Knowledge Seekers

Michael Faraday Memorial substation

Pullens Estate · 2.5 miles

A stainless-steel box sits on Elephant Square at the northern side of the Elephant and Castle gyratory, commemorating the Victorian scientist Michael Faraday. Designed by modern-movement architect Rodney Gordon in 1959 and erected in 1961, the structure occupies the centre of what was formerly a roundabout. Inside the metal casing lies a London Underground electrical substation that powers the Northern and Bakerloo lines, a fitting tribute to a pioneer of electricity. The original concept called for glass panels so that the transformer work could be seen, but concerns about vandalism led to the current metal cladding. The monument carries an inscription set into the surrounding concrete paving, identifying it as the Faraday Memorial. Since being granted Grade II listed status in 1996, it has been fitted with a series of lighting schemes: a school-girl-designed installation from a 1996 Blue Peter competition, and a “disco” theme introduced by Southwark Council in May 2012 that illuminates the box each evening after dark. Although early-2000s regeneration plans considered relocating the monument 400 metres to Walworth Road, the scheme was abandoned and the memorial remains in its original position, now more readily reachable after the roundabout was “peninsulised”. Visitors can view the monument at any time without charge; it is openly visible from the surrounding streets and pedestrian routes. Access is straightforward via the Northern and Bakerloo Underground lines, whose tunnels the substation serves, and the site is operated by London Underground as part of the public transport infrastructure.

King's Stairs Gardens

Rotherhithe · 3.1 miles

Riverside walks and historic memorials give King’s Stairs Gardens a distinct character along the Thames in Bermondsey, just opposite Southwark Park and a short distance from Rotherhithe. The park is bounded to the north by the river and to the south by Jamaica Road (A200), offering views across the water and a direct link to the riverside promenade created in the early 1960s. Within the green space, stone markers commemorate the Silver, Golden and Diamond Jubilees of Queen Elizabeth II, the first unveiled by Her Majesty in 1977 and later additions presented by the Earl and Countess of Wessex. The site originated from post-war planning when the London County Council declared Bermondsey a reconstruction area in July 1947 and endorsed a riverside park in early 1948. After a series of objections and a compulsory-purchase order approved in September 1954, a design for the riverside walk was approved in 1960 and opened in November 1962, with the name King’s Stairs Gardens officially adopted the following January. Subsequent phases added grassy areas in the 1960s and, after a reassessment by the Greater London Council in 1968, three further green-space extensions were completed by 1982, establishing the layout that remains today. Protection of the area has been reinforced over recent years. A local campaign in 2010 persuaded Thames Water to abandon plans that would have affected the park, and the London Borough of Southwark granted village-green status in March 2012 under the Commons Act 2006. Fields in Trust added its own safeguard in 2013, and together with the nearby Edward III manor house the garden forms part of Southwark Council’s Edward III’s Rotherhithe Conservation Area.

Gordon Museum

Borough Market · 3.1 miles

A collection of human pathological specimens, the Gordon Museum of Pathology forms part of King’s College London’s medical teaching facilities. Situated on the Guy’s Campus near Borough Market, the museum holds roughly 8,000 items, ranging from early specimens dating to about 1608 to historic artefacts such as Joseph Lister’s antiseptic spray and Thomas Hodgkin’s first stethoscope used in England. Highlights include the original kidneys, adrenal glands and lymph nodes that enabled Thomas Hodgkin, Thomas Addison and Richard Bright to describe the eponymous diseases, as well as Joseph Towne’s anatomical wax models and Lam Qua’s pre-operative tumour paintings. The collection also contains the mummified remains of Alan Billis, a former taxi driver who participated in research on ancient Egyptian mummification. The museum opened in 1905 on King’s Guy’s Campus after a donation from the lawyer Robert Gordon and was intended solely as a teaching resource. Specimens began to be gathered in 1802 under the first medical curator Thomas Hodgkin, forming the basis of the museum when the first medical school opened in 1826. By 1829 the collection numbered about 3,000 exhibits, and contemporary reports in 1861 placed it among the nation’s foremost medical collections. Admission is free, although the museum is not generally open to the public and access is limited to educational use within the college.

Brunel Museum

Rotherhithe · 3.1 miles

Located in Rotherhithe, Southwark, the former Brunel Engine House now houses the Brunel Museum, a small history museum set within the original infrastructure of the Thames Tunnel. The brick engine house and adjoining tunnel shaft were designed by Sir Marc Isambard Brunel as part of the world’s first underwater tunnel, which opened in 1843. Between 1825 and 1843 the building functioned as a boiler house, powering steam-driven pumps that removed water from the tunnel. From 1961 the structure has displayed information about the tunnel’s construction and the wider work of Marc and Isambard Kingdom Brunel, including a model of the patented tunnelling shield and artefacts from the tunnel’s later use as a pedestrian link between Rotherhithe and Wapping. The chimney and engine house received Grade II listing in 1974, were stabilised by a charitable trust in 1975 and restored in 1979. In 2006 the site was renamed Brunel Museum and its exhibition was expanded with a mural on the shaft and bench-seating incorporating bridge models. A roof garden created in 2012 now hosts a cocktail bar, while the shaft itself has been refurbished for events and occasional tours. The museum participates in the annual Open House Weekend and runs a programme of walks, school-holiday activities and both in-person and online tours. Admission is subject to a charge, and wheelchair access is limited. Opening times are published on the museum’s listing, and the nearest town is Rotherhithe. Facilities were upgraded during major works in 2007, adding a café and improved toilets, and further refurbishment of the shaft in 2016 introduced a freestanding staircase to improve visitor access while preserving the historic brick walls.

National Covid Memorial Wall

Westminster · 3.1 miles

A line of red hearts painted on a concrete wall runs for more than one-third of a mile along the South Bank of the River Thames, opposite the Palace of Westminster. The stretch begins near Westminster Bridge and continues to Lambeth Bridge, outside St Thomas’ Hospital, and incorporates an older plaque that commemorates the 1994-96 BSE outbreak. The work marks a public tribute to every person whose death certificate recorded COVID-19 in the United Kingdom, with each heart representing an individual. The initiative was launched in March 2021 by the campaign group Led By Donkeys in partnership with Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice. Over a thousand volunteers applied red paint to roughly 150 000 hearts during a ten-day period that started on 29 March 2021, and bereaved families added names and messages. Although the original paint was not weather-resistant, a small group of volunteers later formed an unincorporated association known as the Friends of the Wall. This team has repeatedly repainted the hearts with durable masonry paint, refreshed dedications, removed graffiti and added new hearts as the national death toll rose. In June 2025 the memorial was registered as a charity with the Charity Commission for England and Wales, and in November 2025 the House of Lords announced its status as a permanent national memorial. The wall is accessible at street level from the South Bank promenade and does not require an entry fee. It is listed in OpenStreetMap as a monument and historic feature, with Westminster identified as the nearest town. Visitors can view the hearts, read the personal messages and observe the ongoing community-led maintenance work. No dedicated facilities such as a visitor centre are mentioned, but the open-air setting allows unrestricted public viewing.

College Garden

Millbank · 3.1 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.