Historic London Landmarks

Overlooking St James Park stands a striking column topped by a statue of Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany, and second son of King George III. The Duke is thought to be the subject of the 'Grand Old Duke of York' nursery rhyme. The column was designed by Benjamin Wyatt and erected in 1834.
Waterloo Place, London, Greater London, England

Heritage Rating:

Heritage Highlight: Excellent example of 19th-century classical architecture
Nearest: Self Catering

In the centre of Piccadilly Circus stands one of London's most famous landmarks; the statue of a winged god popularly called Eros, the Greek god of love. It is actually his twin brother, Anteros, and was designed to top a memorial fountain commemorating the great Victorian philanthropist, the 7th Earl of Shaftesbury.
Piccadilly Circus, London, Greater London, England, W1J 9HS

Heritage Rating:

Heritage Highlight: Perhaps the most famous sculpture in London
Nearest: Self Catering

This gilded statue of a cherub, set into the side of a building, marks the furthest extent of the Great Fire of London in 1666. Aside from the historical significance of the Golden Boy, what really makes the statue fascinating are the inscriptions that are carved below it.
Giltspur Street, London, Greater London, England, EC1A 9DD

Heritage Rating:

Heritage Highlight: A reminder of the damage wrought by the Great Fire
Photos of Golden Boy of Pye Corner
Nearest: Self Catering

A historic Victorian cemetery in the north London suburb of Highgate. Several luminaries are buried at Highgate, notably Karl Marx, founder of communism, whose rather grand memorial is a popular attraction for followers of his writings.
Swain's Lane, Highgate London, Greater London, England, N6 6PJ

Heritage Rating:

Heritage Highlight: Karl Marx is only one of many notable people buried here
Nearest: Self Catering

Kensal Green Cemetery was opened in 1833 and is the oldest of London's 'Magnificent Seven' garden cemeteries. It holds the graves of 650 titled nobles and 550 people listed in the Dictionary of National Biography. Among those buried here are the engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel and the writer William Makepeace Thackeray.
Harrow Road, London, Greater London, England, W10 4RA

Attraction Type: Landmark - Cemetery
Heritage Rating:

Heritage Highlight: The oldest of London's garden cemeteries
Nearest: Self Catering

In the south-west corner of Greenwich Park stand the remains of an early 19th-century plunge bath, all that is left of Montague House, the former home of Princess Caroline (later the Queen consort), the estranged wife of the Prince Regent (who became George IV). Her lifestyle at Montague led to a 'Delicate Investigation' into the Princess' conduct.
Greenwich Park, London, Greater London, England

Heritage Rating:

Heritage Highlight: The last vestige of historic Montague House
Nearest: Self Catering

Opposite the Ministry of Defence building on Victoria Embankment stands the Royal Air Force Memorial, easily visible by its striking gilded eagle, the symbol of the RAF. The Memorial was unveiled in 1923 by the Prince of Wales to commemorate the men and women of the RAF in WWI, with a later inscription added to remember those who served in WWII.
Victoria Embankment, London, Greater London, England

Attraction Type: Landmark - Memorial
Heritage Rating:

Nearest: Self Catering

Seven roads converge to form Seven Dials, one of London's most interesting neighbourhoods. At the junction of the roads stands the Seven Dials Monument, a replica of the sundial column erected in 1690 by Thomas Neale and sculpted by Edward Pierce. Just to confuse matters, there are six sundial faces on the column, not seven.
Seven Dials, Monmouth Street London, Greater London, England, WC2H 9HA

Heritage Rating:

Nearest: Self Catering

On the Albert Embankment opposite Lambeth Palace stands a memorial to the men and women of the Special Operations Executive (SOE), the secret force of agents who operated behind enemy lines in WWII, carrying out sabotage, intelligence gathering and reconnaissance. The memorial is topped by a bust of Violette Szabo, a British/French operative who died in action.
Albert Embankment, Lambeth Palace Road London, Greater London, England, SE1 7EH

Heritage Rating:

Heritage Highlight: The only public memorial to the SOE
Nearest: Self Catering

Temple Bar is the last surviving gateway to the City of London. It used to stand across Fleet Street but is now at the entry to Paternoster Square, behind St Paul's Cathedral. The Bar dates to at least 1293, when it gave access to the area now known as 'Temple', the home of legal London.
Paternoster Square, St Paul's Churchyard London, Greater London, England, EC4M 8AD

Heritage Rating:

Heritage Highlight: The last surviving city gate of old London
Photos of Temple Bar
Nearest: Self Catering