Big Ben and the Elizabeth Tower. Tower Bridge and the Tower of London. The London Eye and St Paul’s. Buckingham Palace and The Shard. These are just a few of London’s iconic landmarks, known the world over. But in a city as expansive as London, and with so much history to its name, there is much more to explore. In an effort to find unusual, underappreciated, and under-the-radar spots to explore in the city, I decided to ask Londoners what they think is London’s most underrated landmark.
To do so, I turned to Secret London’s Facebook audience and posed them a question:
“What’s the most underrated London landmark?”
And you guys had well over 250 suggestions of attractions, sights, landmarks, and curiosities to check out in the city. But climbing to the top of the ranking as London’s most underrated landmark was…
Postman’s Park.
And I’m sure some of you are scratching your heads, wondering what on earth that might be. Meanwhile, others will be nodding sagely and muttering to themselves, ‘Ah, yes, a splendid choice – a true hidden treasure in the city.’
Postman’s Park
At first glance, Postman’s Park is simply a cute little park in the middle of the City of London. Visitors can find it just north of St. Paul’s Cathedral. But this charming spot is more than just a pretty place to grab a bench and scoff a Pret during your lunch break.
Postman’s Park is home to a truly heartfelt memorial. Within the site, you’ll find a memorial with plaques dedicated to ‘ordinary’ people who acted heroically. Each one is dedicated to someone who gave their life in an attempt to save someone else.
It’s a memorial that is at once sobering and uplifting. And being able to read the stories of these courageous people is a true privilege.
London’s most underrated landmarks
Now, given that we’re looking for the most underrated landmark, you might expect me to choose the option with the fewest votes. But that would have been impossible. The suggestions included a wealth of landmarks and attractions that no one else mentioned – and even included a few surprises and new discoveries for this Secret London writer!
Instead, we compiled a list of some of the underrated landmarks that received the most mentions or support. So they’re the most underrated landmarks – you get it.
In no particular order, these are London’s most underrated landmarks:
- The York Watergate
- Middle Temple Library
- The Roman Amphitheatre and Undercroft
- Cabinet War Rooms
- Battle of Britain Monument
- Crystal Palace Dinosaurs
- BT Tower
- Michelin House
- Tyburn Tree Marker
- Cleopatra’s Needle
- Battersea Power Station
- The London Stone
- St Dunstan in the East
- Southwark Cathedral
- Westminster Cathedral
- The Neasden Temple
- Highgate Cemetery & the grave of Karl Marx
- Leighton House
Silly London landmarks
Naturally, since everyone loves a bit of silliness on Facebook, there were more than a few tongue-in-cheek responses that didn’t quite make the cut. According to some comment comedians, London’s most underrated landmarks also include the likes of:
- M&M World
- Brixton McDonald’s
- Aberdeen Angus Steakhouse
- East Croydon station
- Camden Town station aka the Camden escape room
Needless to say, they weren’t necessarily included in the ranking…
