London is a city that is chock full of famous landmarks but it seems that many Londoners have never seen many of the sights that tourists flock to the city to see and to be honest we kind of get it.
Running around the city to get from A to B, there isn’t much time to stop and smell the flowers at one of London’s attractions and the hoards of tourists aren’t too appealing either, touristy areas are usually no-go areas or are heavily avoided at best for most Londoners, if possible. However, some of these famous landmarks are pretty famous for a reason and it may come as a surprise which of them most Londoners have never seen.
The survey commissioned by Specsavers of 1,000 adults from the capital has revealed that eight in 10 (78 per cent) had not seen some of its most iconic sights and that 14 per cent had never even seen Big Ben in real life. Three-quarters prefer to stick to the area they know best, while 46 per cent are put off by the idea of having to work their way through crowds of tourists (understandably). While 76 per cent have seen many landmarks from afar, but never queued up to take a look in more detail.
Top 30 London landmarks locals have never seen:
- Highgate Cemetery
- Sky Garden
- Piccadilly Circus
- Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre
- HMS Belfast
- Kew Gardens
- The Millennium Dome
- The Cutty Sark
- The Gherkin
- The Tate Modern
- Notting Hill
- Kensington Palace
- Wembley Stadium
- The Shard
- The National Gallery
- Westminster Abbey
- Harrod’s
- Chinatown
- Camden Town
- St Paul’s Cathedral
- The London Eye
- The British Museum
- The Houses of Parliament
- Buckingham Palace
- Hyde Park
- The Tower of London
- Big Ben
- Trafalgar Square
- Tower Bridge
- Covent Garden
Considering that Londoners don’t seem to be huge fans of many of the capital’s famous landmarks, we’re left to wonder what in fact do we like to do in the city. Well, luckily the study has also revealed that a staggering 71 per cent of locals say it’s the little things in the capital they love most over the big showy typical tourist sights, including the underground, green parks and open spaces as well as the food scene. More than one in ten (13 per cent) say it’s the hidden gems of the city which they appreciate most, whilst one in six (17 per cent) live for the buzz and energy of London, with 87 per cent hugely proud of the capital.
To 10 London sights locals love to see most:
- Local pub
- London at Christmas time
- Local food markets
- Wildlife in the city
- View of the skyline from Primrose Hill
- Sunset at Greenwich or Parliament Hill
- Hampstead Heath
- Empty tube carriage or platform
- Off west-end theatre shows
- Spitalfields Market