London Unfolded... #CocorosingIt in Bayswater

Photo by Wikimedia

Bayswater sits in an enviable position in Central London, an arm's length from many of the capital's best known attractions including Kensington Gardens, Hyde Park, Marble Arch and Whiteleys shopping mall. But everybody knows these landmarks, and everybody loves something that little bit different, so here we take a look at three alternative, lesser known sights the area has to offer.

Walk down Leinster Gardens, a residential road of white stucco terraces typical of the area, and stop at numbers 23 and 24. Look closely and you might notice that these two houses aren't what they seem. Behind the front doors and windows painted onto the facade lies a five foot thick wall and behind that, some old vents. An underground line runs under these buildings and at the time (1860s), the original trains were steam-powered. The open air vents were built to stop the tunnels from being filled with smoke and the vents were hidden behind numbers 23 and 24 so that the row of beautiful terraces remained unbroken.

Rather more gruesome is Tyburn Gallows, close to Marble Arch. For six centuries, until 1783, this was where public executions were held and each execution attracted huge paying crowds. As the roads around Oxford Street became more fashionable, the public hangings were moved away from the area. The Tyburn Tree, from which prisoners were hung, is commemorated by a simple stone plaque on the ground on a traffic island at the junction of Edgeware Road with Marble Arch.

Photo by London Remembers

Finish off your walk around Bayswater by Cocorosing It through Kensington Gardens to see the statue of Peter Pan. Commissioned by JM Barrie, the author of Peter Pan, the bronze statue was erected in 1912, on a spot chosen by Barrie himself.

Happy Cocorosing!

xx