15 places in London that don't feel like London
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One of the great things about a city as sprawling and diverse as London is that it doesn’t always look or feel like London. Here are 15 beautiful spots that’ll whisk you far away – once everything starts reopening.
Barbican Conservatory
Need a break from all the concrete? Try the second biggest conservatory in London (ironically housed in the city’s brutalist playground) for gloriously green and leafy respite. There’s nothing like wandering among more than 1,500 species of plants and trees to banish your urban blues.
Don’t miss: The Arid House and its superbly spiky collection of cacti and succulents
**Address:**Barbican Conservatory, Barbican Centre, Silk Street, London EC2Y 8DS
Telephone: +44 20 7638 8891
Website: barbican.org.uk- English Heritage
Eltham Palace
This marvellous site feels a million miles away from the south-east London suburb that houses it, instead it resembles a royal residence or millionaires’ playground, probably because it’s been both over the centuries. From the incredible Art Deco entrance hall to the luscious gardens (with moat), it offers a new vista everywhere you turn, all of which will make you forget you’re less than 10 miles from central London.
Don’t miss: The intricate oak roof in the aptly named Great Hall – prepare to get a sore neck from staring up.
**Address:**Eltham Palace & Gardens, Court Yard, Eltham, Greenwich, London SE9 5QE
Telephone: +44 20 8294 2548
Website: english-heritage.org.uk - Getty Images
Kyoto Garden in Holland Park
Despite being up there with ‘cats’ and ‘brunch’ in terms of things that are all over social media, this perfectly peaceful space is no less enticing and exotic. Find it at a tranquil time and you can almost believe you’re admiring the blossom, waterfalls and koi carp of a quiet Kyoto garden.
Don’t miss: The resident peacocks happily strutting around
Address: Holland Park, Ilchester Place, London W8 6LU
Website: rbkc.gov.uk - Getty Images
Richmond Park
Spanning 2,500 acres (making it the biggest of London’s Royal Parks) and teeming with wildlife (it’s a designated National Nature Reserve and European Special Area of Conservation), Richmond Park really does feel like a world apart. This is not least because of its famous Isabella Plantation, a 40-acre garden with a ridiculously photogenic collection of evergreen Japanese kurume azaleas.
**Don’t miss:**The park’s most famous residents – its 600-plus deer – who always make everything seem a little better when you catch sight of them
Address: Richmond Park, London TW10 5HS
Website: royalparks.org.uk
- Alamy
Eel Pie Island
A short footbridge over the Thames is all that separates this island from the Twickenham ‘mainland’, but it’s a very different place indeed. The Eel Pie Island Hotel that hosted the likes of The Rolling Stones and The Who back in the 1960s may be long gone, but the area is still crammed with colourful, ramshackle artists’ studios and wild greenery, hinting at its history as a bohemian hideaway.
Don’t miss: The twice-yearly open-studios days, so you can nose around the artists’ workplaces – and purchase some of their work
Address: Eel Pie Island, Twickenham, London TW1 3DY
Website: eelpieislandartists.co.uk - Getty Images
BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir
Not only was this functioning Hindu temple hand-carved in India before being constructed in London, it also uses 5,000 tons of Italian and Indian marble and Bulgarian limestone – and the result is just as captivating as you’d expect. It’s a magnificent building with a fascinating history, and also offers a valuable insight into traditional Hindu practices.
Don’t miss: The reception foyer, with its exquisitely carved wooden columns and panels
Address: BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, 105-119 Brentfield Road, Neasden, London NW10 8LD
Telephone: +44 20 8965 2651
Website: londonmandir.baps.org - Alamy
Highgate Village
If you’re craving the countryside but can’t face the lack of Wi-Fi, head to Highgate Village for a taste of rural-ish life with all the mod-cons and a transport network (plus A-lister-spotting potential: Kate Moss, Jude Law and Liam Gallagher are all residents). While here, take a stroll on Hampstead Heath, preferably getting your boots muddy before going to the pub.
**Don’t miss:**No trip to Highgate Village is complete without visiting the area’s famous cemetery (the resting place of many well-known names) and the lovely Waterlow Park
Address: N6
Website: highgatesociety.com - Getty Images
St Dunstan in the East
It’s a genuine mystery how this elegantly ruinous church garden is never too crowded, despite being minutes from some of London’s busiest tourist attractions. After the church was damaged by the Fire of London and later in the Blitz, the City of London closed it and transformed the garden. The winding greenery and creepers encircling dramatic stone arches give it a mildly eerie and gothic air, but it’s still a haven of inner-city calm.
Don’t miss: The occasional palm tree, providing a kooky juxtaposition to the gothic vibe
Address: St Dunstan in the East, St Dunstan’s Hill, London EC3R 5DD
Website: cityoflondon.gov.uk
- Getty Images
Crystal Palace Park
Ok, so the much-loved but anatomically dubious dinosaurs aren’t quite realistic enough to make you think you’re back in the Mesozoic era, but add in a maze, sphinx statues, Italian terraces and winding, multi-levelled forest paths, and this sprawling park takes on an eccentric identity all of its own.
**Don’t miss:**The Concert Platform near the upper lake, an eye-catching (and opinion-dividing) slice of modern architecture known locally as ‘the rusty laptop’
**Address:**Crystal Palace Park, Thicket Road, London SE19 2GA
Website: crystalpalacepark.org.uk - Getty Images
Queen’s Wood
There aren’t too many places in London where you can genuinely feel as if you’re out in the wilderness, but Queen’s Wood is one such place. In this ancient woodland thought to date back to prehistoric times, it’s blissfully easy to get lost among the towering trees (including some rarer species) and rugged forest pathways, providing the ultimate escape from urban living.
Don’t miss: Trying to spot one of the three species of woodpecker – you know you’ve escaped properly if you manage it
Address: Queen’s Wood Local Nature Reserve, Muswell Hill Road, London N10
Website: haringey.gov.uk - Alamy
Hampstead Heath Hill Garden and Pergola
Forget the present day and step into an Edwardian garden party by waltzing through this escapist paradise, hidden away in a corner of Hampstead Heath. It’s an enchanting mix of untamed, gorgeous gardens and extravagant architecture – slightly crumbled in places, which just adds to the charm.
Don’t miss: As well as the stunning main attractions, make sure you take in the views across Hampstead Heath on one of of the best walks in London
**Address:**Hampstead Hill Garden and Pergola, London NW3 7EX
Telephone: +44 20 7332 3322
Website: cityoflondon.gov.uk - Getty Images
Little Venice
Enjoy the nautical life – or at least witnessing it from the banks – in this ever-lovely north London enclave, where Regent’s Canal meets the Grand Union Canal. The colourful narrowboats lining the banks give the area a timeless, picture-perfect quality that never fails to lift you out of the hectic London bubble.
Don’t miss: A boat trip, to fully experience the waterways as they were meant to be seen
Address: Little Venice, Blomfield Road, London W9 2PF
Website: canalrivertrust.org.uk
- Alamy
Sir John Soane’s Museum
He may have designed Dulwich Picture Gallery and part of the Bank of England, but celebrated architect John Soane’s greatest work was actually his own home, which he helped transform into the delightfully eccentric museum that still stands today. To saunter through Soane’s hotchpotch of art, antiques, furniture and other oddities is to enter the mind of a highbrow hoarder extraordinaire.
Don’t miss: The Sarcophagus of Egyptian Pharaoh Seti I, located in the dramatic sepulchral chamber
Address: Sir John Soane’s Museum, 13 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London WC2A 3BP
Telephone:+44 20 7405 2107
Website: soane.orgRead about more of the best museums in London
- Will Pryce
Leighton House Museum
From the outside, artist Frederic Leighton’s house looks pleasant enough, but step inside and you’d be forgiven for thinking you’d stepped into a very opulent Tardis. Paintings, sculpture and elaborate architectural design combine to make a truly remarkable venue that gives a glimpse into 19th-century high society, and certainly doesn’t feel like modern-day London – or anywhere else, in fact.
Don’t miss: The awe-inspiring Arab Hall, decked with mosaics of Middle Eastern tiles
**Address:**Leighton House Museum, 12 Holland Park Road, London W14 8LZ
Telephone: +44 20 7602 3316
Website:rbkc.gov.uk - Peter Dazeley
Rivoli Ballroom
First opened in 1913, this wonderful venue, centred around a gleaming maple dancefloor, combines vintage glam with a touch of Shanghai splendour – a far cry from the congested B218 running past it outside. You might even see the ballroom popping up in a Hollywood blockbuster or TV show, such is its aesthetic richness.
Don’t miss: When you’ve finished gazing at the auditorium, head to the main bar, a classy-yet-cosy spot for a cocktail
Address: Rivoli Ballroom, 350 Brockley Road, Crofton Park, London SE4 2BY
Telephone: +44 20 8692 5130
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