Historic London Landmarks
Kensal Green Cemetery - Texas Legation
An A-Z of historic or architecturally significant landmarks to visit in London - fascinating historic places that don't easily fit into other categories of our London Heritage Guide but are still well worth seeing.
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: Hotels - Self Catering - Bed
and Breakfasts
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: Hotels - Self Catering - Bed
and Breakfasts
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: Hotels - Self Catering - Bed
and Breakfasts
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: Hotels - Self Catering - Bed
and Breakfasts
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: Hotels - Self Catering - Bed
and Breakfasts
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: Hotels - Self Catering - Bed
and Breakfasts
Beside the prestigious Berry Brothers & Rudd wine merchants in St James is the site of the Texas Legation, established in 1836 by the Republic of Texas to foster close international ties to Britain. A plaque marks the spot where the Legation rented rooms from Berry Brothers.
4 St James Street, Pickering Place London,
Greater London,
England, SW1A 1EG
Heritage Rating:
Nearest: Hotels - Self Catering - Bed
and Breakfasts