station. First of all, head upstairs from the Underground into the main station to see Platform 9 3/4, where Harry Potter’s cart is pushed half-way through the brick wall as he makes his way to Hogwarts! Then, just a block or so beyond is the British Library. A notable (and free) feature of the library is its manuscript room, where you can find original writings of the likes of Jane Austin and Charlotte Bronte—read my previous post for more info. A 15-minute walk away (or you could take the Piccadilly Line to Russell Square station) is the Charles Dickens Museum. I haven’t been there yet, but hoping to follow my own advice here and go there this summer to explore the life and works of this classic author—man, I wish every writer could develop character as well as he did…but I digress
Another 15-minute walk will take you back into the vicinity of Russell Square, so you can have a rest in its large garden before tackling the mammoth British Museum. Now this is definitely not a place to take on in one day; that wouldn’t do its collection remote justice, so research in advance what’s there that you’d be most interested in and divide and conquer over time. Hey, it’s free at least, so go as many times as you want! Housing innumerable artifacts across centuries and civilizations, you can experience different visual forms of literature in ancient languages—be it mythology sculpted into the Parthenon’s frieze or painted round an urn (think of Keat’s “Ode on a Grecian Urn” for a lovely mental visual) or the Egyptian hieroglyphs, including the famous Rosetta Stone (on this, a decree is inscribed in Egyptian—both hieroglyph and demotic script—and Greek, thus breaking the translation code). Poetry can even be found inscribed in jewelry, as evidenced by the museum’s collection of “posy” rings (my husband and I own replicas of one on display there that we wear as our wedding bands when traveling…it says, in a form of old French, “Here is my heart, guard it well.” Awww…aren’t we just so cute you could slap us…).
The final element of our Literary Line-Up is the fact that you are at this point situated in the neighboorhood of Bloomsbury, where author Virginia Woolfonce lived and mingled with her elite “Bloomsbury Group” of intellectuals at 46 Gordon Square. This is a cute area to stroll around as you eventually settle down and rest your active, literary-genius mind over a pint and dinner at the Bloomsbury Tavern, a traditional Victorian pub. Cheers!
We’re going to move it on up a little North of our Shopping Spree bundle today to some charming residential neighborhoods of London.
Hop the Tube to Regent’s Park Underground station (Bakerloo line). From here, we’re going to walk into, surprise, surprise…Regent’s Park! Explore this vast park to your heart’s content—if you haven’t had breakfast yet, you can grab a bite at either the Boathouse or Garden Cafes, and do stroll through Queen Mary’s Rose Garden, the largest of its kind in London. You will notice the Open Air Theatre as well, which runs performances from May through September, and in the Northern part of the park, you’ll find the zoo!
If you’ve had enough fresh air and are itching for a museum of sorts, just off the lower West corner of the park (near the Baker Street Tube) are the famous Madame Tussaud’s wax museum as well as the Sherlock Holmes museum.
From here, you can walk into Marylebone and acquaint yourself with this neighborhood and either go on foot or catch the Tube at Baker Street or Marylebone Underground stations to St. John’s Wood. This upscale residential neighborhood is home to Paul McCartney and Abbey Road Studios (yes, you can even walk on the famous zebra stripe across Abbey Road as the Beatles did for the album cover of same name). Sports enthusiasts will also find the Lord’s cricket pitch here where the Marylebone Cricket Club plays its matches.
If you follow St. John’s Road toward the West and hang a left onto Maida Vale, you will then gain exposure to yet another delightful and peaceful area—Maida Vale. Here you’ll find the road made famous by Duffy’s song, “Warwick Avenue,” but of most aesthetic interest is Little Venice, so named because of its canals and boats. This is such a fun spot for cafes and pubs, so this might be a good time to stop for lunch or even early dinner, depending on how your day’s been going.
Otherwise, if you hold out for dinner and are open to spicy international food, I absolutely recommend heading down the Maida Vale street, which will eventually become Edgware Road. Here you will find a row of restaurants representing a range of Middle Eastern cuisine for very reasonable prices and can even treat yourself to a shisha and mint tea (hookah) after dinner out on the sidewalk.
The rest of the evening is up to you…if you’re a Paddington Bear fan, one little sidetrack you could make is to see Paddington Station where this little bear from Darkest Peru was discovered. Otherwise, maybe go get some rest after this long, fun day!
This one’s for the ladies. While my last bundle will bring you by an assortment of darling boutiques to enhance your wardrobe and accessories, if you want to get really hardcore, follow me…
Today we start at Oxford Circus Tube station, not to be confused with its far more obnoxious neighbor, Piccadilly Circus,
Photo: David Rose
although you could as easily start from there if you please and make your way to Oxford Circus via Regent Street; I won’t stop ya. Beginning at Oxford Circus, though, presents you with the immediate option of initiating your shopping extravaganza on eitherOxford or Regent Streets (SO fun to visit during Christmastime when they close the streets to traffic for holiday shopping!). I personally like to go South on Regent Street, down to the 250-year-old Hamleys of London toy store (go on, pop in and play! And if you want grown-up toys, it’s near the Apple Store); from here, you can keep wandering down into the Piccadilly Circus tourist trap.
Or, if it’s starting to look too Magnificent Mile or 5th Avenue and you want some old London atmosphere, cut off of the high street at Great Marlborough Street to the left and immediately see the Tudor-style Liberty department store. To the left of Liberty, you can then enter Carnaby Street. You’ll think you’re in the quaint little Epcot World Showcase for England or Harry Potter’s Diagon Alley when you wander into this intimate network of streets offering an array of shops and restaurants.
From here, we’re on to Knightsbridge! I leave it entirely up to you how you choose to get there–you can cut over to Hyde Park‘s Northeast corner from Oxford Street (Marble Arch area)—you’ll pass Selfridges department store on the way—and enjoy a relaxed walk through the greenery until you reach its South end at Hyde Park Corner. Or, if you do follow Regent Street down to Piccadilly Circus, you can follow Piccadilly Westward to Hyde Park Corner and ultimately onto Knightsbridge (check out the Ritz on the way). OR, you can zigzag through the posh Mayfair streets that contain some of London’s most expensive properties and fine dining (might I recommend Gordon Ramsey’s Maze off Grosvenor Square—across from the U.S. Embassy—for contemporary ambiance and small but flavor-packed portions or The Guinnea, a historical pub that serves high quality steaks in its rear restaurant—Guy Ritchie’s Punch Bowl is nearby there as well if you’re thirsty). If you’re game to window-shop for cars, you’ll find Aston Martin, Lamborghini, and Porsche dealerships in the area to gawk at.
However you get there, once you hit Knightsbridge, just walk on along for more high street shopping, drinking, and dining…all three of which activities you can do right inside the infamous Harrods, level upon level of garish opulence and high prices, well worth a look even if you are, in fact, only looking versus buying. Walking further West along this road (or cutting Southwest onto Brompton Road) will ultimately bring you into South Kensington, the vicinity of my Kensington Gardens Gallivant bundle, if that helps you get your bearings.
Today is the first of my London Bundles that ventures out into the neighborhoods outside the City, yet still considered fairly “central London” (i.e., Zone 1).
Let’s start our journey at South Kensington Tube station (which services the District, Circle, and Piccadilly lines). As soon as you ascend the Underground station’s steps into the light, you’ll find yourself at quite the center of action. Surrounding the station are endless choices of restaurants and shops, so you can dip into a cafe here if you didn’t grab breakfast at your hotel or flat (you know, the perfect abode where London Relocation Ltd. just successfully placed you). Might I recommend the darling Cafe Creperie just Northwest of the station and along the way to where your area tour will continue (make sure you bring cash, though, for those crepes…last time I was there, they didn’t accept credit or debit).
Continuing North on Exhibition Road, you will soon enough see the Victoria & Albert Museum to your right and the Natural History Museum to your left—take your pick (I am, however, partial to the V&A for its artifacts, artwork, and antique furnishings and textiles on exhibit, as well as the special Grace Kelly exhibition currently on display!) Best part of either museum is that they’re FREE.
All right then, mosey onward further North on Exhibition Road, past Imperial College, and hang a left at Kensington Road. You will see that Kensington Gardens is just across the street. You can enter the park if you stay on Exhibition Road, but by walking along Kensington Road, you can go past the famous Royal Albert Hall (the acoustically brilliant concert that hosts the annual Proms) and see the exotic Albert Memorial (that Queen Victoria commissioned in honor of her dearly departed husband in 1875) just across the way inside the park. Once you reach the Southwest corner of the park, enter onto a walkway that will lead you directly to Kensington Palace, where Queen Victoria was born and pronounced Queen and where Lady Diana lived the rest of her years (if you recall the footage of the masses of bouquets mourners piled up outside palace gates, this is the place where those vigils took place). The palace recently kicked off its Enchanted Palace exhibit to offer a bit of avant-garde eye candy while the building undergoes extensive renovation. Venturing inside does come at a price, but just touring the grounds for free is worthwhile—the blooms decking out the Sunken Garden and swans preening on the Round Pond being visual delights.
Enjoy a pleasant stroll on the main walkway (The Broad Walk) between the pond and palace as you continue North and exit outside the Northwest corner of the park. The main road you encounter here is just where Bayswater Road becomes Notting Hill Gate, so hang a left and continue into the well-known neighborhood. Just past the Tube station, you can jog over onto Pembridge Road for a couple blocks until you see the entrance to Portobello Road. Wandering the length of this road will take you past the antique, clothing, and produce stalls that give this area its character (and, yes, you’ll see sites from the movie, including the storefront of the travel bookshop in the film as well as the original shop on which it was based):
Notting Hill is an ideal neighborhood in which to close out your day, with no end to the pubs, cafes, and restaurants to grab your late lunch or dinner, or cinemas to enjoy some seated, passive time to yourself (try the Electric on Portobello for an ultra-cozy recliner as a seat or the Coronet on Notting Hill Gate for its history). From here, you can catch the Tube at the Notting Hill Gate station (District, Circle, and Central lines), or, first, pop down onto Kensington Church Street for more dinner options, including the Churchill Arms pub if you’re thirsty. Cheers!
All right, so eat that last chip and guzzle down the remnants of that pint at Ye Olde Cheschire Cheese, because we’re about to pick up where we left off yesterday. As you might recall, we were exploring the St. Paul’s vicinity and just wandered down to Fleet Street–perhaps the fact that I’m making this bundle a 2-parter discourages you that it’s too much to pack into a day, but in all honesty, a lot of these sites that I’m mentioning are of the walk-by/photo-op variety, not really attractions that you need to spend a lot of time within (unless you choose to, of course). At any rate, if you’re hell-bent on getting more bang for the, uh, pound out of this day, I’m going to let you choose your own adventure:
Option 1: Dip down South until you hit the river and stroll along the Thames walk or inside the enchanting Victoria Embankment gardens. Near the Embankment Tube station, you can cut Northwest into Trafalgar Square and further Northwest from there to shove around in the Times Square-esque hubbub of Piccadilly Circus, then wrap your way back Eastward into the theatre district, shops, and restaurants of Leicester Square (where many of the major films premier!) and Covent Garden—Covent Garden is home to the Market of same name as well as the Royal Opera House, where the BAFTA Awards for film are held every year (the equivalent of the Oscars).
Option 2: Continue walking Westward down Fleet Street until it becomes the Strand. On the way there, you will pass the super-narrow Ye Olde Cock Tavern on your left (permit yourself to giggle as you do so) and the Royal Courts of Justice on your right, which you can tour around on the inside or duck behind to stroll through the delightful, somewhat hidden garden of New Square, below Lincoln’s Inn Field and off of Chancery Lane. Continuing on the Strand, you will have an abundance of fine shopping opportunities until you eventually head Northwest into Covent Garden and (in the reverse direction of above) head West into Leicester Square and Piccadilly Circus.
At this point, you’ll likely be exhausted, so take a seat inside a vintage London theatre and see why it’s such a big attraction—you can book your tickets in advance online or step into any box office or discount ticket booth in Leicester Square for last-minute day-of deals.
Yesterday’s London Bundle gave you a tour of the hub of British Royalty/Parliament from Westminster to Buckingham Palace. Before long, I’ll be delving into London’s neighborhoods, but before we leave the center City, I’d like to walk you along the Embankment/Strand Strip.
You can begin either West or East, but I’m going to recommend hopping the Tube from wherever you’re starting from and take it to either St. Paul’s or Mansion House Tube stations. From either station, a 1-minute walk will get you to the front steps of St. Paul’s Cathedralitself. A church dedicated to St. Paul has stood on this site for 1,400 years (no kidding), and the current structure designed by Sir Christopher Wren is celebrating its 300th anniversary. This immense architectural feat is awe-inspiring enough to view from the outside, but if you’re willing to spend the time and the fee, I highly recommend touring the inside as well. At the very least, dash down into the Crypt Cafe for a refreshment and visit the Gift Shop—you’ll be able to peer into a bit of the crypt as well through the wrought iron gating.
Other breakfast/lunch options at this point (if you’re just starting your day) are just to the left of the Cathedral at the Paul or
Photo: David Sillitoe
Tea cafes or duck over a little further into Paternoster Square for a variety of cafe/restaurant options. Just a block or so West of the cathedral is Bow Lane, a darling network of narrow streets filled with shops and pubs. If you head a little North instead, you can see Postman’s Park and/or Smithfield Market, which is near the site of where William Wallace (a.k.a. “Braveheart”) was executed in 1305. If you do wander by Postman’s Park, nearby across the street is an old bombed-out church just behind the Bank of America/Merrill Lynch corporate office on Edward St., which was an unintended target during WWII when the bomb was aimed for St. Paul’s. Can you imagine if they’d hit their mark??
Speaking of Edward St. and executions, if you round the corner from the BofA office onto Newgate street, a couple blocks’ walk will bring you to the Old Bailey. Dating back to the 17th century (when it was rebuilt after the Great Fire), the Old Bailey is England’s Central Criminal Court and, yes, the one that V blows up in the movie V for Vendetta, for those of you who are better with your pop culture than your history. The former Newgate Prison at this sight held public executions in the area, which renders this site mega-haunted as far as paranormal experts are concerned. The Viaduct Tavern across the street (dating back to 1875) is itself alleged to be one of the most haunted sites in London, though that doesn’t stop the professional folks from piling in by 5pm every weeknight
If it’s a mini-pub crawl yer after, round your way back to the front of St. Paul’s Cathedral and head West down Ludgate Hill into Fleet Street (as in the Demon Barber!). Eventually, you will see a sign on your right beckoning you into a wee alley, in which Ye Olde Cheschire Cheese pub is tucked. “Olde” indeed, this public house was rebuilt in 1667, and its cellars (which I personally think provide the most atmosphere seating–just be sure to mind your head on the way down!) date back to a 13th century monastery. Charles Dickens was once a regular there.
Our bundle is not done yet, but, alas, I will leave you to tuck into your fish-n-chips or meat pie at Cheschire Cheese until Part II of our Embankment/Strand Strip saga.
This probably doesn’t sound like too much fun, but with a political history like England’s, it’s actually downright fascinating. Last week, my virtual walking tour took you through some major sites along the Thames; today, we’ll start out at the same spot (Westminster) and remain just North of the river.
Starting at Westminster Tube station, you have another chance to take in Big Ben and Parliament upon exiting. To spend more time here, you can schedule a tour through Parliament (during the summer only for overseas visitors, but anytime for UK residents and visitors, including climbing the clock tower!) or attend Parlimentary debates or committee meetings.
And if my previously recommended Thames Circuit does not allow you enough time to tour the inside of Westminster Abbey, definitely do so this time round. My personal favorite is the “Poet’s Corner” area of the cathedral, where renowned writers such as Geoffrey Chaucer, Charles Dickens, and Robert Browning are buried and several other greats like Jane Austen, Keats, and Shelley are given memorial. But since I’ve dubbed this the “Government Circuit,” allow me to usher in the relevance by merging Church and State: the Abbey is the site of all coronations (so make sure you see the 13th-century Coronation Chair), and many monarchs are buried here (including Elizabeth I, Mary Queen of Scots, and St. Edward the Confessor). And make sure not to miss former Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s memorial on your way out, near the poppy-lined Tomb of the Unknown Warrior.
Speaking of whom, just a couple blocks toward St. James’s Park delivers you to my favorite museum in London, the Churchill War Rooms. Here you will experience the actual bunker setting in which Winston Churchill and his cabinet strategized during WWII, down to the actual maps charting military movement and sugar cube rations! The adjoining Churchill Museum is a relatively new installment that provides engagingly interactive ways of perusing the immense wealth of information stored there.
From here, you can let the greenery of St. James’s Park tempt you across the road and into acres of pleasant walking paths, duck ponds, and ice cream vendors. OR, you can postpone this delightful stroll a bit longer and walk up Whitehall toward Trafalgar Square. Along the way, you’ll pass the Treasury, Downing Street (with its new resident down at #10), and Horse Guards (a perfect photo-op of uniformed guards) before coming into the square. Standing tall at its center is Nelson’s Column commemorating Admiral Nelson’s 1805 victory at the Battle of Trafalgar, and as its backdrop is the expansive National Gallery Museum if you’re looking to wile away a rainy day inside amidst works of art.
If you didn’t pop over into St. James’s Park before, do so now from Trafalgar Square by walking through the Admiralty Arch and down the Mall toward Buckingham Palace. You can tour the State Rooms and gardens during August and September when the Queen is away on holiday at her Scotland retreat.
From here, I leave it entirely up to you. You can cut through the park to catch the Tube at St. James’s Park Tube station, walk through the adjacent Green Park for the, that’s right, Green Park station, or perhaps wander further West to Hyde Park Corner to catch the Tube, walk into the extensive gardens, or cut over into Knightsbridge for some expensive shopping. But that’s getting into a whole other London Bundle for another day…
I’ve decided to start a new mini-series on how to group your visits to various London sites into manageable portions. I’ve had several rounds of American guests come to visit and find that I’m consistently recommending the same tourism strategies, so let’s get started with a bigun’ that knocks out the bulk of the must-see quintessential London sites.
My suggested Thames Circuit can be picked up at any point and followed clockwise or counter-clockwise with different options along the way…doesn’t really matter to me; it’s your choice! For sake of illustration, however, I will start at Westminster Tube Station.
As you emerge from the Tube, you will be greeted by the most familiar London site ever—Big Ben (well, it’s actually the massive bell that’s inside the clock tower that’s nicknamed Big Ben). Extending beside and behind Big Ben are the houses of Parliament, and if you want to take this opportunity to duck over and see Westminster Abbey as well, by all means go for it. It charges admission, but surely provides a compelling atmosphere and history (and Jeremy Irons is downright delightful to listen to as your audioguide).
Crossing Westminster Bridge will take you to the South Bank, where you can visit the Aquarium, Movieum, or the unmissable London Eye. Continuing Westward along the South Bank will give you a pleasant vantage of the cityscape and river. Eventually, you’ll find yourself approaching the Tate Modern art museum and Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre—if it’s the arts that take your fancy, wander through the Tate or take a tour to learn about the original Globe Theatre (or even catch an actual performance in the open-air there as Shakespeare would have intended).
You can continue on from here or perhaps dash across the Millenium Bridge to view St. Paul’s Cathedral up close if its striking image across the water has been tempting you up to this point—its dome continues to tower above the surrounding buildings. Otherwise, continuing on along the South Bank will ultimately bring into view the Tower Bridge (the one that many confuse with London Bridge), another renowned symbol of London. Crossing the bridge here will deliver you unto the gates of the Tower of London, in which you can view the Crown Jewels and medieval weaponry as well as follow a Beefeater tour of the grounds of this former site of imprisonment, torture, and execution, including where Ann Boleyn was beheaded. Just beyond the Tower is a small park atop Tower Hill itself, where the Tower’s prisoners were executed for all to see (and near which you can catch the Tube to your next destination of choice via the Tower Hill station). If you are in no particular rush at this point, you might want to pop into the Hung, Drawn, & Quartered pub if you’re feeling a bit peckish/thirsty or linger at the Tube station for the evening Jack the Ripper tour to explore more of East London and its sordid past.
Keeping on Old Brompton, on your left you’ll eventually see a long brick wall with a blue plaque signifying it as the site of the former home of Beatrix Potter, author of the treasured Peter Rabbit books. A primary school now stands on the site, but you can take a stroll around this neighborhood,
called The Boltons, to get a taste for the affluent residences that have stood there since Beatrix’s time.
Otherwise, if you’re a film buff, if you stay on Old Brompton, walk past Earls 
Court Road and turn left at the next street, 64 Colherne Road is the site of the famous metamorphosis scene in the cult-classic An American Werewolf in London—it’s Nurse Alex’s flat! The scene of a more recent film, Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law, is just a block further West on Old Brompton Road at the Brompton Cemetery. This graveyard is one of the Magnificent Seven located all over London that came into being during the Victorian era to solve the issue of overcrowding in individual churchyards. Almost 40 acres in size, it makes for an atmospheric and peaceful walk and/or sit, and is free, as opposed to its Highgate sister from yesterday’s London Bundle.
…this being because the cinema is located directly above the Fulham Broadway tube station. Ta da!
