The finest views of London

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

The 360 degree view is astounding: You can see right across London to the towers of Canary Wharf, the Crystal Palace masts and everything from the Gherkin to the London Eye, as well as the Shard of course. Turn round slightly and you can see the arch of Wembley Stadium, or gaze towards Heathrow and be mesmerised by the never-ending trail of planes coming in to land. The park has excellent eco credentials as it was built using waste from the old Wembley Stadium and Westfield shopping centre sites. It has been planted with wildflowers and the park contains several small lakes all with the aim of encouraging wildlife.  

Dawson’s Hill, SE22 

This small park, once part of a historic forest and the site of an Iron-Age burial ground, is now a community area with a legendary past. Celtic Queen Boudicca and the indomitable Queen Elizabeth I are both said to have spent time here (separately of course!), feared highwayman Dick Turpin frequented the area and during WWI it was used as a market garden and orchard. Nowadays the wildflowers are slowly returning and this small space certainly feels fairly rugged, but lift your eyes up from the long grasses and lose yourself in the incredible view north across all of London. I don’t think there are many spots in the city (we’re still within the South Circular here so I’m tempted to say ‘within Central London’) where you can see so far or pick out so many landmarks. Tick off Battersea Power Station in the West, Wembley Stadium, the London Eye, all the skyscrapers of The City right round to Canary Wharf in the east. Have fun spotting all manner of other buildings too.

New Year’s Eve and bonfire night both see the park acting as a tremendous viewing platform. The near-perfect views across town towards the river mean it’s an incredible spot from which to watch the fireworks. I’ve taken ever-increasing groups of people here, all of whom have been blown away by the fantastic vantage point, and the festive and welcoming atmosphere of a couple of hundred people celebrating. Bring sparklers and champagne and join the excitement!

It’s pretty tough to find the entrance to this park, my favourite route is via Donkey Alley, the name of which simply makes me smile! The easiest public transport routes are from East Dulwich (overland) or Forest Hill (Overground or overland) then catch a 176 or 185 bus to ‘Upland Road’, alternatively catch the P13 from West Dulwich station (overland). 

Dawson’s Hill is also sometimes known as Dawson Heights Park or Ladlands.

Other great spots:

Crystal Palace view of London

If the two places above don’t float your boat then take a trip to south London and wonder the streets of Crystal Palace. In particular take a stroll down Westow Hill and peek as you pass some of the north-facing side streets. Stunning views of the city, framed by buildings, are your reward. Just bring a jacket as it can get pretty windy on the top of Crystal Palace hill!

 

Or, have a cultural moment and visit the Horniman Museum on the borders of Forest Hill and Dulwich. It’s a fantastic mishmash of artifacts including a taxidermy walrus (more in another post!) but the museum also has a great little park on the side of the hill which faces towards central London. Framed by a view of the striking Dawson Heights social housing complex in East Dulwich (the first council ‘estate’ in the UK designed by a woman I believe) you get a cracking vista across London, plus there’s some great kids play equipment in the park which is rather tempting for adults too!