We challenge our contributors to reply to ten devilishly probing questions about their London and we don’t take “Sorry Gov” for an answer. Everyone sitting in the hot seat they will face the same questions ranging from their favourite way to spend a day out in the capital to their most hated building on London’s skyline to find out what Londoners think about their city. The questions are the same but the answers vary wildly.

Charlie and Ellie started Rebel Tours in 2021 wanting to bring something different to the walking tour scene in London. After years of experience as tour guides and historians, they didn’t want to keep telling the same old stories, instead wanted to show a different, more authentic side to London with alternative walks focused on the city’s social history. Meet the Rebels here.

What’s your secret London tip?

Ellie: The Tate Modern has a great viewing platform from their cafe on the top floor of the new building. I always send tourists there, because it’s free and it’s a nice place to have a coffee after looking at all the amazing artwork.

Charlie: Always carry a small umbrella in London, whatever the weather! As well as an extra layer. Even if the sun is shining and it feels warm, we can go from a cloudless blue sky to rain within 10 minutes. It’s hard to remember that this is a small island nation far from the equator, so our weather is very changeable! Once the sun goes down, it is often very chilly, so if you’re planning on being out for the whole day, always ensure that you have a warm layer and something for the rain!

What’s your secret London place?

Ellie: Anywhere near the river immediately relaxes me. I grew up by the sea, so when I see the water I’m always happy. There’s a pub in Wapping called the Prospect of Whitby, which claims to be the site of the oldest tavern on the river. When the weather is nice, I like to sit on one of the balconies and watch the water swish and swirl under my feet.

Charlie: The Pride of Spitalfields is probably my favourite pub in London. It is a proper East End boozer, where all sorts of people come together, and the pints are cheap for central London! It’s hidden away just off Brick Lane, so tourists rarely stumble upon it. If you’re looking to drink with the locals, this is definitely the place to go.

What’s your biggest gripe about London?

Ellie: It’s a classic, but it has to be the extortionate rents and terrible quality of the flats. That would be the only thing that gives me ideas for moving. Charlie doesn’t have that issue anymore!

Charlie: Aside from the cost of living, we are a city that really relies on public transport – and if there are signal failures, strikes, or engineering works, then the whole city shuts down. Always plan ahead, and set off earlier than you think you’ll need to!

What’s your favourite building?

Ellie: I’m always impressed by St Paul’s, no matter how many times I see it. It is one of those buildings that makes me think, wow, I live here. And that’s a privilege, not every place has a building with that effect.

Charlie: I’m going to have to agree with Ellie, nothing beats St Paul’s Cathedral. In terms of interiors though, the Painted Hall out in Greenwich is a must-see!

What’s your most hated building?

Ellie: There’s an office block in Mitre Square in Aldgate and it’s just hideous. It annoys me every time I’m doing our East End tour. It’s totally black and oppressive, like something Darth Vader or Sauron would have built.

Charlie: That’s a tricky one, I actually love all of our buildings. So I’ll say the Palace of Westminster – not because it’s not beautiful, but because I am frustrated by its inhabitants… that’s a fair reason to hate the building, right?

What’s the best view in London?

Ellie: I love to walk across the Millenium bridge and look out to the river. But then I always love to look towards St Paul’s on one end and the Tate Modern on the other. I love that juxtaposition of the old and the new, which you find all over London.

Charlie: I think the view from a bar called Aqua in the Shard is incredible. Rather than paying to go to ‘The View’ at the top, I recommend people grab a cocktail there. Or for a truly free view, you can’t really beat Parliament Hill in Hampstead Heath (less crowded than Primrose Hill), or the view from up by the Royal Observatory in Greenwich.

What’s your personal London landmark?

Ellie: It might be Hanbury Hall in the East End. It’s not a big landmark but there’s so much history in one building. It was built as a church for French Huguenots in the 18th century but in the 1880s it was where meetings were held about the matchstick girls strike led by people like Annie Besant and Eleanor Marx. It was such an interesting time, this is when we see the beginning of Trade Unionism and strike action.

Charlotte: I think I’d say Cross Bones Graveyard in Southwark. This is the final resting place of medieval prostitutes who effectively worked for the church/Bishop of Winchester. They were known as the Winchester Geese. In more recent centuries, the graveyard was used as a general pauper’s burial ground for poor people in the area. The site is prime real estate, and developers have been trying to get their hands on it for years, but the locals have ensured that this does not happen. The fences of the graveyard have been transformed into a shrine: there is a memorial to the Winchester Geese, but also names written on ribbons, of other unfortunate souls buried there, who would otherwise be forgotten – as well as some modern-day sex workers who have been murdered or gone missing. It’s a sombre place, but well worth a visit. There is also an excellent wine bar across the road from it, called the Boot & Flogger.

What’s London’s best film, book or documentary?

Ellie: I absolutely love the Shardlake series by C.J Sansom. It’s set in Tudor times and the protagonist is a lawyer called Matthew Shardlake who always gets himself involved in plots or conspiracies. I think the author is incredible at bringing Tudor London to life. One of my favourite historians is David Olusoga and although it’s not about London specifically, his book Black and British does feature a lot of the capital and it’s really an amazing read.

Charlie: London’s Strangest Tales by Tom Quinn is a great one, full of some of the more unusual and fascinating stories about the history of the city.

What’s your favourite restaurant?

Ellie: Charlie and I often eat in the Halal Restaurant in Aldgate after a tour. It was opened in 1939 and is still run by the same family. The food is great, the prices are very reasonable and they have loads of vegan options.

Charlie: There’s an excellent Mexican restaurant in Euston called Mestizo – it’s proper authentic Mexican, rather than Tex-Mex or other American-style. One of the owners is vegan, so again, they do have a separate vegan menu available. The cocktails are also incredible!

How would you spend your ideal day off in London?

Ellie: A trip with my partner and the dogs to Hampstead Heath with a nice picnic. When they’re all tired from chasing sticks, we drop them off at home and go to our local cinema, The Genesis to watch a film. If I’m not full from all the popcorn, we would go for dinner at the Unity Diner in Spitalfields. Perfect!

Charlie: I live on a narrowboat on the Regent’s Canal; I quite enjoy walking along the towpath to Camden, or around Little Venice. Or I might even drive my boat up to Kensal – there is a great pub there, that you can moor up next to!

We challenge our contributors to reply to ten devilishly probing questions about their London and we don’t take “Sorry Gov” for an answer. Everyone sitting in the hot seat they will face the same questions ranging from their favourite way to spend a day out in the capital to their most hated building on London’s skyline to find out what Londoners think about their city. The questions are the same but the answers vary wildly.

Jane Northcote (JaneSketching.com) is an urban sketcher and printmaker based in the City of London. She sketches in pen and ink and watercolour. She aims to show the changing city: new and old structures together, the often surprising juxtapositions that result from patchwork planning decisions and historical changes of use. Drawing a building is a good way to notice it. Jane’s drawings take about 1-2 hours, done mostly on location. Looking at a building for that length of time reveals architectural details and odd quirks of design, which enriches the experience of the city. Image above shows The Globe Moorgate, sketched 29 August 2022, details can be found here.

What’s your secret London tip?

It’s often quicker to walk. Look at a street map, not the Tube Map. For example, St Pauls to the Barbican is a 5 min straightforward walk north, but a complicated and lengthy Tube journey. It looks a long way on the Tube Map, but the two locations are really close.

What’s your secret London place?

Cleary Gardens off Queen Victoria Street. This garden is almost invisible from the street, it looks built up. But go inside and you find a terraced garden, sheltered by vines and trees, with benches. A lovely quiet sanctuary in the City.

What’s your biggest gripe about London?

The air quality. Cars running their engines when stationary. People leaving rubbish, especially takeaway food containers, in public places. Often they stack them neatly, or line up the discarded cans, as though that makes it better! Bicycles jumping the lights. I am a cyclist. A minority of cyclists zip through red lights and onto pavements, often at unexpected angles. This scares pedestrians and irritates motor vehicle drivers. As well as this being unbelievably dangerous, these selfish miscreants give all cyclists a bad name, and drivers get angry at all of us. I’m in favour of bike registration, as in the Netherlands.

What’s your favourite building?

The ruined church of St Mary Aldermanbury, North of the Guildhall in the City of London. The truncated columns of the church are still there, and the old walls are covered in moss. I like to imagine the church. Sometimes the best buildings are those of the imagination.

What’s your most hated building?

122 Bishopsgate. It’s huge, bland, and has a forbidding entrance at street level. Perhaps it’s nicer on the inside?

What’s the best view in London?

From the Millennium Bridge, early in the morning, looking east.

What’s your personal London landmark?

The Post Office Tower, now the BT Tower. It is often visible from the most surprising places. A sudden view of the BT Tower helps me orient myself.

What’s London’s best film, book or documentary?

There are many. My current favourite is the Slough House series by Mick Herron, starting with “Slow Horses”. He evokes the enormity and the detail of London.

What’s your favourite restaurant?

Am I allowed two? The Turks Head Wapping: a great restaurant, tables in amongst the trees. The Wren Café in St Nicholas Cole: wonderful views of stained glass windows inside, wonderful views of St Pauls outside.

How would you spend your ideal day off in London?

A walk up the river to the Turks Head, lunch outdoors under the trees, a walk back, sketching on the river foreshore, a stroll around exploring city lanes, tea at the Barbican lakeside.

We challenge our contributors to reply to ten devilishly probing questions about their London and we don’t take “Sorry Gov” for an answer. Everyone sitting in the hot seat they will face the same questions ranging from their favourite way to spend a day out in the capital to their most hated building on London’s skyline to find out what Londoners think about their city. The questions are the same but the answers vary wildly.

Joanna Moncrieff is a qualified tour guide in both the City of Westminster and Clerkenwell and Islington and has been leading guided walks in these areas and further afield since 2009. Apart from guiding in Central London she also regularly guides in Walthamstow and has delved quite deep into its history and that of neighbouring but very different Chingford where she lives. Her Walthamstow walk ‘From Monoux and Morris to Beer and Bacon Jam’ is a best seller alongside her West End based ‘Foodie themed Christmas Lights’ walk. Joanna has a number of half-finished research projects which she hopes in time to write-up on her blog. Her upcoming public walks are marketed via Footprints of London and can always be found on the following link. Any of these walks can also be offered for private groups and some of them have virtual versions too.

What’s your secret London tip?

Attending lunchtime concerts in City churches. A bit of culture in a beautiful setting. St Bride’s, St Dunstans in the West, St Stephen Walbrook are just a few that offer these on weekday lunchtimes.

What’s your secret London place?

Canonbury Tower. I’m sure people walk past this Tudor building all the time without noticing it. It has a fascinating and rather mysterious history. You can go inside too; Clerkenwell and Islington Guides lead regular tours of it.

What’s your biggest gripe about London?

People riding scooters and electric bikes who seem to have no consideration or awareness of other road or pavement users.

What’s your favourite building?

St Paul’s. I used to work in an office job close by and took a photo almost every time I walked past! Tower Bridge also falls into this category!

What’s your most hated building?

The Strata Tower; it is just so ugly!

What’s the best view in London?

Not very original but from Waterloo Bridge in both directions.

What’s your personal London landmark?

The series of reservoirs along the River Lea close to where I live which I love looking out for when flying home from overseas.

What’s London’s best film, book or documentary?

At the moment the Rivers of London book series.

What’s your favourite restaurant?

Gotto at Here East, Hackney Wick but Zedel Brasserie is a close second.

How would you spend your ideal day off in London?

A random amble which I do quite often with London obsessed friends. We pick an area or a theme and then spend a day wandering about the streets seeking out things of interest and stopping in a pub or two along the way. We have recently been trying to follow routes from an 1887 guide book.

We challenge our contributors to reply to ten devilishly probing questions about their London and we don’t take “Sorry Gov” for an answer. Everyone sitting in the hot seat they will face the same questions ranging from their favourite way to spend a day out in the capital to their most hated building on London’s skyline to find out what Londoners think about their city. The questions are the same but the answers vary wildly.

Caroline Roope is a freelance writer specialising in social history. She contributes regularly to Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine, Best of British and Discover Your Ancestors, writing on history topics as diverse as Scalextric to Victorian cross-dressing. Caroline spent over ten years working in the heritage and museums sector for small-scale independent charities, as well as larger organisations such as the National Trust and English Heritage. Her first history book The History of the London Underground Map is out now with Pen & Sword.

What’s your secret London tip?

If you’re travelling by Underground, it’s easy to zone out – I know because I used to do it myself – but certain sections are a historical feast for the eyes if you know where to look. Look out for Victorian detailing in stations such as Paddington and Baker Street, and early twentieth-century style at Russell Square and Edgware Road (Bakerloo line).

What’s your secret London place?

Inside the Queen’s private facilities in the Royal Albert Hall there is a toilet with a velvet seat, especially for Royal bottoms. I have seen it with my own eyes…

What’s your biggest gripe about London?

That no one can really afford to live there – least of all me!

What’s your favourite building?

This is the hardest question so far! There are so many wonderful buildings, with so many amazing stories behind them. For sheer drama and kerb appeal it has to be the Midland Grand Hotel – now St Pancras Renaissance Hotel. I was lucky enough to get a behind-the-scenes nose around during its restoration and it just radiates magnificence, inside and out. Thank God I got that opportunity because I wouldn’t be able to afford to stay there now!

What’s your most hated building?

I’m not keen on the O2 – it’s a shame Storm Eunice didn’t take the whole thing with it. And there are some pretty awful 1960s monstrosities dotted around London too. It’s all subjective of course. Today’s eyesores often become tomorrow’s heritage.

What’s the best view in London?

From an aeroplane window. I flew over London at the end of last year on my way back from a holiday and because I don’t often see London from above like that, it was fascinating seeing all my favourite London landmarks in miniature. I was also surprised at how much green space there is, given the density of buildings. In London itself, my best view is from the Royal Observatory in Greenwich. That sweeping vista down to the old-world grandeur of Sir Christopher Wren’s Naval College, set against the backdrop of modern and shiny Canary Wharf is the perfect juxtaposition of old and new.

What’s your personal London landmark?

It’s got to be the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich. I studied there from 2005-2007 and it holds some very special memories for me. Getting off the DLR at Cutty Sark and meandering down College Approach to those enormous globe-topped gateposts always made my heart sing. Being able to study for an MA in Heritage in a UNESCO World Heritage Site was an absolute privilege – my surroundings inspired me every day.

What’s London’s best film, book or documentary?

I love both of Peter Ackroyd’s studies of London – London: The Biography and Thames: Sacred River and urge everyone to read them because they absolutely capture the essence of London and what makes it special. I also love John Betjeman’s quiet but poignant eulogy to London’s suburbs in his documentary Metroland.

What’s your favourite restaurant?

I recently went to Barrafina in Drury Lane, which was superb. It’s tapas, which is perfect if you’re with friends and you all like pinching off each other’s plates (which my friends and family do) But actually, what made it special were the staff – our server was attentive and knew all the dishes and was happy to explain each one to us, as well as recommending drinks. The seafood dishes are out of this world.

How would you spend your ideal day off in London?

A day isn’t long enough! Now I live out in the sticks near Portsmouth, I’d need several days to really make the most of it. I’d head to Tate Britain first, so I could catch up with my favourite painting The Lady of Shalott by J. W. Waterhouse – if she’s in town, and not on tour somewhere else. I’d head to South Kensington on the Tube, just for the sheer excitement of walking down the District Railway’s stunning 1885 pedestrian subway. You can’t go wrong with a good bit of Victorian engineering. Obviously, I’d have to visit the museums too, having walked the length of the subway it would be a shame not to! To be honest, I’d plan my trip so that I could spend most of the day travelling around the Underground and looking at its architecture.

We challenge our contributors to reply to ten devilishly probing questions about their London and we don’t take “Sorry Gov” for an answer. Everyone sitting in the hot seat they will face the same questions ranging from their favourite way to spend a day out in the capital to their most hated building on London’s skyline to find out what Londoners think about their city. The questions are the same but the answers vary wildly.

My name is Mark Monroe first and foremost I’m a London cabbie. A few years ago, I started a YouTube Channel partly as a way of documenting everything I’ve learnt about London, mostly concentrating on the peculiar, strange, bizarre oddities of this incredible city. I’ve been lucky enough to have some of my content aired on a local TV station called London Live. Everything I film is free to discover and visit and offers an insight into London from the life of a London Cabbie. I hope you enjoy Secrets of London with Mark Monroe.

What’s your secret London tip?

When visiting London don’t try and do everything in one day. London is Big! Pick an area and spend time exploring that, you’ll absorb much more and won’t be sitting on public transport all day.

What’s your secret London place?

St Dunstan in the East, a unique Wren church whose ruins are situated in the heart of the city a green oasis of tranquillity and calm.

What’s your biggest gripe about London?

Road closures and other drivers who fail to indicate when turning.

What’s your favourite building?

Senate House in Malet Street. (It belongs in a moody New York Batman film).

What’s your most hated building?

Trellick Tower.

What’s the best view in London?

On a summer evening stand in the centre of Waterloo Bridge and be prepared for a magical vista.

What’s your personal London landmark?

Big Ben, everything in London seems to start here and then works outwards.

What’s London’s best film, book or documentary?

All the Bond films! Sherlock Holmes and the Krays documentaries.

What’s your favourite restaurant?

Without a doubt Rules in Maiden Lane. London’s oldest restaurant serving traditional English fare.

How would you spend your ideal day off in London?

I love to head for the river, I feel more connected with London and its history when I’m there.