Despite the Great Fire and the bombings of two world wars - not to mention the need of any great city to constantly rebuild and renew itself - there are many remnants of an older London to be seen, apart from the royal palaces and the Tower of London.
St Bartholomew the Great
Reputedly haunted, London’s oldest parish church - and the most complete Norman one - dates back to 1123. The medieval baptismal font is unique and the Tudor details (such as the gate and memorials) are familiar from several films.
Little Britain EC1
Tube: Barbican/Farringdon
Sutton House
The Georgian alterations belie the Tudor inheritance of this manor house, dating back to 1535. The carved fireplaces are original and the kitchen is an authentic Tudor experience. There are also rare wall paintings of the Jacobean era.
2-4 Homerton High Street E9
Tel: +44 (0)20 8986 2264
Tube: Leyton
The Temple Church
Dating back to 1170-1185, this church was built in the round in tribute to Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre. There are effigies of nine crusading knights in full armour that span the 12th, 13th and 14th centuries.
King's Bench Walk at Inner Temple Lane EC4
Tel: +44 (0)20 7797 8250
Tube: Temple/Faringdon
Middle Temple
Built in 1563, this hall was used for banquets and plays and, in 1601, Shakespeare's Twelfth Night was first performed here for Queen Elizabeth I. Its history is linked to the English legal system and it was the headquarters of the Knights Templar until 1312.
Middle Temple Lane EC4
Tube: Temple/Faringdon
Charterhouse
A monastery in 1370, then a school by 1611, with housing for poor gentlemen, Charterhouse was immortalised by ex-resident William Thackeray in one of his books. Stroll the courtyards and soak in the Tudor atmosphere.
Charterhouse Square EC1
Tel: +44 (0)20 7251 5002
Tube: Barbican
The Old Curiosity Shop
This 15th-century shop somehow survived the Great Fire of 1666. Visited by Charles Dickens, who lived locally, its connection to his book of the same name is tenuous, despite its claims. However, it looks the part and is the oldest shop in central London. Now a shoe shop.
13 Portsmouth Street WC2
Tube: Holborn
Any comments - or a suggestion? Please e-mail me.
Old World
