There are many places in London that often get overlooked by your typical tour in London. When people picture the sites of London they often think of locations such as Buckingham Palace, Big Ben and London Eye, put there are many other places, statues and landmarks within London that often get looked over. London is a city with an extensive history, and a good private tour in London will make sure that you will become aware of the true London!
Here are a couple of locations, landmarks and statues that no tour to London would be complete without!
The Albert Memorial
Located in Kensington Gardens directly to the north of the Royal Albert Hall, this memorial was originally constructed in 1872 to mark the life of Queen Victoria’s husband Prince Albert who tragically died of typhoid in 1861. The memorial is 176 feet (54 m) tall and took over ten years to complete costing £120,000 (the equivalent of about £10,000,000 in 2010). The seated form of Prince Albert in seen looking in the direction of the Royal Albert Hall, and it’s placed in balance to a further statue of the Prince at the south side of the Royal Albert Hall. This balanced image is said to be in reference to the World’s Fair in which the Prince was a vital part of the development of the “Battle of the Scales”.
Clarence House
The Royal Residence attached to St. James Palace and the current official residence of the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall. Clarence House also served as the official residence for Prince William from 2003 until his marriage in 2011 and for Prince Harry from 2003 until 2012. The house is only open to visitors for 2 months in the Summer so you have to time your Private Tour in London precisely if you wish to see the inside of this beautiful building.
Green Park
Located in Central London, Green Park is one of the Royal Parks of London and covers the space between Hyde Park and St James’s. Park. This park is often overlooked due to the fact that it contains very little memorials and no lakes or buildings. True to its name, the park consists almost entirely of mature trees rising out of turf; the only flowers are naturalized narcissus. However, it has a dark history and is rumoured to be a swampy burial ground for lepers from the nearby hospital at St James’s in the 16th Century.
Make sure that during your tour that you make time for plenty of refreshment breaks and a chance to really enjoy all that London has to offer. Talk to your London private tour operator to find out restaurants and shops that tourists usually do not get to go too! You will be surprised by how much there really is to see and do in London! Be sure to give yourself time to do everything that you really want to, talking with your guide on the best way to fit in all the landmarks you want to see!