Shopping bag:Harrods (ca. 1980)The Strong National Museum of Play
6 cultural nuggets hidden right under your nose (or feet)
London is the world’s most visited tourist destination, with around 30 million foreign visitors descending on the city each year. There’s no reason to skip its most famous spots such as the British Museum or Buckingham Palace, but this big city still has secrets worth discovering. This short list shows just a few of the secret cultural nuggets that are easily missed by the crowds.
Harrod’s “Walking Staircase”
Laden with bags after a long day of shopping, most of us take escalators for granted. But for visitors to Harrod’s department store one Wednesday in November 1898, the “moving staircase” – England’s first escalator – must have seemed something of a technological marvel. Officials were so worried at how shoppers would handle the experience that staff were waiting at the top to offer brandy to traumatized shoppers. They even had smelling salts on hand, to revive any customers for whom the swift (slow) ascent into the clouds (the second floor) caused a fainting fit.
Shopping bag: Harrods (From the collection of The Strong National Museum of Play)
Mark Wallinger’s Labyrinth
Known for works offering a subtle commentary on Britain’s political state, artist Mark Wallinger was chosen for the monumental work of art which commemorated the London Underground’s 150th birthday.
The 270 unique “labyrinths” – one for each of London’s tube stations – are made of vitreous enamel, which along with their small size and round shape (reminiscent of the London Underground’s own logo) enable the pieces to blend in with other signage in the Underground stations where they are found.
Brown's (Mr G.A. Brown) (1993) by Mark WallingerBritish Council
Brown’s (Mr G.A. Brown), by Mark Wallinger, 1993 (From the collection of British Council)
Freud’s Favorite Baboon
Imagine Freud at his desk, contemplating great truths about the workings of the human mind. You probably didn’t picture a small marble baboon sitting by his side, did you? The Baboon of Thoth is one of several dozen statuettes which adorn the desk at the Freud museum where Freud would often be found by his housekeeper thoughtfully stroking the baboon’s head as he pondered.
Why was the baboon his favorite? We can only guess, but we know is that it represents Thoth, an important deity in ancient Egypt, known as the patron of knowledge, writing and healing — making this little monkey an ideal muse for the great psychoanalyst.
Statuette of the god Thoth in the form of Baboon (-0030/0300) by Egyptian, Roman Period and Photographer: Ardon Bar-HamaFreud Museum London
Statuette of the god Thoth in the form of Baboon, Egyptian, Roman Period and Photographer: Ardon Bar-Hama (From the collection of Freud Museum London)
Also on display in the London Freud Museum is the famous rug covered couch where his patients would lay.
Sigmund Freud's Study (2015)Freud Museum London
Sigmund Freud’s Study (From the collection of Sigmund Freud Museum)
Churchill War Rooms
“This is the room from which I will direct the war”, proclaimed Winston Churchill on his first visit to the Cabinet War Rooms in May 1940, which, given that the rooms were built for this express purpose, seemed to be stating the obvious. However, history tells us that this is not always such a bad idea. Throughout the war, the existence of the war rooms was a great secret: German newspapers from the period show no mention of them. This could be due to the ingenious code name given to the rooms: “No. 2 Storey’s Gate” - the premises’ actual address. Inspired indeed.
Winston Churchill (1944-08-02) by British Government10 Downing Street
Winston Churchill, British Government, 1944-08-02 (From the collection of 10 Downing Street)
Bansky’s Brick Lane “Ad”
Banksy has been decorating the streets of Britain for more than a decade, with works reflecting many political and social themes: anti-war, anti-imperialism, and here, it seems, anti-consumerism. After this piece was stolen in 2007, the “Banksy” part of the sign allegedly showed up at an exhibition in Covent Garden, among numerous other “architectural” (read: stolen) pieces. What does the idea of a room full of people perusing an exhibition of “repurposed” works with a view to buying one for themselves tell us about consumerism? Quite possibly, everything the artist intended.
Mural by Banksy by BanksyGlobal Street Art Foundation
Pierre Vivant’s Traffic Light Tree
There’s a reason that the London Plane is the most common tree in London: its hardiness and ability to thrive even amid the inevitable pollution and fumes of a big city. Pierre Vivant’s Traffic Light Tree made up of 75 sets of traffic lights, each programmed to its own cycle, is clearly meant to blend in with the London Planes that surround it, while the constantly changing lights represent the hustle and bustle of London’s nearby financial district. Though the sculpture has now moved to a spot near Billingsgate Market in Poplar, the tree’s addition to its original location earned it the title of “Britain’s favorite roundabout”.
Wilton’s Music Hall
Starting life as five houses in the 1690s, Wilton's Music Hall has gone through numerous transformations over the 300 years since then. By 1850, when it was bought by John Wilton, the largest of the houses was an ale house with a music hall attached. bought by John Wilton (Wilton later expanded the premises). Over the years, Wilton has been a Methodist Hall (from 1888 to 1956, when wartime bombing meant that the congregation had shrunk significantly), a warehouse, and a warehouse, before being left derelict for thirty years. Since the 1990s, however, Wilton's has been a thriving venue once more.
Wilton's Hall (2015-09-07) by Hélène BinetWilton's Music Hall
Wilton's Hall, Hélène Binet, 2015-09-07 (From the collection of Wilton's Music Hall)
Alexandra Palace Theatre
Lovingly known as “Ally Pally” by locals, Alexandra Palace Theatre was opened in 1875, when it was seen as a “marvel of Victorian engineering” due to the use of special effects such as actors flying about the stage and disappearing through the floor. The venue has also been used, among other things, as a cinema, showing films regularly from only three years after the Lumiere brothers first films in Paris. Due to competition from the theatres of the West End, the theatre sadly closed to the public for 80 years, reopening in 2018 following a 6-year £27-million restoration.
Alexandra Palace Theatre (2014-09-08)Alexandra Palace
Alexandra Palace Theatre (From the collection of Alexandra Palace)
With over 200 museums and around the same number of theaters, not to mention thousands of music venues, cultural spaces and galleries, there’s no doubt that London is a hotbed of culture, and visitors will never be short of something to do in the city’s capital. But if you want to escape the crowds and see something a little different, dig a little deeper, and discover some of London’s best kept cultural secrets.
Explore more:
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