by Peggy Tee

Created on: May 10, 2009   Last Updated: August 18, 2009

London's Secret Spots

London is a maze of old, wriggling streets and crooked corners; it is a sprawling city filled with long histories and grand buildings. This is what attracts the hordes of tourists that stream in every year. They snap pictures of Buckingham Palace, wander along the river Thames, throng the British Museum and the National Gallery, check off their Top Ten Attractions lists.

But what about the hidden places of London? These are to be found in narrow alleyways and down cellar steps into low lit bars - virtually impossible to discover if you are a first time visitor. The city is a grand old dame and she does not give up her secrets easily.

Start in the 18th and 19th century, when London's imperial power was at its peak. Immerse yourself in the Dennis Severs House on 18 Folgate Street, near Liverpool Street Station. The house is a still life drama and a journey into another time. There are ten rooms, each furnished in distinct period styles, and arranged just as if the original occupant had left the room a mere minute before you entered. It gives the visitor a sense of walking into a scene from a painting. The attention to detail stirs the senses and inspires the imagination. As you climb up the stairs, the moods, sounds and sights shift, reflecting the changes in London during the early 1900s.

Emerge blinking in the 21st century and catch the underground - or as Londoners call it, the tube - to Tayyabs, 83 Fieldgate Street, located between Aldgate East and Whitechapel stations. Having a curry is a quintessential experience in London, almost as culturally English as fish and chips. Tayyabs is known for its tandoori grilled lamb chops, and the number of local East Enders in the queue attest to its popularity. The restaurant is canteen-style, so there is no requirement for Sunday best. The prices are extremely reasonable and there is a BYO policy with no corkage. If you go without any reservations, be prepared to wait for a table; however service is usually fast and there is a quick turnaround.

In the mad whirl that is Covent Garden, wander away from the tourist strip to find what must be the tiniest bar in the world - Zero Aldwych, so named because it is so small it doesn't even merit a street number. First, look for One Aldwych Hotel. Opposite the hotel is the entrance to the bar, which literally goes through the pavement. Once a men's toilet (whatever will they think of next!), now a jazz bar, this place is a real hidden

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>