What ostensibly looks like a shabby greenhouse in an unassuming corner of Avery Hill Park (part of…read moreGreenwich university's Southwood site) reveals, quite literally, an oasis. Said to contain the largest palm tree in Europe, this centrepiece is surrounded by a menagerie of tropical plants and succulents. It's barely a fraction the size of Kew Gardens or the Eden project, but they don't have a prized marble of a reclining Galatea, do they?

This magnificent piece of architecture misses out the most important thing that should be in a…read moreglasshouse: plants! Horticultural knowledge - and perhaps even watering - is much needed at this site. I am amazed that they claim the glasshouse is the second largest in England - what is available for the public is a poorly maintained structure where plants are not at the centrepiece, and is worrying to see how little cared for this site is. Can the University not enthuse its many students to volunteer and help to bring this amazing site to its former glory?

The Queen's House is located near the National Maritime Museum and the Royal Observatory. It is a…read morebeautiful 17th century house that has been home to a number of queens. Again, like most of the London area museums, admission is FREE. We took a self-guided tour of the house. We visited in October (off-season) and the house was not crowded nor did we need tickets in advance. I'd suggest, however, that during the busier summer season you might want to make reservations. The furnishings and art are stunning. The decor is beautiful. We spent about an hour in the Queen's House.

This isn't the name of a gay nightclub just in case you were wondering. This museum is in Greenwich…read morebetween the ferry pier and the Royal Observatory, and it would be a damn shame if you bypass this gorgeous 17th-century Palladian-style manor. Admission is free, so you really have no excuse. It was originally built as a present from King James I to Danish-born Queen Anne. Apparently the king uttered profanities in front of her when he accidentally shot one of his favorite hunting dogs. Wow, she sounds like a real Meghan Markle. Royal guilt must be in the bloodlines. The resulting house has been refurbished many times over, and it's quite nice with each room featuring a dizzying array of art from traditional portraits of Elizabeth I to an arresting Kehinde Wiley painting called "Ship of Fools" (photo: https://yelp.to/u5cl20xBM2). All the furnishings were impressive, but the architecture is what resonates the most starting with the Great Hall with its geometric black-and-white marble flooring. However, the Tulip Staircase was definitely the main attraction. It was the first geometric self-supporting spiral staircase in Britain and quite the architectural statement...don't you agree? (video: https://yelp.to/wjykuYT3IU) RELATED - Exploring London? Here's my collection of places I've visited and reviewed: https://bit.ly/3zFACrx

While visiting England for a few weeks I found out about Crossness by accident. I was googling some…read morehistory sites, and up popped some photos of a beautiful Victorian cast iron fantasyland, a monument to 19th century civil engineering and the the sewers that transformed London from a stinky disease-ridden hellhole to a large and thriving metropolis. I was delighted to score a ticket for one of their guided tours, which are held once a week and seem to sell out fast. The trek from Central London in the morning by tube/train was very easy, and I got a cab for the short distance from the Abbey Wood station. This was well worth the trip. The building dates from the 1860s and was nearly lost to the wrecking ball in the 1950s, but has been lovingly restored by many volunteers who continue to work on maintenance, preservation, and expansion. You enter from a separate gate outside the Thames Water facility, and walk up a ramp to a little volunteer-run small-gauge train shuttle. The pumping station looks somewhat nondescript from the outside (especially as some of its original features were removed/scrapped over the years), but once you walk in, you will discover there's no hyperbole to the website's claim that Crossness is a 'cathedral of engineering' - our current-day public works are so half-a** in comparison. Glorious, lavishly ornate painted ironwork and complex machinery, all to handle poo! We started with a slide presentation and talk, about the Thames, backyard privies/cisterns and cholera outbreaks, the Great Stink of 1858 & the building of the sewers. Then we were split up into groups and guided around the property on a leisurely and thorough tour. Much of the facility has been lovingly restored, as funds permit, and the meticulous attention to detail with matching Victorian paint colors, etc., is commendable. The steam engine wasn't operational when I went, but I can imagine how loud it must be when it's going! The outbuilding that once served as a school for the workers, now contains a number of antique mechanical devices that have been expertly restored, and another is the shop where you can see people working away at metal lathes, etc. There is also an impressive array of antique toilets. This was well worth the side trip out of town and I would definitely go back; it would be a great family trip, or school visit. Anyone who doesn't stop to think about how our cities and civilizations deal with human waste, is missing out. Read "The Big Necessity" by Rose George, and "The Ghost Map" by Stephen Johnson, and visit Crossness Pumping Station. Why Bazalgette doesn't have an enormous statue in London I will never understand.

You wouldn't really put 'sewage' and 'beauty' in the same sentence, would you? Well, you might…read moreafter a trip to Crossness in Abbey Wood. The interior of this Romanesque style Grade 1 listed building looks more like an ornate church than a pumping station, but not without reason, as this served as Victorian London's much-needed sewerage system. The Prince of Wales opened this building in 1865 and claimed to feel the whole floor rumble when he turned on the giant engines (a rumble you can still feel today if you go on a steamer day). These engines are the originals and possibly remain the largest rotative beam engines in the world. Adult entry is £4/£5 on streaming day, children under 16 go free. Crossness has just received a large grant from the National Heritage Fund, so check the website for opening times as they will be by appointment only in 2009.

Neat tunnel that takes you underneath the Thames River. Makes it convenient to cross to the other…read moreside without having to find a bridge or take the ferry. It can be a bit eerie to think that a lot of water is all around you and the only thing separating you from it is a man-made structure. Pretty bare bones so don't expect anything eye catching.

Greenwich Foot Tunnel is a really handy way to cross the river if the DLR isn't running for any…read morereason - it's classed as a public highway so it's kept open 24 hours a day. It's also part of the National Cycle Network but you're not allowed to ride your bike through it - cyclists are supposed to get off and push. The lifts at either end are operated by attendants and only open between 7am and 7pm. There's no guarantee that they'll be working when you go through though - especially if you happen to be carrying a lot of heavy shopping! As for safety, I've walked through there at all hours and never felt threatened or unsafe. There are a few CCTV cameras and most of the time there'll be at least a couple of other people down there with you.

The view from the Royal Observatory made it worth climbing the hill. The Prime Meridian is a brass…read moreband in the pavement showing the divider between the eastern and western hemispheres. To see the line up close requires paying an admission fee of about 20 pounds to get into the observatory. We didn't pay the 20 pounds and didn't get our photos taken with one foot in each hemisphere. But the view from just outside the observatory was amazing.

This is where the world gets the correct time from, everywhere sets their time from this post!…read moreThe prime meridian is a line of longitude defined a 0 . You can literally be standing in two different hemispheres, East and west. Definitely a tourist stop, great for photos. It was so much fun,

Read some reviews before going, and found that most were correct…read more Not to sure were the people posting 28/11/2008 went, but there are NO steps anywhere in the Chislehurst Caves. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit and found it exciting and full of information. We also had a lovely meal at the Cafe' pretty reasonably priced as well. Best part I think was it is nice and cold down there. would definitely recommend a visit. Q

This was the first cave tour I've participated in and it was an interesting experience. Getting to…read moreChislehurst Caves is a walk and a half. We took a train there so we had to walk maybe 1.5 miles. We didn't mind as there were a lot of nice "cottages" to look at along the way. We used our London Pass. The cave tour was so fun and very informative. It's super dark in there so they provide a few lamps. Our tour guide was a nice old lady who knew a lot about the cave. She told us a ghost story which fitted the occasion considering it was dark in there. I had to stay close to my bf after that. The cave was also used during WWII for shelter and what was interesting was that a whole community lived underground. They have statues of people in certain areas of the cave which depicts how these people lived there during that time. I got scared a few times of these statues. lol. A stage was also present in one area. Apparently, it was also used as a music venue in the 60's and our tour guide mentioned that Jimi Hendrix performed on that stage. We only visited a small part of the cave, as it is an endless place with many tunnels. If you get lost, I don't think you'd ever get out. The cave was cold, but I live in Hawaii so anything below 70 degrees f is cold. Bring a sweater and also walking shoes.

I stayed here with my friend who has spent most of the Covid period in London. He moved here from…read morethe Nottinghill Area looking for a quieter area of London. I asked how he chose this area versus say the London Eye area. He moved in back in spring of 2021. He said he looked around and this was newly developed. The apt building he moved into was beginning to lease units. It's a bit of a hike but not too bad in my book. I'm the ultimate city dweller who appreciates the public transportation life. Canary Wharf is FiDi.2 while City of London is the FiDi of London. Recently adopting a nomadic life, Canary Wharf reminds me most of Chicago.

Business district worthwhile to explore…read more This business area has hidden parks, eateries, waterways integrated into the metal and glass landscape. This whole area is an ode to the modern financial face of London. Ah, there are many faces to this dynamic city.

Other than the Observatory and the Maritime Site Greenwich has many nice homes dating back to…read morebeyond the last century. The Wernher Collection which is based in the Ranger's House is an amazing collection to view.The collection which was started by Sir Julius Wernher the diamond magnate contains a sumptous album of silver,porcelain,paintings,ivories and a spectacle of fine jewels.