Secrets of London

Flamingoes on rooftops, East End alleys blooming with florals and underground dripping labyrinths of art are just some of the secrets up the sleeve of one of the most visited cities in the world.

At Shoreditch House you will find London’s most glamorous roof-top pool. And if you don’t fancy a dip you can sip whiskey when it rains and cocktails when it shines on the candy-striped beach chairs. If you would rather a flamingo with your rooftop, head to Kensington Roof Gardens. Owned by Richard Branson, the roof garden contains a collection of water birds including three flamingoes. A slice of the exotic in downtown Kensington can come with a cocktail or dinner at the acclaimed Babylon restaurant which overlooks the gardens.

Speaking of rooftops, Coq d’Argent in Bank has a garden that looks over London’s financial district and is one of the best secrets of the suited and booted. Drink prices are steep but the altitude is worth it. While you’re in the official city of London, take a moment to stumble upon St Dunstan’s in the East, a sight you would expect to find on the moors of Ireland. The ruins of a medieval church have been commandeered by green and are sandwiched between drab office blocks. Ferns grow in sandstone cracks and branches droop through windows that would have once held stained glass scenes. From above ground to below it, Cellar Door is one of the smallest bars in the world, and sits in what was an underground toilet.

The tube may be the most famous underground establishment, but it is not the only one. Take backstreets away from Victoria station to delve below at the Old Vic Tunnels. These musty, echoing labyrinths house subversive installation art as well as a fabulous – albeit unexpected – bar that has battered leather couches and industrial paint splintering off brick walls.

From darkness to light, did you know that London has an area called little Venice? Complete with canal boats and flower pots, it feels more like Amsterdam than Venice, but the name has stuck. Spend the night there at The Colonnade, a boutique Victorian hotel that has been frequented by Sigmund Freud and John F Kennedy.

COCKNEY CASHPOINTS

“Some moolah for ya sky rocket?” If you find your cash machine screen reading gibberish like that, congratulations, you have just stumbled across one of London’s most entertaining secrets. Five ATM’s with a cockney language option are making those who eat jellied eels for tea all the more at home. With options such as “Balance on Charlie Sheen” (screen) and “Huckleberry Finn change” (PIN), this is no humdrum transaction. Rumour has it that these special ATM’s are found on Commercial Road and Roman Road – both in East London.

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