Discover Alone
“Step on a king.”
Westminster Abbey. This place has been hosting kings and queens since 1066, which is a long time to keep a seat warm. Forty monarchs have been crowned in here, and eighteen are buried right under your feet. You are literally walking on royalty, so try not to slip on a Tudor skull. The current building was commissioned by Henry III in 1245, replacing an older church from the 1040s. It is a proper Gothic masterpiece, blending French and English styles in a way that makes your head spin. Elizabeth I made it a royal peculiar in 1559, meaning it answers directly to the sovereign. That is a lot of responsibility for one church. You will see intricate stone carvings and stained glass that have survived centuries of history. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which sounds fancy, but really just means it is special. Look up at the vaulted ceilings and try to ignore the fact that you are standing in a very old, very important building. It is stunning, and if you don’t gasp, you are doing it wrong. Just remember, you are guests here. Act like it.
Photo: Antiquary, CC BY 4.0
Then Tom went looking for the oddest places around it.
Stop 2 · A few steps on
Elizabeth Tower
“Watch out for cracks.”
Elizabeth Tower is the name on the building; Big Ben is the great bell inside. Tom used to call the whole thing Big Ben too, and London has survived his mistake. The clock faces above Parliament still make people stop in their tracks, but the story inside is full of cracked bells, stubborn clockmakers and a staircase that tests the legs. After the old Palace of Westminster burned in 1834, Charles Barry designed the new building with its clock tower; Augustus Pugin helped shape its Gothic detail. The Great Clock began keeping time in 1859, and the bell first rang that July. It cracked, then returned to service after being turned and struck with a lighter hammer. The tower received the name Elizabeth Tower in 2012 for Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee. A major repair finished in 2022, revealing the blue colour intended for the clock dials. Look up at the stonework and the four faces before worrying about the time. The tower is part of a working Parliament, and its chimes have marked celebrations and solemn national moments. Tom would quite like to wind the mechanism once; the clock team would quite rightly hide the key. You can enjoy the exterior from public streets without a ticket. Inside tours are bookable but involve 334 spiral steps and are not step-free; places and eligibility are limited. Check Parliament's current booking and health guidance before choosing a tour. If the climb is unsuitable, a view from Westminster Bridge or Parliament Square still gives you the full performance: the faces, the river and, if your timing is good, the bell.
Recorded as: Heritage attraction.
From OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors) w123557148Photo: Christian David, CC BY-SA 4.0
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Stop 3 · A short walk away
The London Dungeon
“Bring your own lawyer.”
The London Dungeon lurks inside County Hall beside the London Eye, where river views give way to actors and bad endings. This ticketed theatre adventure needs no museum whisper; a costumed actor would interrupt it anyway. The walkthrough uses live performers, sets, sound and smells to bring notorious tales onto the stage. Its cast of characters includes Guy Fawkes and Jack the Ripper, while plague and punishment keep the city busy. The historical themes are real; the conversations and theatrical scares are performances. I cannot promise the judge will be fair, but then a Dungeon judge is hardly likely to award you a medal for good behaviour. Most of the roughly 75-minute tour is spent walking or standing. Expect darkness, loud sounds and occasional jump scares; actors may invite you into the action, though the operator says they will not touch or chase you. The optional Drop Dead ride adds a vertical fall at the end, subject to availability and its height and health restrictions. You can skip it, which is an excellent opportunity to tell everyone you are saving your courage for the stairs. The entrance is at Riverside Building, County Hall, Westminster Bridge Road, a short walk from Waterloo. Opening hours change by date, and the operator recommends booking a timed ticket in advance; check the live calendar before setting off. The recommended age is twelve and up, under-fives cannot enter, and visitors under sixteen need an adult. There is no photography on the main tour. Once daylight returns, the river will look remarkably innocent. Do not trust it for a second.
Recorded as: Heritage attraction.
From OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors) n2250396691Photo: giggel, CC BY 3.0
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Stop 4 · Round the corner
London Transport Museum
“Red buses gossip at night.”
In Covent Garden's old Flower Market, London Transport Museum fills a grand iron-framed building with buses, trains, signs and the journeys that made the city work. Tom says the red buses hold secret meetings at night. Their daytime story is busy enough. The museum follows about two centuries of London travel, from horse-drawn services to the underground railway and familiar red vehicles. Its collection includes machines, maps, posters and the designs that taught millions of people how to cross a growing city. A bus is more than a handsome exhibit here: it represents drivers, mechanics, passengers and streets reshaped around movement. The museum has occupied the former Victorian Flower Market in Covent Garden since 1980, giving its public displays a historic home of their own. Look for a vehicle beside a route map and ask who could afford or manage that journey when the service was new. Those questions make transport history into social history. The museum is in Covent Garden Piazza. Visitors need an annual pass or other valid admission and a booked timed entry, including children whose admission is free. Check the museum's current arrangements before travelling. Start with an early vehicle, then trace one familiar London design toward the present. Some historic vehicles cannot be entered, so follow signs and staff guidance. The separate museum depot at Acton has its own booked visits; a Covent Garden ticket does not mean you can wander into it. Outside, a short walk through the piazza shows how this old market building still serves the city. Tom's bus meeting has adjourned. Climb aboard only where invited, and let the actual journeys carry your imagination across London.
Recorded as: Listed building.
From the Historic England (National Heritage List for England) record 1357360Photo: Chris Allen, CC BY-SA 2.0
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Stop 5 · Hop back in the car, 5 minutes
The Cartoon Museum
“Politicians hate these drawings.”
At 63 Wells Street in Fitzrovia, The Cartoon Museum gives Britain's cheekiest drawings a London address and dares you to keep a straight face. Step inside and the ink starts talking back, from eighteenth-century caricature to comic strips and modern editorial cartoons; I suspect a few old politicians would rather the pictures stayed in a locked drawer. The museum's permanent collection and changing exhibitions show how a few sharp lines can make a grand speech look ridiculous, tell a whole story, or simply land a glorious joke. Its collection holds more than 6,000 original comics and cartoons. That is an awful lot of raised eyebrows, impossible noses and speech bubbles waiting for someone to notice the punchline. Look closely: the smallest detail often does the most damage. There is a serious job beneath the mischief. The Cartoon Art Trust preserves British cartoons, caricatures, comics and animation, and the museum makes them available for enjoyment, research and learning. You can move between work made centuries apart and see artists using humour to argue, tease and question the world around them. If you hear a portrait demanding a lawyer, that is my imagination running away again; the drawings are quite capable of defending themselves. This is a real museum with public admission, so use its current visitor page for tickets and hours before setting off; it normally opens Tuesday to Sunday and closes on Mondays. The address is a short walk from Oxford Circus, Tottenham Court Road or Goodge Street stations. Give yourself time to read the captions, then go back to the drawing that first made you grin. Outside, the city will still be arguing; you will have better ammunition.
Recorded as: Museum.
From OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors) n7261799916Photo: Ewan-M, CC BY-SA 4.0
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The whole day on one map
See everything else around Westminster Abbey →
Over a million places across Ireland and Britain, all free. Explorer Tom has a story for nearly every one.