The capital city isn’t particularly covert when it comes to showing off its artistic offerings, is it? There’s something gorgeous or gaudy to gawp at in London at – pretty much – every turn. But some of the city’s artwork is slightly more surreptitious than you might think. There’s plenty of striking street art hidden away inside our big, bright, brilliant city; from tucked-away tunnels to secretive sculptures. In fact, four of the capital’s more clandestine creative landmarks have just been named among the UK’s best hidden artworks – and one of them managed to nab the very top spot.
The best hidden artwork in the UK
London’s legendary Leake Street Tunnel has just been crowned the best hidden artwork in the UK. This shiny new accolade comes courtesy of Betway Casino (because who else, hey?), who recently conducted some research. They analysed 50 of the UK’s hidden works of art; ranking them based on factors including how difficult they are to find, their proximity to major landmarks, their social media engagement, and their overall visitor interest.
Just a hop, skip, and a jump away from Waterloo; Leake Street Tunnel is the 300-metre long graffiti-filled paradise perched directly beneath the tracks of the station. The tunnel attracts a whopping 64,800 annual searches and features in over 81,000 Instagram posts (the highest of all the spots on the list). Whilst Leake Street Tunnel’s ‘hidden score’ was relatively low in comparison to other artworks (just 1.4); it’s most certainly a must-visit for art lovers across the globe. And it’s one of the only places in the capital city where graffiti is completely legal.
The Traffic Light Tree in Canary Wharf earnt itself second place with a hidden score of 4.2, 64,800 annual searches, and 7,240 Instagram post features. Quantum Cloud next to the o2 secured the 4th spot (boasting the highest ‘hidden score’ on the list at 6.8). And Brixton‘s David Bowie mural bagged itself the 9th place.
Not to brag, but it certainly comes as no surprise to us that four London spots managed to earn themselves a place on the list. Last year, the capital city was named the ‘Street Art Capital of the World‘, praised for being a true hub of accessible awe-inspiring artwork.
You’ll find the Leake Street tunnel on – you guessed it, folks – Leake Street. The postcode is SE1 7NN and the nearest station is Waterloo. You can also browse Betway’s full findings here.