With nothing better to do I decided to travel to Covent Garden and from there walk to Green Park. It was hot, and with a slight detour for photographs down Godwin Court (possibly one of two locations that inspired the Harry Potter Diagon Alley, the other being Cecil Court, where Watkins Books can be found) I decided to have a swift drink in a favourite haunt, Mr Fogg’s Tavern. If you’ve never been it (and the upstairs Mr Fogg’s Gin Parlour) are fantastic places – bedecked as you would have expected to find a Victorian public house. Except… except it’s only two years old (it opened in 2016). This was in part the seed for this blog.
I found a corner of a table to park my pint (in a proper glass tankard) and started to look through social media. The two people who were also sitting at the table introduced themselves – they were from the outskirts of Paris and had come over for a visit. “Is this a proper English pub?” they asked.
It was a difficult one to answer – but one that led me to an interesting walk. I answered this was as typical as you might expect, but it’s a new pub – and there are many (such as the Lamb and Flag, just around the corner) that have been there in one form or another since the 1600s. We talked about how as a local person you might still discover interesting things about wherever you lived and that I was still finding things in London that would be weird, interesting and cool – but of course I’ve had many years to explore London. We also talked about places like Brick Lane – now a very trendy place and a good location for a curry (like Wembley if you’re prepared to head out to the suburbs)
As I left the pub, I thought about that question – and what do people expect when they visit other countries? After all, people in America don’t all wear cowboy boots and Stetson hats, Canadians don’t all say “eh?” at the end of every sentence… and I’ll stop there before any stereotypes become dodgy. You get my point. Certainly “Londoners” aren’t all cheeky chappies with a whistle and a chimney brush going “awlright, Mary Poppins!”
I started to think about what tourists might expect when they come to London – and how certain areas might pander a little too much. For example – based on the sheer volume of chippies around the Tower of London, Fish and Chips are very much a British thing. Personally, the Golden Union in Poland Street, just off Oxford Street, is probably the best traditional chippy (but there are many, many others that have won awards all around London).
Other things that I would expect people would want to see (and where to see them):
- Policemen with old fashioned hats: I would suggest heading to Baker Street and the infamous 221B Baker Street. There’s a “copper” outside just ready for you to take pictures (I don’t think he’s a real one though)
- Soldiers with big furry hats: for these you’ll need to go the Household Cavalry, just down Whitehall from Trafalgar Square (and just before Downing Street). Small note though: these are REAL soldiers, with proper guns. You can see them at Buckingham Palace, but they’re much further away. The other traditional location is the Tower of London, manned by Beefeaters
- Men with funny Bowler hats: this is probably easier as most of the bigger hotels will have someone outside.
- Big Union Jacks: I’d say the Mall, leading to Buckingham Palace. And if you look up, you’ll see ships on the lampposts – each one representing a ship in Nelson’s fleet.
- London Landmarks: good luck with Big Ben right now as it’s having a makeover, but if you’re in the city, you’ll find them. Some are a little more challenging now, such as the Monument to the Great Fire of London; but they’re still out there… In serious tone, many can be found around the Houses of Parliament and along the Thames (or at least can be seen)
- Pubs and Beer: Londoners have always liked their beer and so public houses aren’t difficult to find; the challenge is finding a GOOD one. I’d avoid the Punch & Judy in Covent Garden – its location is great, but the beer… a little too fizzy for me. Better to go up to the Nags Head by Covent Garden Station, or even better, find the Lamb and Flag (and there’s always Mr Fogg’s). Basically, you could probably throw a stone and find somewhere to get a beer. The other point is that unlike some other countries, pubs in England are social hubs as well as places to drink – they are friendlier!
- River Thames – it’s the very big watery thing that separates the NORF from the SARF (North and South). If you have the time, get the Clipper boat and head up / down – Greenwich is awesome to visit!
- Cricket – sorry old bean but for cricket you will need to head into the leafier areas. We don’t all play it, it isn’t everywhere and like baseball seems to go on FOREVER….
I didn’t even touch on black cabs, London buses, winkles, pie and mash not neither and no how, Cor’ blimey guvnor (and no one says that any more either). The point is that there are many hundreds of books and guides that will lead you round the streets of London. With GPS on phones you’re never really lost – but there are useful map posts all around that can help you get pretty much anywhere in London.
There are the tourist spots – and if you only have a few hours you’re going to head to Hamleys, Liberties, Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly Circus; sadly, though this has become homogenised to be the same as anywhere else. As I overheard someone say about Piccadilly Circus, “it’s like a little Times Square” (Actually, Piccadilly circus was built in 1819, Times Square 1904. So there!). But if you have a little more time, just one street over from all those locations is the better history of London.
I hope that the couple enjoyed their drinks and that their stay in London was a wonderful time. But I just wonder if their perception of London was met – and if they had known what was around the corner that they didn’t go down… but then, when I visit another country, I think it’s the same for me too.
The Black Crane 