← London
FreeLondon

Power, Parks & Palaces: The Royal West End

Stroll the corridors of British power — from Churchill's secret bunker to the gates of Buckingham Palace.

8

stops

11h 3m

estimated time

Includes ~15 min walking between stops. Plan around opening hours.

HistoryArchitectureArt & CultureFaunaFloraGeography & GeologyLegends & LoreFun FactsFood & GastronomyPhotography TipsPractical Info
▶ Start Audio Tour →Navigate in Google Maps

Stops on this tour

Tap any stop to preview its narration before starting.

▌

Westminster Abbey's story begins not with the building you see today, but with a swamp. Around 960 AD, Benedictine monks established a monas


historyarchitectureroyaltyreligionUNESCOmedievalLondon
▌

Picture London in the summer of 1938. The threat of war looms across Europe, and the British government knows it needs somewhere safe to dir


historyWWIILondonmuseumwartimeChurchillWestminster
▌

Imagine this place four hundred and seventy years ago. Not the elegant park you're standing in now, but a squelchy marsh. A hospital for wom


royalhistoricwildlifeLondon landmarkceremonialfree attraction
▌

Stand here and you're looking at one of the world's most famous royal residences, but the building beneath that famous cream-coloured façade


royaltyhistoryarchitecturelondon-iconsgardens
▌

Picture this: it's 1536, and Henry VIII has just seized these 350 acres from Westminster Abbey during his dissolution of the monasteries. Wh


royal parkhistorylakefree speechnaturecentral london
▌

Picture this: it's 1689, and King William III and Queen Mary II are looking for a country retreat from the hustle of London. They don't want


royal-historyarchitecturegardensqueen-victorialondon-residencegeorgian-interiors
▌

Picture April 1881. London is at the height of the Victorian era, and the Natural History Museum opens its doors for the first time. But the


museumnatural historyvictorian architecturepaleontologyfree admissionfamily-friendlyresearch centre
▌

The V&A's story begins not with the museum itself, but with a great dream. In 1851, Prince Albert championed the Great Exhibition at Crystal


museumartdesignvictoriansouth kensingtoncultural institutionfree admission