Secret London Hideaway

I had just came out of the Bank of England tour when I decided to go in the opposite direction from everyone else. Sometimes it’s good to escape the crowds in London, even if it is only for a few moments.

The sun was shining and I was feeling good. I ended up on a street called Lothbury, which is on the North side of the Bank of England, when I chanced upon a narrow alleyway called St Margaret’s Close, which led to Church Court. I stopped and peered down it. The gate was open, was it for public access I wondered. I guessed if you weren’t allowed to go down it, that the gate would have been closed or there would have been a sign saying PRIVATE!

I thought what the hell, if you could pardon the pun, but I was intrigued as to what lay at the end of St Margaret’s Close, what was the Church Court going to look like. Down I went, my curiosity needed to be satisfied, what’s the worst that could happen?

What did I find, but a beautiful and relaxing little garden with a bench to sit on and a table to eat  my packed lunch from. I grabbed myself a seat for 30 minutes or so and chilled out. The place was deserted and beautifully quiet, it was a wonderfully relaxing oasis only a few moments from the mayhem of the City of London.

Church Court was obviously the courtyard of St Margaret’s Church. A church has sat on this particular site since the 12th century, until just like most of London it was destroyed by the Great fire of 1666. The present church was built by Christopher Wren and was completed in 1690.

There are so many secret little hideaways and gardens all over London that are very rarely visited by anybody. I just love such places…

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1. Secret London River Thames Garden