The Atlas Obscura Guide To England

2,135 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in England

Updated December 23, 2024

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Unusual Attractions in England

The central interior of Leadenhall Market

London, England

Leadenhall Market

This ornate Victorian marketplace was the setting for Diagon Alley and the Leaky Cauldron in the Harry Potter films.

London, England

Highgate Cemetery

London's creepiest cemetery was once the site of dueling magicians and mobs of stake-carrying vampire hunters.

London, England

The Ruins of St. Dunstan-in-the-East

One of the few remaining casualties of the London Blitz, this destroyed church has become an enchanting public garden.

Gods Own Junkyard

London, England

God's Own Junkyard

A kaleidoscopic warehouse-maze of handmade neon signs.

Twinings tea shop on the Strand.

London, England

Twinings Tea Shop

A 300-year-old tea shop that brought tea to the English people, not to mention the Queen herself.

London, England

The Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities, Fine Art & Natural History

This shop and gallery is a modern-day cabinet of curiosities, unassumingly positioned along an urban thoroughfare.

Cecil Court.

London, England

Cecil Court

A charming 17th-century alley is lined with secondhand bookstores and antiquarian shops.

Puzzlewood

Coleford, England

Puzzlewood

The mysterious, fantastical woodland inspiration for "The Lord of the Rings."

See All 2,135 Things To Do in England

Cool Places to Eat & Drink in England

Twinings tea shop on the Strand.

London, England

Twinings Tea Shop

A 300-year-old tea shop that brought tea to the English people, not to mention the Queen herself.

London, England

Café in the Crypt

This coffee shop lies hidden beneath a historic church.

The Lost Caves.

Nottingham, England

The Lost Caves

Hidden in a grotto 26 feet below Nottingham's oldest hotel, this stylish subterranean drinking den is notoriously hard to find.

The Mayflower Pub.

London, England

The Mayflower Pub

The London pub overlooks where the Mayflower was moored before setting sail for the New World.

See all 82 Places to Eat in England

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Hidden Trafalgar Square

Wedged between Charing Cross and Leicester Square, Trafalgar Square is known for the throngs of people flocking to its famous attractions. Weave around the tourists on the National Gallery stairs and dodge the crowds clogging the street corners. Instead, duck down dreamy alleys and pop into unique, overlooked museums and shops. There, a secret side of this busy area waits to reveal itself.

The Whitehall Banqueting House is full of topsy-turvy views.

Explore England

Architecture 280

History 239

History & Culture 235

Museums 184

Art 133

Architectural Oddities 132

Churches 127

Sculptures 126

Military 125

Sacred Spaces 124

Ruins 120

Medieval 116

Unique Restaurants & Bars 38

Places To Stay 22

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Stories About England

The annual pipe walk (shown in red) moves north from the ancient well, through neighborhoods and Victoria Park, before veering west to follow a 19th-century diversion.

This Annual Pipe Walk Maps a Medieval Tradition in Bristol

The St. Mary Redcliffe Pipe Walk honors a legal agreement dating back to the days of Richard the Lionheart.

by Frank Jacobs

September 18, 2024

The Oxfordshire Band of Hope and Temperance Union produced this map of Oxford's breweries and pubs in 1883.

The Victorian 'Drink Maps' Wielded by Anti-Booze Crusaders

Author Kris Butler reveals how Temperance advocates mapped bars to discourage their spread.

by Andrew Coletti

September 11, 2024

In this 1625 painting entitled 'The Merry Student,' Dutch artist Gerard van Honthorst shows a young man singing a lively ballad.

Shakespeare, Kings, and Commoners All Loved These Hit English Ballads

Move aside Taylor Swift. In the 17th century, these songs were the pop music anthems of their day.

August 28, 2024

For some 4,500 years, Stonehenge has attracted and fascinated humans—now it turns out the Altar Stone, at its center, is from Scotland.

Stonehenge Has a Scottish Heart

Long thought to be from Wales, the monument's Altar Stone is from northern Scotland, nearly 500 miles away.

by Roxanne Hoorn

August 14, 2024

Hogarth's "O the Roast Beef of Old England (The Gate of Calais)" captured his sentiments as a society member.

A Rare Look Inside Britain's 'Sublime Society of Beefsteaks'

The secret dining club has extolled patriotism, masculinity, and meat since 1735.

by Rachel Naismith

It's the oldest unintentionally preserved egg in history.

This 1,700 Year Old Egg Never Broke—And Now It’s Further Stunning Scientists

They still can’t fully crack the mystery.

by Colleen Kelly

February 23, 2024

The cartonnage dates to 800 BC.

The Victorian Ladies Who Smuggled a Mummy Case Out of Egypt

And did the unthinkable to the mummy inside.

February 19, 2024

Punxsutawney Phil has predicted a longer winter nearly every Groundhog Day.

A Primer on Both Groundhogs and Hedgehogs

Just in time for their moment in the sun (or not).

January 26, 2024

Lists Featuring England

Charles Goodwyn, Keeper of the Royal Philatelic Collection, with copies of world's first stamp

Lock & Co.

Plaque marking the Texan Embassy

The Lioness and the Lesser Kudu.

The 11 Best Places to Visit Near Buckingham Palace for Curious Travelers

Including The Royal Philatelic Collection, Lock & Co. , and The Embassy of the Republic of Texas

The "pet ham" is 119 years old.

Bog Butter, Ancient Beef, and Other Remarkably Old Foods on Display in Museums

Some of these foods are centuries past their expiration dates.

Including Ancient Bog Butter, Preserved Victorian Wedding Cake, and World’s Oldest Edible Ham

Madaba Mosaic Map

The gallery of maps, showing the ceiling

Great Polish Map of Scotland

13 Marvelous Maps That Go Way Beyond Paper

Charting the world's most intriguing out-of-the-box cartography.

Including Madaba Mosaic Map, Gallery of Maps - Galleria delle Carte Geografiche, and Mapparium Globe

Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem0115 947 3171

The Star Tavern

The Eagle is among the best-known pubs in Cambridge.

The recreated apartment.

The Best British Pubs to Get Drunk on History

A 14-stop bar tour through Great Britain's past.

Including Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem, The Star Tavern, and The Eagle

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