Everybody thinks of London as central London: people visit Oxford Street and Buckingham palace over and over again and if they’re feeling particularly brave they may venture out to Tower Bridge and the Tower of London. The same goes for London Property: people search for property in Chelsea, Bayswater and Westminster but tend to neglect the equally charming areas of Islington and Putney. We’ve dug a little deeper to bring you ‘London off the beaten track’ for those of you who are bored with Big Ben and the London Eye.
Chislehurst
Chislehurst in Bromley, South East of London is, historically, a very rich area
and definitely worth a visit if you’re willing to venture off the beaten track. Napoleon Bonaparte died in exile at the present Chislehurst Golf Club (formerly Camden Place) and the area is home to the ancient Chislehurst Caves.
The caves run for 35km under Chislehurst and are, in fact, man-made chalk and flint mines. The earliest evidence of the caves dates back to mining activities in 1250 AD but archaeologists have speculated that ancient druids used the caves before that.
The caves were mined well into the 1800s and in the First World War they were used as an ammunitions depot. In the last 50 years they have become a site for underground rock concerts (both literally and figuratively) and have had the likes of the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix performing there. As such, the caves are not an entirely undiscovered area in London, but you don’t get more off the beaten track than an underground pathway.
You can contact Town and Around on 01372 747831 for a tour through the caves.
Barnes & The London Wetland Centre
Barnes in Richmond upon Thames is somewhat off the beaten track, situated nearly 10 km from central London. Despite this, the area is renowned for its commitment to the environment and the arts.
The London Wetland Centre, which opened in 2000, is an urban project that transformed 100 hectares of small reservoirs into a wetland housing thousands of exotic birds. The area is enjoyed by many as an escape from the built-up parts of London and a place to enjoy walks in nature.
Barnes houses the famous recording studio, Olympic studios, where the Beatles first recorded “All You Need is Love”. Various star-studded theatre productions are performed in Barnes’ Old Sorting Office and the Bull’s Head Pub in Lonsdale Road is known as one of the most important original Jazz venues in London. In addition to its already impressive list of attractions, Barnes is appreciated for its richness of 18th and 19th century buildings that owe their preservation to the fact that Barnes is a little off London’s beaten track.
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