The Neal's Yard clock
This cute creation of Andy Plant and Tim Hunkin has been a special feature of Shorts Gardens since the early 80's. The property itself is a Holland and Barrett health shop at the moment. It is a bit sad but the clock does not work properly right now..
At the time when it was in full working order water used to fall down the wall every 60 minutes and thus filling 5 cans, held by the figures at the bottom. All except one water a plant. It is the fifth one that pores water either down on the street either upon your head.
St-Martin-in-the-Fields' Weird Window
Now this is a weird one. The window at St-Martin-in-the-Fields church has one of the most unusual designs I have personally ever seen. Located near Trafalgar Square it was made by Shirazeh Houshiary. Born in Iran he is a former Turner prize nominee. Some say it resembles an basic idea of the space and time continuum, other see nothing than a mere design concept. One thing is for sure - it sure does make a difference from your regular window glass, doesn't it?
A Road Where Cars Drive the Wrong Way?
There a few London roads that actually have cars on the right but surely the Savoy Hotel's is the most peculiar one. And that's not even all! Drivers have to go anticlockwise outside the hotel. Are you peculiar of why it is so? At a certain point in time women sat on the right side of the car, behind the driver's seat. This specific property was designed so all ladies tumble straight into The Savoy without the need to walk around the vehicle.
Brixton Windmill
A windmill is by far not what you expect to see in London, but as a matter of fact there are no less than 6 of those. The Brixton Windmill is almost 200 years old. Built in the distant 1816, it was shut down in 1934 and officially restored 4 years ago in 2011. Now the property inventory has been transformed into a museum and is officially open for the public. Every here and there an property adjudicator inspects the overall condition, since the property is quite old and every here and there it requires extra resources, capital and maintenance.
Samuel Johnson's Cat is Amazing!
Quite few felines have had the honour as Samuel Johnson's cat Hodge has. You could find the statue in front of his property on Gough Square. At the time being, such a passion for a pet wasn't really familiar to the wide public, but that coud not and did not stop Samuel. "I never shall forget the indulgence with which he treated Hodge," James Boswell wrote, "He himself used to go out and buy oysters, lest the servants having that trouble should take a dislike to the poor creature". Check it out on the corner of Philpot Lane. The sculpture represents two mise fighting over a tiny piece of cheese. It has become a crucial part of London's culture inventory.
Sir John Soane's Telephone Box Mausoleum Gives Me the Chills
The K 2 phone box model has long been a symbol of London. One of the creepiest and less known secret spots in the United Kingdom capital is that of Sir John Soane's mausoleum in the churchyard of Old St Pancras. The shape of the tomb inventory was the result direct influence on Giles Gilbert Scott's design for the famous phone booths.
The City's Thinnest Property?
This peculiar building with irregular architecture became a part of the corner of South Terrace and Thurloe Square in Knightbridge a few dacades ago. It narrows to just seven feet and is sure to make visitors do a double-take. Despite its peculiar size and design, it is thought to be worth more than £2m.
The Mandela Way T-34 Tank
This peculiar tank became a part of Bermondsey during the filming of Richard the 3rd in 1995. Afterwards it was sold to Russell Gray - a famous londoner, and it is he, who has installed it where it is today - In between Mandela Way and Pages walk. The property is often repainted and the tank itself is often covered in graffiti.
Have You Ever Heard of London's Narrowest Alley?
The Brydges Place Alley narrows down to 15" and by that is proudly named London's narrowest of them all. Other sightseeing of the same rank are
the Pickering Place (the smallest square), The Dove in Hammersmith (the smallest pub) and St. Ethelburga-the-Virgin in Bishopsgate (the smallest church).
The Kyoto Garden
In a word - home of piece and tranquillity. Located in Holland park, the beautiful japanese-styled garden could be easily missed. It is a gift on behalf Kyoto's Chamber of Commerce, because of the Japanese festival, that happened in 1992.
The York House Nudes
The Naked Ladies form part of a rockery in the gardens of York House in Twickenham. At the time of the Blitz, people feared that moonlight might reflect on the statues and help the Luftwaffe find its way around London, and that's why they had to be coated in "grey sludge".
The Ear of Time Fishlock
The creator of these is called Tim Fishlock.
The eagle-eyed visitor to London could find a few of Tim's ears, located all over London. This Fishlock creation can be found on Floral Street, near Leicester Square.
The Famous 18 Moles in a Jar
Without the shadow of a doubt, one of the most weird and creepy London attractions is located in the Grand Museum of Zoology. The preserved bodies of 18 moles, placed in a jar, are an equivalent of shivers and fear.
They even have their own twitter account! Could you imagine that? Surely this is among the most cruel of public London "secrets".
The Fake Kenwood House Bridge
The beautiful bridge is without a doubt beautiful. You could find it on the banks of Thousand Pound Pond at Kenwood House property in north London. People say it resembles the set of a real theatre stage. It's merely a beautiful decorated white timber facade in a good looking property with regular maintenance.
The Faulty Lions of Trafalgar Square
The famous bronze lions are known to all, but their story isn't. Behind these magnificent sculptures lies a dynamic exciting story.
Sir Edwin Landseer had to finish the sculptures' design in 1858, but the temp of his work was rather slow and for a few years he was simply drawing sketching for the perfect concept. The legend says he was almost living in the London Zoo property, so he could study the exact habits and moves of a real lion are. Some say that Sir Edwin even kept the body of a dead lion within his studio! Only for one to be obtained he had to wait two long years for one of the London Zoo lions to pass away.. Afterwards hard sketching began. Sir Landseer had to draw fast in order to gather as much as details possible before the corpse could rot. The thing is that the artist did not manage to finish his research on lion anatomy and if we look closely, we'll see that the lions in Trafalgar Square have paws with similar properties to those of a cat, rather then to those a real lion.
The sculptures were placed in 1867. Another peculiar fact is that the sphinxs that should guard queen Cleopatra's Needle on Embankment are actually looking in the wrong direction.
Lewisham Micro Library
Without the shadow of a doubt the best micro library in Lewisham! The location of this cousy cabin is on the corner of Tyrwhitt Road, on Loampit Hill. The classic K 2 old school phone box has suffered a major update and now it's the first miniature library in the neighbourhood.
The best thing is - it's free for all! The one rule is to always leave a book, when you borrow one.
It is open both day and night for the all to use! Enjoy but make sure you follow the rules.
The fake 10 Downing Street
Not everybody cant get near the mysterious door these days. That's why we will share an uber ordinary photo of the famous 10. Adam Street, just off The Strand. The bell does not really work and there are at least 10 different people that used the address as a fake one.
In Conclusion.
Without a shadow of a doubt, there are at least a couple of thousands other secret locations, properties and London inventory in general, and all of them lie in the shadows of the unknown, waiting for us to discover them but as we all know one life is simply not enough.
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