Churches and Cathedrals in River Lea

"Along the south bank (always worth a wander), you can stop in at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, the Tate Modern Art Gallery, and even quickly cross the Millennium bridge for a visit to St. Paul’s Cathedral. The Globe and St. Paul’s Cathedral are both included on the London Pass, whilst the Tate Modern is free to enter."

"Reconstruction during 1955, after extensive damage in the Blitz. Image source: Ben Brooksbank / CC BY-SA 2.0. Located on the doorstep of the Tower of London, this church has buried the bodies of numerous victims sentenced to death on Tower Hill, including those of Thomas More, Bishop John Fisher and Archbishop Laud."

"All Hallows-by-the-Tower is an ancient historic Anglican church that was founded in 675. Surprisingly, it's still not the oldest church in London. Inside the church is a seventh century Anglo-Saxon arch with recycled Roman tiles."

"Temple Church in Central London is the physical embodiment of the Knights Templar, a religious order that also trained as warrior monks. This is history that is strong on narrative and bursting with battles and blood-lust. Temple Church was built by the Knights Templar, the order of crusading monks who sought to protect pilgrims on their journeys to Jerusalem in the 12th century."

"This historic site was first built by the Knights Templar as their English headquarters back in the late 20th century. These days the church prides itself on its musical output and together the choir and the Harrison & Harrison organ produce some of the most sonorous gospel music in the city. It's one of the very oldest churches in the city, sure to fascinate history buffs."

"Temple Church is linked with the Knights Templar and contains the stone effigies of eight slumbering knights on the floor of the Round Tower 3"

"He is thought to have been inspired by illustrations of the Tower of the Winds in Vitruvius. However, it is best known for its lasting influence on weddings. This originated when a Mr Rich, an 18th-century pastrycook of Fleet Street, modelled his famous wedding cakes on the spire."

"Famous for its three-tiered spire which inspired a baker to create a tiered wedding cake. It has an interesting museum underneath 2"

"Not only is St Helen’s one of the oldest surviving churches in the City of London, but it is also the largest, and contains more monuments than any other church in London (except Westminster Abbey of course). The church was designed with two parallel naves, which is why is it is so much wider than a usual church, and it was actually divided in two at one point, with half serving the nuns and the other half serving the parishioners (it is also the only nunnery still standing in the City of London). Among the more famous parishioners of this church was William Shakespeare who lived nearby in the 1590s."

"St Helen’s Church in Bishopsgate is another survivor of the Great Fire, and indeed the Blitz. However, an IRA bomb blew its roof off. It originally belonged to a nunnery which was dissolved in 1538."

"This church dates from the 12th-century and managed to survive both the Great Fire of London in 1666 and the Blitz"

"St Mary Woolnoth was said to have been founded originally by Wulfnoth, a Saxon noble, on a Roman Temple to Concord. The church is famous among architects. It was built by Nicholas Hawksmoor in 1716-1721."

"This bizarre looking Anglican church was designed by Hawksmoor – his only City of London church. The original dated back to Norman times"

"Sopwell House Hotel is a grand affair, with more than 100 rooms, two restaurants, a spa and 12 acres of grounds to its name. Among all of that the best place to relax is in the cocktail lounge, where afternoon tea is served. It’s a long, breezy room that begins with a marble-topped bar and stretches all the way to a library, with little alcoves and giant sash windows along the way."

"Black Sheep Coffee is a local London chain – their Wembley Park location is their 24th site in the capital, Manchester, and Manila (yes, in the Philippines). They’re all about serving up great coffee, visiting plantations to make sure the beans are top-quality and packed with flavour. Don’t follow the crowd – be a black sheep and grab a turmeric latte, a Coco-Bongo Shake, and truffle mushroom pizza."

"Who else is excited to sit and catch up with a nice cup of coffee?. Luckily, now you can. Black Sheep Coffee are reopening their outdoor seating area come 12th April so you can have that much-needed chinwag with your friends or family."

"In fact, it was always a very good restaurant, home to a winning burger and some Isle Of Mull cheese puffs that might as well have been called Fuck Me, These Are Fantastic. But when this class act reopened after the first lockdown they set up a terrace under one of the big arches in Borough Market and an al fresco star was born. Never has feeling like you’re on holiday also felt so quintessentially London."

"Elliot’s is continuing the great tradition of mashing up two sweet items into one super hybrid treat with this creme brulee croissant, adding the creme inside the pastry and the brulee on top of it. It’s only available at weekends so you have all week to build up the anticipation."