Cafe Noir

Warren Farm Nature Reserve

Ealing · 7.5 miles

Reccognised as a local nature reserve by Brent River and canal society or Brent River Parks. A species diverse meadow rewilded.

Southall Railway Centre

Southall · 8.1 miles

Located beside Southall railway station and the Grand Union Canal, the Southall Railway Centre occupies a historic railway site in west London. Although the area is recognised as a landmark, it is not open to the public and therefore offers no visitor facilities or admission arrangements. The location has served railway purposes since 1859, initially as a Great Western Railway shed (code SHL) that was rebuilt as a six-road facility in 1884. After demolition in 1953, British Railways erected a modern steam shed (code 81C), which remained the last London steam depot on the Western Region until its closure to steam in December 1965. Subsequent use included a decade of DMU maintenance, followed by a period from 1993 to 1998 when the site functioned as a base for the Heathrow Express electrification programme. Today the centre is divided between three independent operators. Locomotive Services, owned by Jeremy Hosking, leases Roads 1 and 2 – the tracks closest to the main line – for the upkeep and operation of several preserved locomotives, including those of the Royal Scot Locomotive and General Trust. West Coast Railways also uses the site as an operational base for its mainline-registered steam engines. The Great Western Railway Preservation Group formerly occupied part of the site, but its lease ended with liquidation in September 2021. An assortment of goods and passenger rolling stock remains on site, though most locomotives have been transferred to other heritage railways.

Eel Brook Common

Walham Green · 8.7 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.

Design Museum

High Street Kensington · 9.9 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.

Baden-Powell House

Queen's Gate · 9.9 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.

Wormwood Scrubs

Old Oak Common · 9.9 miles

Covering 67 hectares, this open space in Old Oak Common lies in the north-eastern corner of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham and is the borough’s largest park. Known locally as The Scrubs, it forms one of the biggest commons in London. The area is divided by Scrubs Lane and the West London line railway, with the eastern section referred to as Little Wormwood Scrubs. The park has been publicly accessible since the Wormwood Scrubs Act of 1879, which secured its use for recreation while allowing occasional military training. Within the grounds are a range of sports facilities, including the Linford Christie Stadium, numerous football pitches and a pony centre. The southern edge abuts two notable institutions: HM Prison Wormwood Scrubs, constructed between 1875 and 1891, and the Hammersmith Hospital campus, which incorporates the relocated Queen Charlotte’s and Chelsea Hospital. Historical uses have been diverse – from cavalry exercises leased to the War Office in 1812, to an airship landing ground in 1910 and a naval air station during the First World War. The park also formed part of the 1908 Olympic marathon route. Management is undertaken by the Wormwood Scrubs Charitable Trust, which funds maintenance through leases of the hospital car park, rental of sports fields, advertising billboards and two public car parks. Access is via the surrounding road network and public transport routes that serve Old Oak Common; entry to the park is free and open to all.