Architecture, heritage and museums

The Blewcoat School was built in 1709 by William Green, a local brewer, to give poor children a decent education. With a single classroom, the building operated as a school until 1926, and it is now home to a charming National Trust Gift Shop. 23 Caxton Street, SW1H 0PY, 020 7222 2877, www.nationaltrust.org.uk, open all year 10am-5.30pm. Closed on Bank Holidays. read less

The War Rooms were constructed in 1938 for use during World War II. Built as a bunker, the facility was equipped with a steel-reinforced ‘roof’ and Winston Churchill regularly held his War Cabinet meetings here. Many of the rooms remain almost exactly as they were left in 1945 when the War Rooms ceased to be used. Clive Steps, King Charles Street, SW1A 2AQ, open daily 9.30am-6pm. Last admission 5pm except 24, 25, 26 December, 020 7930 6961, www.cwr.iwm.org.uk read less

The Royal Horticultural Society’s Lindley Library is considered to be the best gardening library in the world, full of journals, drawings and specialist archives; an absolute must for all gardening enthusiasts.Lindley Library, 80 Vincent Square, SW1P 2PE, 020 7821 3050, library.london@rhs.org.uk, www.rhs.org.uk/About-Us/RHS-Lindley-Library, Mon-Friday 10am-5pm excluding Bank Holidays. read less

The Old Westminster Library is an imposing historic Grade II listed building, which first opened to the public in 1893. It is now home to the award winning restaurant The Cinnamon Club, which offers a unique dining experience in the elegance of the old library. The Old Westminster Library, 30-32 Great Smith Street, SW1P 3BU, 020 7222 2555, www.cinnamonclub.com read less

This building housed one of the first public baths and laundries in London, providing local residents with a place to bathe and wash their clothes. The baths were designed by Price Pritchard Baly and built in 1850, complete with water chute, ferns and plants. The original façade still remains and it is now home to the Abbey Centre which is open to the public for community and conferencing facilities and has a café (open Mon-Fri). Some of the Abbey Centre members still remember their trips to the original Wash House and Baths! The Abbey Centre, 34 Great Smith Street, SW1P 3BU, 020 7222 0303, www.theabbeycentre.org.uk read less

Once the home of the Royal Family, the Palace of Westminster is now home to the British Government. It consists of the House of Commons, the House of Lords and one of London’s most famous landmarks the Clock Tower (more popularly known as Big Ben). Parliament is open to all; to watch Government in full swing, tour the building or climb the clock tower. www.parliament.uk read less

Westminster Abbey is one of the most important Gothic buildings in the country and home to a treasure of paintings, stained glass, pavements and textiles. The present Abbey was founded by Henry III in 1245, and some of the most significant people in history are now buried in its grounds. Westminster Abbey, SW1P 3PA, 020 7654 4834, Mon-Friday 9.30am-4.30pm (last admission 3.30pm) Saturday 9.30am-2.30pm (last admission 1.30pm) Sunday worship only. No tourist visiting. www.westminster-abbey.org read less

People heading down Victoria Street on the well-trodden route to more famous sites are astonished to come across a piazza openingup the view to an extraordinary facade of towers, balconies and domes. The Byzantine architecture of Westminster Cathedral certainly sets itself apart from other London landmarks. Westminster Cathedral, 42 Francis Street, SW1P 1QW, Service times: 020 7798 9055, www.westminstercathedral.org.uk read less

This is an award winning estate built in the heart of Pimlico. The Lillington Gardens Estate was designed by Darbourne and Darke and is one of the first examples of low-rise, highdensity housing in London. The estates were designated a conservation area in 1990 and parts are Grade II listed. The estate regularly wins the Best Kept Housing section of the Westminster in Bloom competition and has a Green Flag award for excellent management and maintenance, the first in the country to win this. read less

Peabody Trust was founded in 1862 by thephilanthropist George Peabody. Today it owns 18,500 properties across London, including more than 2,000 in South Westminster. Peabody Avenue provides a superb example of Victorian social housing, with impressive architectural design and quality. Peabody Avenue, SW1V 4AX, www.peabody.org.uk read less

Built on the site of the old Millbank Penitentiary behind Tate Britain, this Grade II Estate consists of fifteen beautiful red-brick mansions. When it was built between 1897 and 1902, it had no shared lavatories or sculleries (unlike earlier large housing projects) and courtyards more spacious than the affluent mansion blocks in Victoria. Named after famous artists from the last three hundred years, including Ruskin, Wilkie and Hogarth, the blocks are a tribute to the area’s rich cultural heritage and the Estate’s proximity to Tate Britain. read less