Inspiring Locations

Limehouse marina, photo:  www.luphen.org.uk This East London area suffers from a dual personality. On one side of Commercial Road it's standard East London residential, apart from the striking Hawksmoor church . But cross over to the other side of the main road and you're in an oasis of quiet which feels to me more like a holiday destination than a stretch of London wedged between Wapping and Canary Wharf. The first time I glimpsed Limehouse marina as I chugged past on the DLR I fell in love, and even now my heart soars every time I look at it. Limehouse warehouses from the Thames, photo: www.charleslister.net In addition to the lovely marina which links to the Regent's Canal, Limehouse boasts one of very few surviving early Georgian terraces in London. In the Victorian era seedy, smoggy Limehouse, then a thriving docks and riddled with bawdy houses and opium dens, was also the city's first Chinatown. A pair of dragon sculptures near Westferry DLR celebrate...

The main ballroom at the Rivoli. Photo: http://rivolilondon.com/ The Rivoli Ballroom in Brockley is a real hidden find; even when standing directly outside it you have no idea of how special it is inside. From the street the building looks shabby an unassuming, but inside is a beautiful 1950s ballroom complete with a proper sprung wood dance floor, red velour on the walls and dozens of chandeliers and chinese lanterns hanging from the ceiling. It's super-kitch and oh-so beautiful. Tucked away off to one side is a long 'booth' bar room with friendly staff and the feel of an old university college bar or even a railway buffet car. There's another 'lounge' bar and an old-school ladies 'powder room' with plenty of room for a girlie hang out, plus another 'gold' ballroom with a ceiling made to look as if it's covered in old paintings which can be hired but isn't used for normal events as far as I can tell. In keeping with the 1950s them...

Brockley Jack Theatre and pub The Brockley Jack Theatre , attached to a pub (with pretty decent food - don't be put off by the website!) is a friendly intimate studio space in South East London. They show a diverse range of film, comedy and theatre on a regular basis and they even run an annual new writing festival for aspiring playwrights. The theatre seats a maximum of 50 people on some of the comfiest venue seats I've ever experienced (although note that there are some padded benches at the back), and because the room is small and the rake of the seats is good, there isn't a bad spot in the house. Planning a trip: Crofton Park is the nearest station and is just a couple of minutes walk away while buses 122, 171, 172 and the P4 stop almost outside. Otherwise there's plenty of parking in the surrounding streets. Grab a bite to eat in the pub before a show and have a chat with the super-friendly staff while you are there.

Entrance to the Bussey Building, photo: Curatedmag.com The CLF Art Cafe , also known as The Bussey Building, in Peckham is quite a revelation. Tucked down a narrow alleyway off Rye Lane is a dinky courtyard facing a big old door surrounded by some pretty cool graffiti. Slip inside however and you are in a funky many-levelled former warehouse (originally built for making cricket bats in the early 20th century). The cafe area is huge and a bit unforgiving when it's empty but once things kick off it's a great room with a bar at one end and a stage area at the other, this is where gigs, comedy sets and exhibitions are often held. Bussey Building/ CLF Art Cafe bar, photo: Mickey Smith Go up a couple of floors and you'll find the theatre space which is connected with the Royal Court Theatre and boasts a jam-packed schedule of new and classic plays by some of the UKs brightest young performers. Head upstairs again and you'll reach the huge roof terrace where openai...

Everyone knows about the views of the city found from Primrose Hill in North London. These are the views of London you see from practically every Brit film ever made. But I have some alternatives for you, and in many ways I think these are better, more intimate and have more soul. Northala Fields, Northolt Northala Fields Firstly, if you’ve ever driven into London on the A40 and spotted four humps of grass near Northolt but never got out of your car, then you’re in for a treat. Northala Fields is odd, really odd, but so so cool. It’s a bit tricky to find the route into the car park from the A40 but once you’re there it’s worth the confusion. Take a stroll up one of the mounds, the route up the highest takes you round in a spiral and you don’t realise just how quickly you’re ascending or how high you are until you suddenly notice that you can no longer hear the roar of the traffic on the main road.  Striking Northala Fields view courtesy of Phil Ermiya T...

Eltham Palace is one of those places you’ve probably never heard of but really should have. Once the childhood home of Henry VII the Palace fell into ruin following the English Civil War but was transformed into the most incredible Art Deco mansion in the 1930s by millionaire couple Stephen and Virginia Courtauld (of the famous family of art patrons). From the outside the Palace looks like it is half church and half a traditional mansion, it’s only when you step inside that you realise quite how special this place is. The chic circular entrance hall is one of the most arresting spaces I’ve seen; with it’s 1930s furniture, wood paneled walls featuring a Roman soldier and a Viking the room is topped off by an enormous glass domed ceiling through which dappled light streams even on the gloomiest days. Leading off the entrance hall are several similarly striking Art Deco rooms and a pair of curved staircases for making the most glamorous of entrances like a true Hollywood...

Looking for an alternative tourist location in London which even the locals barely know about? One of my favourite quirky places in the capital can be found in zone three, on top of a hill in the gorgeously green south of the city. Barely on the map in the 1850s until the incredible glass building from the Great Exhibition was moved to the area, Crystal Palace is now a funky little area with some seriously astounding views over London and out towards Surrey. However my favourite part is tucked away in a corner of the rather lovely Crystal Palace Park. Find the right spot, follow the trail and you are whisked back in time to the dawn of the dinosaurs! So here's how this happened: Around the time of the Great Exhibition fossil-mania abounded and dinosaurs were in vogue. When the Crystal Palace was moved from Earls Court after the Exhibition to its new home in South London the world’s first ‘theme park’ was created around it to entice visitors. And what could be m...