London (United Kingdom): 9 unusual things I discovered about 9 places in London (for 9 types of people)

Last time I was in London was January 2020, just before the chaos of the  Covid pandemic. 

I was looking for things and places that were unusual or that I had never seen in the city: I lived for many years in London and I didn't want to visit the same things again and again.  Actually, I did want to see all those British attractions but with new eyes.

As a matter of fact, if you look at things and places with different eyes, a whole world opens up for you! I was looking for special things and I had them right under my eyes. 

London has places that you may have seen them a thousand times, but they still have something to say!

In just a a weekend I discovered 9 extravagant and special things about 9 spots in London that I loved greatly... recommended for 9 types of people😊. 

Come with me!

NUMBER 1: ADOPT OR BUY A LONDON'S ICONIC RED TELEPHONE KIOSK (IF YOU FEEL NOSTALGIC)

Back in London the first thing I bumped into was the famous London's iconic red phone booth designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott.  

I did not know that the best-known widely spread red  telephone box was simply called K2 meaning "Kiosk nr 2" (actually, the numbers of these red phone boxes went from K1, the prototype, to K6!).

When I used to live in London at the beginning of the nineties they were a familiar sight as people would actually use them. Now with the pervading mobile phones and the digital age, they are a museum thing.  

I found out that they were the result of a British Post Office design competition back in 1924! And did you know that instead of being red they had been designed to be green and blue with a steel look? They were painted red as people had to spot them from afar. 

To let the air in the symbol of the crown at the top of the kiosk was perforated (it didn't seem so in that kiosk ... oh my, what a stink!).

I could not resist and I got in a red phone kiosk in Bayswater, the area where I was staying: a typical thing travellers do as, needless to say, a Londoner would never dare to get in! 

This is something I advise you against doing now: Sir Giles Gilbert's Scott's street phone boxes stink to death, or at least the one I got into! The picture was taken BEFORE getting in: that's why I have a smiling face😀 

Somehow the Brits must have learnt to cope with the smelly issues as today if you are a UK municipality, a country or a bourogh, now you can adopt a kiosk: there is a scheme called "Adopt a kiosk" for the recovery of the abandoned and unused telephone boxes: for example, defibrillators or wi-fi hotspots have been installed inside. 

The production of these iconic booths ended at the end of the eighties, but they are still very much loved and an enduring symbol of traditions and, yes, recently 5 of them were put on sale at quite a price! 45,000 pounds it says!

No matter how obsolete they have become, tourists will continue to love these street symbols of nostalgic communication, and do those things that locals would rather consider annoying: taking snaps in front of them (better not inside!). 

More information: if you want to learn more about the red kiosks there are two fantastic websites: ONE: the telephone box (any FAQs you may have it will be answered); TWO:  visual history of the British tephone box.

Tip: if you visit the churchyard of St Pancras Old Church, you can see the family tomb of Sir Giles Gilbert Scott and wife. Well, it looks like his phone box!

Abandoned London red phone booth: mine was in Bayswater

NUMBER 2: EXPLORE LONDON'S ROYAL GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY (IF YOU HAVE A PIONEERING SPIRIT LIKE DR LIVINGSTONE)

It is one of the most famous jokes in the history of explorations, which has entered the common language as a motto, and has become the symbol of British eccentricity. 

"Doctor Livingstone, I suppose," the British journalist Henry Morton Stanley said in 1871 when meeting in a remote outpost of present-day Tanzania the missionary David Livingstone, who five years earlier had been the first European to see Victoria Falls and then left to discover the source of the Nile, had mysteriously disappeared into thin air. 

The idea that a man bumping into another man in the heart of black Africa would address him with the same formality as a meeting at a Pall Mall gentlemen's club, has always appeared comical to me, but almost normal for an English conversation.

Just like the conversation, behind a normal English red brick building in South Kensington in London, you will certainly pass by the most unusual institution: the Royal Geographical Society. Well, Dr Livingstone's hat (THAT Dr. Livingston) is stored in the Royal Geographical Society.

Since its foundation in 1830 the Royal Geographical Society has carried out the most amazing world explorations, especially in Africa and the Antartica to disseminate and promote geographical knowledge.  

The founding fathers were scientists like Sir Francis Beaufort: the guy who invented the scale to measure the wind knots! Naturalists, geologists and explorers like Charles Darwin, David Livingstone, Robert Falcon Scott and Edmund Hillary: they all were notable members as they ventured in the remotest parts of the globe and some of them became true legends as some died in their expeditions. 

All the materials, more than 2 million objects, gathered during their explorations have been sent to the Royal Geographical Society archives.

I popped into the building as there were free exhibitions that we could access (not now due to Covid-19,

now the Royal Geographical Society events are online and some are free). 

I found this place one of the most extraordinary and eccentric in a way: what fascinates me about the Royal Geographical Society is the idea of a group of people who would discuss what parts of the world to explore, and fund crazy people's expeditions: things like climbing the Everest or leading polar expeditions in the middle of nowhere, sweating and often finding death often included, just for the love of geolocalising new spots!

The Royal Geographical Society stores millions of charts and maps from all over the world drawn in the farthest areas on earth by explorers, some of which have been drawn and never looked at it again. The building is a sort of treasure trove as it stocks amazing artifacts such as Darwin's sextant used during his journey on the HM Beagle to the Galapagos islands; Roald Amundsen's eye piece which was left on the south pole during his expedition. 

You can actually start your intrepid expeditions right from the sofa of your home as they have digitized the most extraordinary archive of world expeditions here.

London's Royal Gepgraphical Society

NUMBER 3: LEARN WHY THE QUEEN'S GUARDS WEAR TALL HATS AND RED COATS WORN MORE THAN 200 YEARS AGO (IF YOU ARE PATRIOTIC)

Raise your hand if you have never watched Changing the Guard at Buckingham Palace! 

Definitely one of those things that tourists tick off their to-do list in London. The typical thing tourists do is provoking the guards by taking selfies and pulling faces but any attempt is in vain and the guards never change their somber face expression.  

However, one of the intriguing things is the guards' bright red uniforms: wonderfully elegant! It seems that instead of being ready for a battle these soldiers are ready for a fashion show already 200 years ago. Yes, their red coat design harks back to the wars with Napoleon! 

These red uniforms worn by the guards at Buckingham Palace certainly must no have passed unnoticed during wars but, it seems, that the idea of ​​dyeing the jacket red was  ... cheaper: it was the color that was found more commonly. 

Others more cynical claim that the red colour would better hide the bloodstains from the battle wounds so that people's morale would not drop. On top, you could distinguish the enemy from your fellow soldier!

And even the tall and bulky hats must not have been very comfortable to wear in battle. Yet their use responded to a very practical reason: to frighten one's enemies! 

The huge military hats called "shakos" are what remains of Napoleon's best troops, the famous French Imperial Guard, the men most loyal to him. 

The story goes that British soldiers took them from the Napoleonic soldiers: after the defeat at Waterloo, the British adopted the famous hat initially worn by the French.

More information: if you want to learn more about the ancient uniforms, you can visit the Guards Museum near Buckingham Palace. There is even the Chapel of the Guards which is open to the public every day.  

Teddy bear dressed in Buckingham Palace uniform at Harrods

NUMBER 4: AVOID DRINKING A BEER AT THE KINGS ARM, THE MOST DANGEROUS PUB IN LONDON (ONLY FOR BRAVE SAILORS!)

In Mayfair we stumbled upon "The Kings Arm", but honestly don't go there: it is one of the most dangerous pubs in London!

This place from mid-1800s has an unusual story: when England needed soldiers to fight in war with the Navy, the state in 1500 recruited new conscripts by sending some state "employees" called press gangs to the pubs who with threats or punishments would track new privates for the service.

The hiring contract was a coin that was slipped into the unfortunate future sailor's drink who would officially "take the king's shilling". A hasty and brutal way of hiring new recruits.

It seems that in this pub, the clientele was targeted by these state thugs who hired the unfortunate men; in fact, the pub was by the River Thames.

This pub dates back to 1890 but this brutal practice disappeared after the Napoleonic wars (1803-1815). Therefore it could not have been this pub. So...? Not this pub, the one that stood in place of this and had been demolished😃

Outdoor Kings Arm Pub sign

Kings Arm Pub hanging sign - detail

NUMBER 5: DISCOVER YOUR INNER SELF AFTER THE BROADWAY MUSICAL "WAITRESS" (ONLY FOR PASSIONATE BAKERS🎂)

I often fall in love with music lyrics and scores, do you?

In London, for example, I fell madly in love with "She used to be mine" from the Broadway musical "Waitress" composed by the American singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles, winner of many Grammy Awards. 

I saw the musical at the Adelphi Theater, but I see that now the musical is touring the world.

The story is how baking pies can help you discover yourself: the plot unfolds around a waitress who loves baking and is stuck in a marriage that makes her unhappy. Her redemption comes when she takes part in a cake contest that helps her to escape from a life without love and that provides her with much recognition and freedom: that of choosing her own life.

One of the best shows I have ever watched at the theatre with lots of hilarious moments and lots of dance. Ah, when I walked in the theatre it really smelled of cinnamon and freshly baked pies! 

Here is the musical trailer.

Waitress at the Adelphi theatre 

NUMBER 6: WATCHING BEHIND-THE-SCENE OF NETFLIX'S THE ONE IN NOTTING HILL (FOR BORING ICT GURUS)

Although Notting Hill has become famous for the pastel-colored houses, Portobello road market, the beautiful cafes, and the independent bookstores... what I noticed was that the place was packed with film crews from Netflix's "The One". 

The new TV series is about the idea that you can find your perfect soulmate by analysing your DNA. I had never seen a film shooting but the idea behind the film series seemed odd to me and...boring: there is nothing more uninteresting than a love story combined through blood chemistry or a computer. 

I want romantic comedies and soap operas back! I want back the boringly romantic  "Notting Hill" film in which you fell in love in front of a blue door or a bookshop. 

Psp...psp: I also looked for the blue door and found it😉!

Film location at Notting Hill for Netflix's series "The One"

NUMBER 7: CLIMB THE MONUMENT OF THE GREAT FIRE TO CHECK THAT THE BLAZE WASN'T THAT BAD AFTER ALL (FOR INSURANCE AGENTS😁)

In London, the Great Fire of 1666 certainly changed the city and Londoners if only because in 7 days it left 100,000 people homeless.  To see how the fire changed London, just climb the Monument which stands there in memory of that disaster.

The blaze broke out in a shop, probably due to carelessness, and is remembered as one of the most catastrophic events of all times in London. Indeed, one of the advantages of having your city burned to the ground was just that you no longer built it in wood. 

During the reconstruction phase, those who built wooden houses, they would have them demolished and forced to rebuild them in brick or stone. 

Another bizarre result of the Great Fire was the creation of ... insurance. After destroying some 15,000 homes, there was a huge amount of disputes that arose to redeem property-related trials after the fire. 

A certain Nicholas Barbon created the first insurance a year after the fire and even those who bought the insurance from him had also the advantage of a newly created private team of firefighters!

Ah, the fun thing is that the fire started in a baker's shop...in Pudding Lane😊!

More information: the Museum of London has a great collection related to the Great Fire.

Monument to the Great Fire of London

NUMBER 8:  WATCHING "I DID NOT WANT TO FILL IN THE SKY" THING COME TRUE  IN THE SHARD (FOR HIGH-FLYING PEOPLE)

Sometimes looking at the great architectural works such as The Shard in London one remains speechless and gets lost in trying to understand what the archistar  wanted to achieve. It is interesting to listen to their interviews when they tell you about their ideas, and you discover that it is much more basic and simpler than you might think.

The idea behind the Shard was to avoid filling up the sky, by building a vertical city with varied spaces: in the Shard there are hotels, restaurants, offices and apartments, all with very different space requirements.

Renzo Piano, the Italian architect who designed it, adopted an attitude, let's say, down-to-earth when he was criticized by the English Heritage who declared that the tower looked like a shard of glass in the heart of ancient London. And what did he call the building? The Shard!

After all, however, the idea behind the Shard is not that simple: 95% is made with recycled material and has a small power plant inside to reduce energy consumption. And can you imagine cleaning all those windows? 11,000 glass panels!

Go up to the panoramic terraces from 68th to 72nd floors on one of the 44 lifts and look around: watching London from above is something exciting and unforgettable.  

The Shard may not fill the sky, but the view from the top will definitely fill up your hearts!

The Shard

The Shard 

Renzo Piano's The Shard

NUMBER 9: CHECK OUT THE WALKIE TALKIE OR THE BUILDING THAT FRIES YOUR CAR (FOR CAR BODY REPAIRERS ONLY!)

Despite the bad reviews that this skyscraper got when it was officially opened (see here the Guardian), in my view you cannot miss the Walkie Talkie, a fabulous building that has the shape of a radio. 

20 Fenchurch Street (this is the real name) is one of those interesting and quirky things to do in London that I simply loved.

It was built by the Uruguayan architect, Rafael Vinoly, as a commercial building, and it is known above all for the wonderful Sky Garden which is considered the highest public park in London! If you are expecting Hyde Park up there don't, but if you like heights and maybe grab a drink or a bite, well there is no shortage of restaurants (neither of crowds).

In 2015 it won an award as the ugliest building in the UK, but I honestly disagree. I find it beautiful in its banality: the architect must have thought more about space than design, for sure. All in all in London there are other buildings with funny nicknames and shapes: shards, suppositories, cheese graters....

If they wanted to create a noticeable building, they succeeded. During the construction it was discovered that if the sun kept beating for two hours a day, the concave glasses made the light converge on points on the street where temperatures reached  91 ° C and 117 ° C in summer. Whatever it hit, it would be set on fire! 

For example, the bodies of many cars in the area melted as reported here by the BBC. For fun, a reporter Jim Waterson fried an egg on the street! The name of the building was changed into "Walkie-Scorchie" and "Fryscraper".  

The Walkie-Talkie behind us

Beautiful Shard

The Shard

The Shard

The Walkie Talkie from the Shard

Us at the Sky Garden

 The Sky Garden offering uninterrupted panoramas across London

The Shard at night

The Shard at night from the Walkie Talkie's Sky Garden

Hope you have enjoyed London (United Kingdom): 9 unusual things I discovered about 9 places in London (for 9 types of people)!

Thanks for reading.

Arrivederci!

MarcoPoloSpirit

Important disclamer:

All of our suggestions, the web links included are ALL unsponsored which means that we include them because we simply loved them but we were not given any benefit to sponsor them. 

We mention restaurants and accomodation that we have booked, paid for and have sounded out.

All the reviews are coming from our personal experience and opinion which may differ completely from other travellers' and we do not take any responsibility for other people's experience.

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