A former custard factory, a brutalist concrete tower block and a Birmingham bog, feature alongside famous beauty spots Kensington Gardens and the Royal Observatory in a new list of Britain’s most inspiring hidden urban gems.
Compiled by American Express in partnership with a collective of some of the nation’s most influential bloggers and their communities, the list has been created to reconnect people with their home cities and discover new places of inspiration.
Research by American Express found that 87% of people admit to not taking advantage of what’s around them in their city, with a further 43% acknowledging they are missing out on what their cities have to offer.
Familiar names in the guide include Isabella Plantations in Richmond Park, Little Venice in West London and Glasgow’s Royal Exchange Square, with Salford’s media city a new arrival on a list that also includes many historic hidden gems from Manchester, Birmingham and Leeds.
50 of the UK’s best hidden gems
Moseley Bog, Birmingham
An often forgotten nature reserve in the Moseley area of the city, it is said to have inspired J R Tolkien’s vision for the Lord of the Rings trilogy
Trellick Tower, London
A grade II listed brutalist-style block of flats designed by architect ErnÅ Goldfinger
Holbeck Cemetery, Leeds
Contains the oldest surviving secular building in Leeds, Cad Beeston Manor
Hockley Flyover, Birmingham
An outstanding example of brutalist modernist architecture, the open space underneath plays host to imaginative people who gather to share street art, dance and artistic expression
The Greenway, London
A footpath and cycleway constructed on the embankment containing the Northern Outfall Sewer
Media City, Manchester
Waterfront centre for digital creativity, learning and leisure, overlooking the Manchester Ship Canal
Millennium Point Science Garden, Birmingham
An enlightening park full of giant exhibits themes around the areas of ‘Energise’, ‘Mechanise’ and ‘Mobilse’
Broomielaw, Mitchell Street and Ingram Street, Glasgow
Locations for Glasgow’s quirky street art
The Tetley, Leeds
The new centre for contemporary art and learning, situated in the art deco headquarters of the former Tetley Brewery
Lee Valley Regional Park, London
A long linear green space in London with a number of major reservoirs and rivers and canals
Trinity Bridge, Manchester
A sinuous bridge designed by renowned Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava
Severndroog Castle, London
A triangular-shaped eighteenth century Gothic-style castle folly in the woodland in the borough of Greenwich
Little Venice, London
An area of the canal system in Maida Vale, famed for the bustling shops and restaurants, and narrowboats on the canal
Thomas Street, Manchester
Situated in the city’s centre of alternative and bohemian culture, the Northern Quarter
Kensington Palace Gardens, London
Adjoining Kensington Palace, the gardens are one of the Royal Parks of London
Alfred Waterhouse university precinct, Manchester
Victorian Gothic-revival in style, the courtyard also contains a piece of ice-age rock which travelled from the Lakes District to Manchester by a glacier
Royal Victoria Dock, London
The largest of three docks in the Royal Docks in the east of London, credited with significant shipping heritage
University Edible Garden, Leeds
A sustainability garden in the centre of the university, passers-by can help themselves to the home-grown produce
Camberwell New Cemetery, London
Established in 1901, the cemetery also contains a listed cemetery, noted for its stained glass window
Postman’s Park, London
Opened in 1880, the park contains memorials to ordinary people who died whilst saving the lives of others
Warstone Cemetery Catacombs, Birmingham
An eerie two tiers of catacombs located in a now closed cemetery in the city’s Jewellery Quarter.
Holbeck Viaducts, Leeds
Home to the Slung Low alternative theatre company
St. Mary’s Secret Garden, London
A horticultural project in Hackney containing natural woodland, food growing area, herb and sensory garden and an area of herbaceous borders
Trinity Church, Leeds
Home to a community arts centre which hosts live bands
Kentish Town City Farm, London
An inner city farm since the 1970s
Denmark Street, London
Also known as ‘Tin Pan Alley’ after the street’s association with popular music
St Nicholas Garden at Provand's Lordship, Glasgow
A unique 15th Century garden space
Hillhead, Glasgow
The heart of Glasgow’s fashionable West End
St George’s Field, Leeds
A former cemetery which is now within the campus of the University of Leeds
Angel Meadows, Manchester
A tranquil green space which has a history linked to the industrial revolution, the area saw a huge regeneration in the early 2000s
Japanese Garden, Birmingham
A courtyard garden containing elements of several styles, it forms part of the Birmingham Botanical Gardens
Peckham Library, London
A library and community building which won the Stirling Prize for Architecture in 2000
Oxford Road Station, Manchester
Built in 1960, the laminated wood structure is grade II listed
Temple Works, Leeds
The only Glade I listed building in Holbeck, the former flax mill is now an arts centre
Stevenson Square, Manchester
Situated in a conservation area, the square hosts an officially sanctioned changing street art exhibition by some of the best street artists in the North
Custard Factory, Birmingham
Home to a community of artistic and media businesses situated on the redeveloped site of the Bird’s Custard factory in the Digbeth area of the city
Royal Exchange Square, Glasgow
A public square in the city, and home to the Glasgow Gallery of Modern Art and the humours Duke of Wellington statue, often spotted with a traffic cone on his head
The Guinea Gardens, Edgbaston
A collection of Victorian gardens which are over a hundred years old
The Square and Oasis Market, Birmingham
A Camden-inspired mecca of unique ships, entertainment and atmosphere
Victoria Gardens, Leeds
Home to the city’s Speakers’ Corner, the gardens are next to the Henry Moore Institute and Leeds City Art Gallery
Sackville Gardens, Manchester
A small and peaceful green space in the city which contains a life-size statue of inventor of the computer Alan Turing
Royal Observatory, London
An important site in the history of astronomy and navigation, situated on a hill in Greenwick Park, London
St John’s Lodge Gardens, London
A quiet, almost secret garden tucked away in a corner of Regent’s Park
Harbour on the River Clyde, Glasgow
A lively and bustling harbour, where the Search and Rescue teams can often be spotted in action
Horsenden Hill, London
Ancient woodland, hills and open spaces in the London Borough of Ealing, dating back to the Iron Age
Kyoto Garden, London
A Japanese garden set within Holland Park, donated by the Chamber of Commerce of Kyoto in 1991
Godlee Observatory, Manchester
An old astronomical observatory, it was gifted to the city in 1902 and offers exceptional views of Manchester
Hungerford and Golden Jubilee Bridges, London
A railway bridge flanked by pedestrian bridges which connect Waterloo and Embankment, and offers some of the best views over the Thames
Isabella Plantation, London
An ornamental woodland garden full of exotic plants, tucked away in Richmond Park
Parliament Hill, London
An area of open parkland in the south-east corner of Hampstead Heath, London
Vice President Brand and Communications, American Express, Melissa Weber says: “The cities we live in are brimming with potential, but we only appreciate a fraction of what they have to offer. That’s why we’ve called on people to share their personal places, hideaways and havens in the city to create maps of the UK's most inspirational spaces, so that everyone can discover something new to love about their city.”
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