A local’s guide to beautiful buildings in London that make for historical hidden gems, from Amen Court in the City of London to Norfolk Building off The Strand!
London’s architecture contains multitudes; secret courtyards lined with Georgian buildings, spacious streets of the City of London housing neoclassical beauties.
There’s just so much to discover in London.
Discoveries that I love making, in my attempts to understand London’s history better with each street, and each building.
Since you can still visit plenty of medieval or Roman ruins, a Victorian Bathhouse off Bishopsgate, or secret churches in forgotten areas like Smithfield, there are literally proofs of the city’s long lasting past at every corner.
Lovers of beautiful buildings, I will share a handful today with you that you can easily miss when walking around town.
Those that are so curious, quirky, and architecturally striking, that they can only make you wonder why and how they came to be.
12 Historical Buildings in London That Even Locals Don’t Know
In this guide, we’ll walk from the City of London to King’s Cross, The Strand, and more secret neighborhoods like Rotherhithe near the river.
There are many more historical sites to visit if you’d like to catch a glimpse of the old London; medieval sites like Winchester Palace in London Bridge, church ruins like St Dunstan in the East or St Alphage Church…
All the buildings mentioned here today have definitely made their mark upon London’s history.
Far from looking like the avant-garde buildings we can namely find around Bishopsgate (which often offer free viewpoints, like Horizon 22) and the outer boroughs, they’ve retained their Victorian, Georgian, Edwardian, and often almost religious beauty.
Beautiful Buildings in London: Entrance of Amen Court, City of London
I first came across Amen Court in the City of London when I’d set out on discovering new hidden gems around St Paul’s Cathedral.
The entrance to Amen Court, accessible from Ave Maria Lane, is one such striking hidden gem.
The imposing red brick Victorian building gives way to private grounds, once home to the clergy of St Paul’s.
However, if you happen to find the door open (that doesn’t happen often), you will find a secret garden at the back.
In any case, the entrance to Amen Court, with its wrought-iron gate and detailed architecture, is one of the best hidden gems of the City of London; you don’t come across such buildings in every part of town!
Read: How to Spend 10 Days in London: A Complete Itinerary
Historical Buildings in London: German Gymnasium, King’s Cross
Built from 1864, the German Gymnasium just off King’s Cross is now a restaurant in which getting a filling breakfast or brunch makes for a great weekend activity before going shopping at nearby Coal Drops Yard.
Originally constructed by the German Gymnastics Society, the building hosted the London 1866 Olympic Games, and restored in the 2000s before it was turned into a beautiful restaurant.
This is another example of Victorian architecture, and the German Gymnasium is a place you really can’t miss when walking around King’s Cross and St Pancras.
Read: The Curious Traveler’s Guide to London’s Secret and Free Museums
Beautiful Buildings in London: Simpson’s-in-the-Strand, Central London
The Simpson’s in the Strand tavern makes for one of the most beautiful sights on The Strand, near Trafalgar Square, and we have here the entrance to one of London’s oldest traditional English restaurants.
This is one of the places that still feel stuck in the Victorian era, since from its establishment in 1828, the old-fashioned interiors have remained substantially similar to their early days.
This iconic restaurant, which opened as a coffee house and chess club, became a restaurant 20 years later, and was one of the first restaurants in the UK to win a Michelin star in 1974 – it’s namely famous for its exceptional roast meats.
Simpson’s in the Strand is now part of the Savoy Hotel Group, and if you’d like to tread the same grounds that famous figures like Audrey Hepburn, Charles Dickens and Winston Churchill once did, Simpson’s in the Strand is a place to do just that.
Read: The Best Local Restaurants in London
Historical Buildings in London: Norfolk Building, Surrey Street
The first time I came across Norfolk Building, this bright orange building in the middle of Surrey Street, close to The Strand, I was simply left dumbfounded.
Built in 1904, the Norfolk Building, with its striking red-brick material and arched windows, boasts classical details that Edwardian architecture heavily features.
Many of the buildings on Surrey Street were constructed after the Great Fire of London in 1666, in the 17th and 18th centuries.
The fact that we’re so close to the legal Temple area, with medieval Temple Church and picturesque Fountain Court and Pump Court, once made Surrey Street an important street.
Today, the Norfolk Building is still part of King’s College London, the city’s university, which is partly housed in various buildings along The Strand.
Read here my guide to the historic Temple area and its hidden gems, from Fountain Court to the secret poetic sundial in Elm Court, photogenic columns facing Temple Church and more.
Beautiful Buildings in London: Arundel House, 6 Temple Place
If Arundel House at 6 Temple Place, opposite the Temple station’s secret rooftop, is now home to the International Institute for Strategic Studies, it was not always the building we can now see when walking around the area.
Indeed, the original Arundel House was built in the 14th century, and used to be the home to the Howard family, including Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk, and his son Henry Howard, Earl of Arundel.
After centuries hosting social and political events, Arundel House fell into disrepair in the 17th century, after which it was demolished.
The building at 6 Temple Place, with its Tudor Revival architecture, is a melancholic echo to the contributions and significance of the Howard family during the Tudor and Stuart periods.
Read: The Prettiest Villages in London
Historical Buildings in London: Royal Courts of Justice, The Strand
Another gorgeous Victorian building awaits us with the Royal Courts of Justice, not-that-far-located from the Temple area and Fleet Street, a historical street filled with hidden gems, from sculptures to courtyards.
The Royal Courts of Justice, one of the most iconic buildings in London, were completed in 1882, and if you’d like to dive right into London’s legal system, tours are often available for parts of the building.
Read: Where to See Autumn Colors in London?
Beautiful Buildings in London: Cutlers’ Hall, City of London
Cutlers’ Hall as we can see it on Warwick Street is the headquarters of the Worshipful Company of Cutlers, a historic livery company in the City of London focusing on the craft of knives and blades.
As a reminder, a livery company is a type of company that was established to regulate a specific trade, and the term dates back to the Middle Ages; over time, 111 of these livery companies came to life in the City of London.
In this part of town, we can still see many traces of this livery companies, like the Worshipful Company of Drapers on Throgmorton Avenue, the entrance of which building is lined with two huge neoclassical male sculptures.
Cutlers’ Hall as we know it was built in 1888, with a Victorian Renaissance style, and the livery company’s motto ‘Pour Parvenir A Bonne Foy’ (‘Success Through Good Faith’) adorns its detailed entrance.
Read: The Best Free Things to Do in Central London When Its Rains
Historical Buildings in London: St Mary Rotherhithe School
Founded in 1613, St Mary Rotherhithe School is one of the oldest schools in London.
It was originally established to provide free education to the children of Rotherhithe, much like the one that has been turned into the Ragged School Museum in Mile End.
St Mary’s Church faces the school, and is one of the highlights of the Rotherhithe area, although the church is much older, since it dates back to the 13th century.
Above the entrance, we can still catch a glimpse of two sculptures representing schoolchildren in their uniforms.
Then, if you walk around the school, you will find other traces of the past, from converted warehouses still bearing inscriptions to an old Watch House on the right of the school.
Read: The Most Beautiful Churches and Temples in London
Beautiful Buildings in London: Maughan Library, City of London
As I was looking to find Lincoln’s Inn Chapel once, I came across the Maughan Library in the City of London, just steps away from Fleet Street, and was instantly blown away.
Housed in a neo-Gothic building completed in 1851, the Maughan Library is part of King’s College London like the Norfolk Building we’ve seen earlier, but the style is completely different.
It’s simple; walking around the building feels like being in a Harry Potter movie, and many, if not all of the buildings around the Maughan Library are part of the legal and press history of the Fleet Street/Temple areas.
Please note that visitors cannot usually visit the Maughan Library, but there are often free exhibitions going on in the historic Weston Room that even non-King’s College staff or students can see.
Read: The Most Beautiful Palaces and Castles in London
Historical Buildings in London: Tallow Chandlers’ Company
Like Cutlers’ Hall, the Tallow Chandlers’ Company is a livery company, and makes for the headquarters of the Worshipful Company of Tallow Chandlers, which historically deals in tallow (a type of animal fat used for candles).
The current building dates back to 1672, since the original hall, built in 1462, was damaged during the Great Fire of London.
Wood panels, carved ceilings and rich fabrics; this livery hall is now an event venue, and probably one of the most secret spots you’ll find in London.
Read: A Quirky Bookish Itinerary in London
Beautiful Buildings in London: Atlas House, King Street
Moving on from medieval, Edwardian and Victorian buildings, let’s take a closer look to a more recent building, that of Atlas House on King Street in the City of London.
Built in the early 20th century, Atlas House is an Art Deco building with characteristic features of this style; geometric and sharp lines, it boasts a different kind of charm.
What’s also struck me as a highlight to this building, which used to house an insurance company, is the addition of a sculpture representing Atlas carrying the Earth above the entrance.
Read: Dark Academia in London: A Secret London Itinerary
Historical Buildings in London: The Walrus and The Carpenter, Lovat Lane
Located at the crossroads between Monument Street and Lovat Lane, in the City of London, the Walrus and The Carpenter is a historic pub that was named after Lewis Carroll’s poem ‘The Walrus and The Carpenter’.
With this pub located close to some of the prettiest alleys of London, with cobble stones and irregular dark-brick buildings, we’re coming back to a Victorian style.
Admire the building, get a bite even, but don’t leave this area without walking up Lovat Lane and, if you have the time, make your way to the ruins of St Dunstan in the East nearby.
Read: 15 Themed London Itinerary Ideas Off the Beaten Path
12 Historical Buildings in London That Even Locals Don’t Know
These are but some of the most beautiful, historical buildings in London – those that tourists and Londoners often miss when looking for more, let’s say, visible landmarks in town.
Whether you’re interested in medieval, Victorian, Edwardian or Tudor Revival architectural styles, you’ll hopefully have found lots of unusual places to have on your bucket list.
More avant-garde, modern buildings can be found in all parts of town.
But, if I’m being completely transparent, seeing London through the ages, as we’re finding traces of various eras from one street to the next is much more satisfying to me.