An insider guide to London by the Concierges at The Guardsman Hotel

Emirates Airline Experience 

London’s only cable car which crosses the River Thames between Greenwich Peninsula and the Royal Docks, just five minutes from the O2 by North Greenwich Tube station. Cabins arrive every 30 seconds and flights are approximately 10 minutes each way.

After 19:00 each day, flight durations are extended to approximately 25 minutes (12-13 minutes each way) so you can enjoy an even more relaxing trip across the Thames. Passengers can fly until 22:00 every day.

Churchill War Rooms

Walk the top-secret corridors and glimpse what life would have been like during the tense days and nights of the Second World War.

Housing the underground nerve centre where the British government directed the Second World War and the award-winning Churchill Museum

St. James’s Park Pelicans

First introduced to the park in 1664 as a gift from the Russian Ambassador, over 40 pelicans have since made the park home. The pelicans are free to roam but rarely stray far from the lake. Look out for the pelicans catching fish from the lake and swimming and preening together.

The Greenwich Foot Tunnel

Deep under the Thames lies a public pathway between the north and south side of the river. Over 4,000 people use this tunnel every day, which adds up to a whopping 1.5 million each year.

When it opened in 1902, it was one of the city’s most impressive engineering achievements – burrowing under the Thames with 370 metres of dead-straight tunnel in line with Sir Alexander Binnie’s design.

It only takes around 5 minutes to walk through the Greenwich Foot Tunnel, but it’s the experience of seeing Victorian engineering up close that makes it so special. There are plenty of things to do and visit either way of the tunnel such as Island Gardens & Millwall Park, the historic sailing ship Cutty Sark and it’s museum and you can also wander over to The National Maritime Museum and The Old Royal Naval College.

Primrose Hill

It is a compact, village-like area of grand Victorian terraces and pastel-coloured Regency townhouses. Its namesake hilltop park has panoramic views over Regent’s Park and the city beyond. Upmarket delis, chic eateries, and boutique fashion stores cluster along Regent’s Park Road, and surrounding streets are dotted with gastropubs and tea rooms. The Regent’s Canal towpath leads to nearby Camden Market.

Lamb & Flag Pub

Great London pubs don’t get much more historic than this. The very first mention of a pub on this site is in 1772, when it was known as The Coopers Arms (the name changed to The Lamb & Flag in 1833).

The building’s brickwork is circa 1958 and conceals what may be an early 18th century frame of a house, replacing the original one built in 1638.

The pub acquired a reputation in the early nineteenth century for staging bare-knuckle prize fights, earning it the nickname ‘The Bucket of Blood,’ and the alleyway beside the pub was the scene of an attack on the poet John Dryden in 1679 by thugs hired by John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester, with whom he had a long-standing conflict.

Sir John Soane’s Museum

The former residence of Sir John Soane, architect of the Bank of England, is one of London’s finest public museums. More than 20,000 architectural drawings and antiquities, including the Egyptian Sarcophagus of Seti, sit alongside works by Turner, Canaletto and Piranesi here, where everything is left in much the way Soane wanted.

Strand Station

Also referred to as Aldwych station, this station is no longer in use but is a key part of London’s history (for instance it was used to protect artwork from museums in London during the war) and although it’s closed now, you might be able to organise a tour if you contact the London Transport Museum

London’s Silver Vaults

Nestled in the heart of London, beneath Chancery Lane, the London Silver Vaults offers the largest retail selection of fine antique and contemporary silver in the world. A unique underground shopping destination, the Vaults originally opened in 1885 as The Chancery Lane Safe Deposit, but soon became also a secure selling place for London’s silver and jewellery dealers. The present building opened in 1953.

The Sky Garden

The Sky Garden is the most exciting addition to London’s skyline and dining scene. As well as being the capital’s highest public garden, it showcases two destination bars and two beautiful restaurants, alongside a range of private hire options for events. Visiting the Sky Garden is free but spaces are limited. Visits must be booked in advance and can be made up to three weeks in advance.

All tips have been provided by the Concierges at the newly opened The Guardsman Hotel in London (Westminster).

 

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