Finding peace in
the heart of London
United Kingdom
If you are tired of London, then you are tired of life. So goes the famous quote about the British capital. But even if you never tire of its myriad attractions and neighbourhoods, this city can be a tiring place to visit: big, hectic, with more inhabitants than Switzerland, and that’s not including the annual influx of visitors. At Cosa, we know London well enough to guide you to the quiet spots where you can escape the hubbub.
A central oasis
It’s said that the roving eye of King Charles II in the 17th century is what put the green into Green Park. His wife, Catherine of Braganza, became so irate at him picking posies there to give to his mistresses, that she ordered all the flowerbeds be dug up and replaced with grass. Mere minutes from the cacophonous bustle of Piccadilly Circus, Green Park is an ideal escape when the city becomes just too much. On a warm summer day here, buy an ice cream, sit back in a deckchair and switch off for a moment or two.
Herbs with history
A quiet space with a distinguished history is the Chelsea Physic Garden. In 1673 it started as a place to grow medicinal plants and has been open to the public for almost 40 years. There are around 4,500 plants, which enjoy a micro-climate due to the protective walls, as well as a café where you can enjoy a lunch of, maybe, chicken-liver mousse and quince jelly, followed by a rhubarb panna cotta.
Escaping the city
Our favourite escape is Hampstead Heath, in the north of the city. Its 320 hectares are deliberately left wild in many places, making getting lost quite common, even desirable. If you’re feeling gung-ho, bring your towel and swimming costumes to dip into one of its ponds. Then head for its highest point to fly a kite or get a magnificent panorama over London. And depending where you exit, you’re never far from a decent pub: try the Bull and Last in Highgate or the Wells Tavern in Hampstead Village.
Rest in peace
You can find stillness simply by stepping inside one of the city’s churches. They might look a tad forbidding but inside you’re in a world of tranquillity where you can sit and rest for a while. Some, like St Paul’s Church in Covent Garden, designed by Inigo Jones, have quiet courtyards as well. Here you might be feet away from the street performers and crowds jostling in the famous piazza but instead it’s an oasis of calm. It’s known as the actor’s church, with memorials dedicated to stars from Sir Charlie Chaplin to Vivien Leigh.
Bombs and bravery
Further east, in the shadow of St Paul’s Cathedral, are two perfect quiet places. One is the ruins of the bombed-out 13th-century Christ Church Greyfriars. Its tower and walls remain, providing an unruffled, open-air garden amid the sea of activity around it. Just up the street is Postman’s Park, a place that not even many Londoners know about. Here are plaques, erected from the 1800s onwards, to ordinary Londoners who died committing acts of great bravery. For example, on 24 January 1863 ‘Sarah Smith, pantomime artiste at Prince’s Theatre died of terrible injuries received when attempting in her inflammable dress to extinguish the flames which had enveloped her companion.’ It’s a reflective spot where the hustle and bustle of London seem very far away.
