10 UNDER-RATED TOURIST SPOTS IN LONDON WHICH SHOULD NOT BE MISSED

 

London has been one of the most coveted tourist destinations for the majority of travellers and tourists visiting abroad. A couple of days stay in a tour package restricts the tourists to feel the actual pulse of the place. A hurried visit to a few designated spots like Buckingham Palace, Piccadilly, Trafalgar Square, Tower of London, and the London Eye does not give a true picture of the city. London is itself a mixture of history, geography, culture, religion, and whatnot. It is perhaps the easiest place to move without minimum hindrance; despite you are coming from any part of the world.

During my stay in London for seven days, I have tried to cover some of the less-known tourist spots, but with rich historical importance. It does not mean that the less known tourist spots are restricted to ten only. There are many more spots which I covered. I can introduce more spots based on your response and comments.   

My travel was totally on foot, underground and public transport spending time interacting with the local people, searching roads through maps and mobile apps. The under noted tourist spots are generally avoided by any tour operators keeping in consideration the restriction of time and diversion from the main itinerary.

1.  GLOBE THEATRE

Globe Theatre was associated with William Shakespeare. It was originally built by Shakespeare’s playing company, Lord Chamberlain’s Men in 1599. Built on the southern bank of River The Thames, the theatre was reconstructed many times after its closure due to various reasons. The present building was constructed in 1997. The theatre was located in Southwark Borough of London near Millennium Bridge.

2. ROYAL ALBERT HALL

Royal Albert Hall was inaugurated by Queen Victoria in 1871. Located in South Kensington, London it was one of the most treasured and distinctive buildings that had hosted concerts of the leading artists from all over the world. It included rock, pop, ballet, opera, film, orchestra, sports, award ceremonies, and many other performing arts.

 3. SHARD QUARTERS

A seventy-two storied building, highest in the United Kingdom and sixth highest in Europe was inaugurated in 2013, hosting a viewing gallery and an open-air observation deck. It was designed by Italian architect, Renzo Piano, located in Southwark, London; the glass-clad pyramidal structure drew the attention of the visitors as a mega structure.

4. NATIONAL MARITIME MUSEUM

Inaugurated by King George VI, in 1937, located at Greenwich, London, the museum hosted the most important holdings in the world on the history of Britain at sea comprising more than two million items, including maritime art (both British and 17th-century Dutch), cartography, manuscripts including official public records, ship models and plans, scientific and navigational instruments, instruments for time-keeping and astronomy including paintings related to Nelson and Captain Cook.

5. BRITISH LIBRARY

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Located at Euston Road in St. Pancras, the library was inaugurated in 1973; it was designated as the largest library in the world in terms of the number of items catalogued. The library, considered as the seat of research, could accommodate around 1200 persons in its reading room. The items included books, journals, newspapers, magazines, sound and music recordings, patents, databases, maps, stamps, prints, drawings, and manuscripts.

 6. BURLINGTON ARCADE

Opened in 1819, near Burlington Gardens and Piccadilly, it was considered as the oldest covered shopping arcade in London. With a length of 179 meters, the arcade was built to facilitate marketing ease to the ladies of the royal families to avoid busy, dirty, and crime-ridden open street. The market with around 40 outlets presently dealt with clothing, jewelry, footwear, antiques, accessories, etc. The market faced damage due to fire and bombing in the Second World War but was reconstructed and was being treated as a heritage building.

7. HAY MARKET

The nomenclature had been derived as the place was a trading zone of fodder and other farm produce. The products used to come from nearby villages in carts and it was the wholesale market. With the increase in the size of the market, other facilities like eateries, theatre halls, and other utilities grew up around the market. With the increase in human traffic, other types of vices also started in the area thus being marked as a notorious zone. Later, at the end of the seventeenth century, the roads were paved with stones, and tax was levied on the sellers. It created resentment among them and the market was shifted to various places in a sporadic manner. Presently the place, located near Piccadilly, was popular as the theatre district of London.

8.  BOROUGH'S MARKET

The market, probably the oldest, wholesale and retail market was established somewhere in the thirteenth century in Southwark, London adjacent to London Bridge. During the 19th century, it became one of London's most important food markets due to its strategic position near the riverside wharves. Though the wholesale and retail markets were on the same premises,  the operation time of both the markets was different. Along with raw consumables, cooked cuisines were also available in the eating joints within the market.

9. ROYAL GREENWICH OBSERVATORY

Situated on a hillock, overlooking River Thames, the Royal Observatory of Greenwich was famous for Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) as the prime meridian passed through the place. It played an important role historically and supported navigation and astronomy. The observatory started functioning in 1676 with the support of King Charles II and due diligence was observed to calculate the movement of solar bodies and stars for calculation required for navigating water vessels. The worldwide time adjustment was made based on the clock installed in the observatory.

10. WEMBLEY FOOTBALL STADIUM

The largest football stadium in the United Kingdom and the second largest in Europe, with a capacity of 90000 spectators were located in Wembley, London. The stadium had hosted all major football tournaments of Europe as also Olympic Games, remaining witnesses of rising and fall of many star football players. The old stadium was demolished in 2002 and a new structure had been constructed. Rugby, American football, and boxing tournaments had also taken place in the stadium.

Best way to be a real traveller

The underground or tube of London is unique with a network covering the maximum possible destinations. There are public buses connecting all locations but it is suggested to cover on foot as much as possible. The visitors can purchase Oyster Card online and offline which is applicable to all types of transports. It is also suggested to keep underground and city map in the mobile along with the physical form that will help to seek support from other persons.

So, next time when you visit London, explore some of these places to enrich yourself with the history of London.