Quirky London tourist attractions

[Subeccoo]

Hey all
I know London very well and usually only visit family there but my 16 yo ds and I have a few days there next week and we want to do some stuff.
We've done all the usual tourist stuff, so looking for some hidden gems?!
DS loves anything geeky. He's obsessed with Japanese culture too. Art is good, museums if they're really engaging... Anything goes really!
Anyone got any good ones?

One of my favourite stories and forgotten plaque. Easy to fit in of you are in the area.
www.science20.com/florilegium/blog/imperial_units_length_melt_parliament_burns_science_trafalgar_square_london

Definitely recommend the Ghost Bus Tour gir that age group. My lot loved it!

I agree with poster who said Tooting not really appropriate: it's a long way to go for a day-trip. But the food thing is true.

I think you're right - It's more for Londoners, though, who have more days to spare.

Thing is, we get so many of these threads from people, asking for off-the-beaten track suggestions!

I am trying!

sorry thecat hope it didn't come across rude.

and yes good food

No, paeporohl, it's a long way to go if you have limited time.
Great food but ... there's a reason it's off the tourist route!

👍🏼

If he's into Japanese stuff check out Forbidden Planet, they sell lots of Manga/anime etc

Also for quirky food Yolkin ice cream off Leicester Sq is super cute

Ds2 loved highgate cemetery and it has art just now- phyllida barlow.

Yayoi kusama at tate Britain is booked up but there's an exhibition with 'bitten peach' in the title that ds2 loved.

@MayContainNits

Museum of the Home (was the Geffrye Musuem) in the East End - a row of almshouses which has been divided into room sets, showing how domestic life has changed from the Tudor period until now.

My absolute fave. Combine in with a Turkish meal and a pint in the Prince George.

Petrie museum is fascinating.

Then just round the corner is the Grant Museum of Zoology - which is small but mighty.

On the way between the two you could check out Jeremy Benthams auto-icon (if it's still on display)

@BarbaraofSeville

Has anyone been to the Canal Museum? I saw a sign pointing towards it from Kings Cross once and was intrigued.

Certainly around here (Yorkshire), there's a lot of history surrounding the building of the canals, but it's likely that the tunnelling that was required through the hills here made it a much more arduous undertaking.

DH and I went to the Canal Museum as we had some time to kill while DD was at an event nearby, a few years ago. We found it only very mildly interesting. It's very small and there's not much to see. The whole of the first floor was just chairs in front of a screen playing a film about canal history. We almost fell asleep watching it, and it played more than once! Like I said, we had time to kill and it was raining outside

The Canal Museum is on our list of worst museums, as is the Postal museum with its terrible underground Mail Rail where you get shouted at if you accidentally lean on the side of the teeny tiny cabin youve been squeezed into.
Again this was a few years ago so may have changed.

www.rcseng.ac.uk/about-the-rcs/support-our-work/funding-heritage/hunterian-museum/
I see someone mentioned this museum, but it’s worth a link too - very interesting and dc fascinated.

If you’re around Leicester Square after 4pm it’s worth having a quick look in the church of Notre Dame de France. It’s a French church with murals by French artist Jean Cocteau, who was allegedly one of the Knights Templar. It’s a circular cast iron church and the murals contain several unusual elements such as a black sun in the sky. Before it became a church it was a Panorama, a type of Georgian entertainment which involved massive circular paintings that people could walk inside. It doesn’t take long to have a look but it’s very interesting and unusual.

Market Halls for food - they have branches in Victoria, Fulham & Oxford Street www.markethalls.co.uk Would recommend the Malaysian food and in particular Roti kanai

Also Eataly right next to Liverpool St Station www.eataly.co.uk

My Teen DC got taken to the Churchill War rooms the other day which they loved by their DGPs

I had no idea it even existed. They said parts of it were interactive.

Camden Market.

Wellcome gallery

Shoreditch

Brixton

The cable cars Emirates air line

Greenwich

The Horniman Museum, home to London’s most famous walrus - or too far out?

Wandering around Brixton market is quite interesting food wise. brixtonmarket.net/market-times/

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/london.eater.com/platform/amp/maps/best-restaurants-brixton

The Golden Hinde. It's a reproduction obviously but they can tell you do much about what life was like on ship. So cramped. We found it fascinating.
And it's close to Borough Market too.
As a pp said, the ghost bus is fun: we combined with a trip to London Dungeon on the same day.

The London Underground Tour and the London Transport Museum’s Hidden London Tour look fascinating.

So many ideas, thanks all!! I've a huge list, we've done a lot of what's been suggested but got some new ideas now 😁
In particular anything Japan related is at the top, he will love all of it, with obviously some good sushi consumed too 🍣😁

[quote SoupDragon]I came cross this and earmarked it for a visit. I've not been yet though!

www.novelty-automation.com/index.htm[/quote]
I visited just before the pandemic hit. It's bloody ace - well recommended.

I found John Soames house pretty nuts too.

Sorry Soanes