All Spares

Eel Brook Common

Walham Green · 11 miles

Eel Brook Common is common land in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, close to Fulham Broadway, with its south-eastern boundary along New King's Road. According to the Fulham Society, the name actually is a derivative of 'hill brook common' - which relates to Musgrave Crescent, which is raised much higher than the surrounding land. It is believed that this is artificial and it probably was originally a Bronze Age mound - either a raised piece of ground to defend against attackers, or as a burial mound. When you leave Eel Brook Common from the north side, you go up a steep ramp - up onto Musgrave Crescent. It is within the Hammersmith and Fulham Conservation Area of Parsons Green.

Baden-Powell House

Queen's Gate · 12 miles

A notable conference and event venue occupies the former Baden-Powell House on the corner of Cromwell Road and Queen’s Gate in South Kensington, London. Built as a tribute to Lord Baden-Powell, founder of Scouting, the building originally combined a modern hostel with headquarters for The Scout Association, offering affordable accommodation for Scouts, Guides, their families and other visitors to the capital. Construction began after the site, a bomb-damaged property purchased in 1956, was assigned to architect Ralph Tubbs. The foundation stone was laid in 1959 by World Chief Guide Olave Baden-Powell, and Queen Elizabeth II opened the house in 1961. Over the following decades the premises served as the Scout Association’s headquarters, a hostel, and from the late 1980s an increasingly important conference centre. A substantial refurbishment in the mid-1990s upgraded rooms with private facilities, double glazing and air-conditioning, and expanded the event spaces. After the headquarters moved to Gilwell Park in 2001, the building continued to operate primarily as a hostel, at one point hosting around 30 000 overnight guests and serving 100 000 meals. In 2021 the property was sold to the independent school Mander Portman Woodward, which now runs it as a student boarding and conference facility. Access is via Queen’s Gate; wheelchair access is limited. The location benefits from its central London setting and proximity to public transport and local amenities.

Queen's Tower

Queen's Gate · 12 miles

Remnant of Imperial Institute buildings, demolished in 1957

Design Museum

High Street Kensington · 12 miles

The Design Museum in Kensington, London, England, exhibits product, industrial, graphic, fashion, and architectural design. In 2018, the museum won the European Museum of the Year Award. The museum operates as a registered charity, and all funds generated by ticket sales aid the museum in curating new exhibitions.

Polish Institute and Sikorski Museum

Kensington Gore · 12 miles

A specialist museum and archive devoted to Poland’s experience during the Second World War occupies the Grade II-listed terrace at 20 Prince’s Gate, West London. The building fronts Kensington Road opposite Hyde Park and lies just inside the City of Westminster, close to the commercial heart of Kensington. Established on 2 May 1945, the institute was founded to safeguard the memory of the Polish Underground State, the government-in-exile and the Polish armed forces that fought alongside the Allies. It operates as a non-governmental organisation run by scholars from the Polish community and forms part of the same Victorian development by Charles James Freake that includes the nearby Polish Hearth Club. The collection comprises witness testimonies from the 1944 Warsaw Uprising, official documents, regimental colours, military medals, uniforms, insignia, artworks and a library of personal effects belonging to Polish statesmen, diplomats and ordinary citizens. A substantial film and photographic archive, digitised in 2005–06, holds more than 5 000 images and is accessible for exhibitions and educational projects. In 2006, a cache of 2 000 photographs taken by Jan Markiewicz of the 1950s Polish community in South London was added to the holdings. The institute merged in 1988 with the Polish Underground Movement Study Trust, which retains internal autonomy for research and publishing. Governance is provided by a council and executive committee, overseeing departments such as Archives, Museum, Reference Library, Publications and the Regimental Colours Fund. Membership categories include honorary, full, life and annual members.

College Garden

Millbank · 12 miles

A private garden attached to Westminster Abbey provides a quiet green enclave within the capital. The site, listed as College Garden on OpenStreetMap and classified as a park near Millbank, welcomes visitors Monday to Friday between 10:00 and 16:00, with no admission charge. Entrance is separate from the abbey, allowing a brief visit without attending the main church. The garden traces its origins to the infirmary of the medieval monastery that occupied Thorney Island a thousand years ago, and it is claimed to be the oldest continuously cultivated garden in England. Although its original purpose of feeding monks has ceased, the layout retains a tranquil atmosphere. In 2010 a new herb garden was installed to echo the historic herbarium once tended by the monks. The north boundary abuts the great hall of Westminster School, originally the monks’ dormitory, while the east and south sides are defined by a medieval wall and a watergate that formerly opened onto the River Thames, now about 50 metres away beyond the House of Lords. Visitors can also explore the adjacent Little Cloister Garden, which contains a fountain within the cloisters, and St Catherine’s Garden situated among the ruins of the old monastic infirmary. Just outside the watergate, College Green frequently appears in televised political interviews, adding a contemporary cultural reference to the historic setting.