London short break - unusual things, good views etc

[SherlockHolmes]

DH and I love to visit London and are always on the lookout for unusual and quirky places to go, preferably for free 😀
We'll be staying very centrally so can get to most areas easily.
We've done the Hunterian museum as well as all the bigger ones. We're happy to just wander and look at stuff, any suggestions welcome!

Also recommendations for nice (not too expensive) places to eat or quirky pubs, anything you may know about that's not in the tourist guide books would be appreciated.

There’s probably loads! What do you like?

when I’m looking for new exhibitions to see then I often check out Art Rabbit for small and unusual shows. Lots of degree shows on at the moment and they can be interesting.

have you been to the automaton museum in Holborn?

Head to Kenwood. The house is free to enter and has world class art (a Rembrandt, Vermeer and more) the views over London from there are fabulous (it’s close to the highest point in London) and you can walk all the way down over the Heath to the bottom of Hampstead or past the bathing ponds to Parliament Hill.

Sir John Soane's House. This always used to be free and is wonderful.
Dulwich Picture Gallery - haven't been there for ages but it certainly used to be the case that they had free entry on one day of the week, and it's not all that expensive anyway. They often have interesting exhibitions.
Lord Leighton's House and Sambourne House (they are very near each other in Kensington). Not free but again not expensive. https://www.rbkc.gov.uk/museums/

I love the Thames Barrier park - it's free and it's such a brilliant feat of engineering so pretty cool to look at. You can get the DLR to Pontoon Dock and walk from there.

Also free and outdoorsy is the Green Chain Walk, which is a walk through south London through a series of interconnected green spaces.

All the commercial galleries on Cork Street are free and open to all - people sometimes think they're intimidating, but honestly a lot of the time the people that work in them are happy to have someone to talk to.

The Ivy House pub in Peckham, which was the UK's first community owned pub, is pretty cool too.

Wallace Collection (free)
Denis Severs House in Spitalfields (paid entry)
Walk along Thames Path from Tower Bridge to Greenwich and get boat back.
Museum of London in Docklands
Petrie Museum and Grant Museum, if you're north of the British Museum.

Don't both schlepping out to Dulwich Picture Gallery.

And as a couple of PPs have recommended, commercial art galleries are interesting and there are loads in the Mayfair area. They can be a bit intimidating at first but they're happy to have visitors even if you're not buying anything! The Goodman gallery in Cork Street, north of the Royal Academy is a very easy one to go into, just like going into a shop. Also nice to wander around that area and the little shopping arcades on Bond Street and Piccadilly.

I like the Galleries Now website for seeing what's on in the commercial galleries:
www.galleriesnow.net/artmap/london/

Japan House on Kensington High Street usually has an interesting exhibition:
https://www.japanhouselondon.uk/

Not free, but I love this place
https://oldoperatingtheatre.com

Also loved the walk across the heath to sit on the bench at Parliament Hill, with the iconic view over London, featured in so many film etc.

The trees in Hyde Park with the rocks are incredible

I road going to suggest Hampstead Heath. Great views, Highgate Cemetery, Kenwood, a wander through the lovely streets and atmospheric pubs of Highgate and Hampstead - the area has everything you want.

You can get a great view for free at 120 Fenchurch Street - https://thegardenat120.com/

Marie's Thai is a fabulous place to eat.

British Library.

Wandering around Shoreditch.

Sky Garden/Horizon 42.

Greenwich is a lovely place for a walk.

Bermondsey St is good for a wander with nice restaurants and bars and a small park. Try the flour and grape for food and there’s a great small cocktail bar underneath. Nearby is Vinegar Yard and Borough Market (market is on Fri and Sat mostly). Foodie market.

Have a mooch around Richmond. Lovely walks, lots to see.

Also the tower block that Sushi Samba and the Duck and Waffle are in. You can just go for a drink - amazing views.
Sweeties Bar at the Standard Hotel, in fact the whole hotel is fabulous. There’s a roof terrace overlooking Kings X and a quiet tropical looking garden. Pricey but you can sit and have a pot of tea for £4 and people watch.
Drummond St for Indian food or there’s the Indian hostel place in Soho.
Belsize Park is nice to wander round and see how the other half live.

secretldn.com

Thank you so much to everyone for all the fantastic suggestions. We've done a few of these, but so many more to discover. Brilliant stuff, thank you.

Have you been to Postman’s Park? It’s very small but interesting if you’re passing. I have a book of called London’s Hidden Walks and I have discovered some really interesting places by doing some of those walks.

V&A Storehouse at the Olympic park looks really cool. They also have a sculpture trail in that area

There’s a florist in this area.. I think it’s called Igloo. You can walk through it to a bar/restaurant called Poulet. They have great cocktails and spit roast chicken

All Hallows but the Tower is very interesting and free - especially the crypt museum.

Chelsea Physic Garden
Trinity Buoy Wharf Lighthouse (I haven't visited this myself but hope to go sometime)
Little Venice

Agree with PP, Frederick Leighton’s house is fantastic, and Sambourne House is also great (nearby). Both close to Holland Park.
Woburn Walk in Bloomsbury is charming. Nearby in Fitzrovia (Foley St) is The Attendant coffee shop, which is a converted Victorian underground public toilet. It’s a fun experience and the coffee is good.
We like the farmers market in Marylebone on Sunday morning (Blandford Street). There is a French bistro on Marylebone Lane called Relais de Venise that’s very popular. People queue outside at the weekends. It has a set price steak frite menu. No good if you’re vegetarian though!

https://www.trinitybuoywharf.com/ I second Trinity Boy Wharf.