London for free

There’s so much to do that’s free in the capital, and here’s some suggestions

Play on a pirate ship at the Diana Memorial Playground
Young kids will love the Diana Memorial Playground located in Kensington Gardens next to Princess Diana’s Kensington Palace home. Inspired by the stories of Peter Pan, it centres upon a giant wooden pirate ship and the playground also includes a sensory trail, teepees, a beach around the pirate ship and various play sculptures; all set against a lush backdrop of trees and plants. There’s plenty of seating so the grownups can relax too. Afterwards you can walk to the nearby Italian Gardens, for an ice-cream amid features like waterlilies and fountains. Note that on busy days when the playground reaches full capacity there is a queue for entry, with waiting times typically ranging from between 15 minutes up to an hour. Only adults supervising children up to the age of 12 will be admitted.
The Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Playground, Kensington Gardens, Broad Walk, London W2 4RU; royalparks.org.uk

A cinematic journey
BFI Southbank’s Mediatheque is a place to make new film discoveries and get reacquainted with old favourites. Simply log on at a viewing station and choose from over 2,500 highlights from the BFI National Archive, the world’s greatest and most diverse collection of film and television. There’s everything from home movies to feature films, documentaries to kids’ TV, old cult favourites, strange and unclassifiable films and art-house masterpieces. Many titles have rarely been seen since their original release or broadcast – if at all. There’s pioneering documentaries, cult kids’ tv, hard-to-find sitcoms, film from the Victorian and Edwardian era,film around Britain through the decades, recent tv to browse and much, much more. There’s more than 1,000 hours of film available to watch and the viewing booths have space for more than one, so take a friend. At busy periods, time slots are restricted to two hours to avoid overcrowding.
BFI Southbank Mediatheque, Belvedere Road, SE1 8XT; 020 7815 1346; bfi.org.uk; open 12.30-8pm daily

Traffic-free (almost) walk from Whitehall to Notting Hill
London is awash with green. You can stroll the whole way from Whitehall to Notting Hill via interconnecting – and very different – St James’s Park, Green Park, Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens. The latter features the Princess of Wales Memorial Playground, with a huge pirate ship, sand pits, water play areas and teepees.

Opera in Holland Park
Opera tickets can be very pricey indeed, so the free 40-minute performances held on selected Friday lunchtimes at 1pm from mid-May until the end of July that are organised by Songs on the Steps will be music to the ears of opera lovers. They offer a range of new and familiar songs and arias to capture the imaginations of devotees and dog walkers, music lovers and passers-by. Bring a rug or a cushion at the steps to the theatre. Featuring artists from the Opera Holland Park Company.
Opera Holland Park Theatre, Ilchester Place, Holland Park, Kensington W8 6LU; 020 3846 6222; operahollandpark.com

Witness our legal system at work
A visit to the public galleries of the Old Bailey’s Central Criminal Court (cityoflondon.gov.uk) or the Royal Courts of Justice (justice.gov.uk) can give an excellent insight into Britain’s legal system, although the latter, dealing with civil rather than criminal cases, is likely to be less gripping, although the architecturally impressive building has an imposing main hall and numerous artworks scattered around. Under 14s are not admitted.

Woolwich Works guided tours
Woolwich Works’ architectural award-winning Grade II and II* listed heritage buildings date back over 300 years and have some amazing stories to tell. You will be led around a variety of historic spaces and hear stories from the building’s past like London’s first fireworks displays, visits from Kings and Queens, Suffragette protests and more. The tour also shows how the building has been restored and how it’s used today. The tour is free and lasts approximately 45 minutes. Meeting Point: Visitors’ Book Café, Woolwich Works, The Fireworks Factory, No.1 Street, London, SE18 6HD
Woolwich Works, woolwich.works

Animal encounters
Seven-acre Bloomsbury recreational area Coram’s Fields (93 Guildford Street, WC1; 020 7837 6138; coramsfields.org; open 9am-dusk) has a few farm animals in residence including goats, rabbits, ducks and chickens. There’s also a children’s playground with a zip wire, climbing frames, paddling pool and slides. Adults are only admitted if accompanied by a child.
Coram’s Fields, 93 Guildford Street, WC1; 020 7837 6138; coramsfields.org; open 9am-dusk

Walk the Roman walls
There are still some traces of Roman Londinium, founded 2,000 years ago. Begin your exploration by the Tower of London: a statue of emperor Trajan guards the tallest section. From here if you head north along Cooper’s Row and enter the plaza of the Grange City Hotel you’ll find the most impressive section of wall, including an arch that can be walked through. From here, an anti-clockwise stroll around the Square Mile will reveal further remnants of Roman London along the aptly named thoroughfare London Wall, especially near the Museum of London.

A charming museum
Sir John Soane’s Museum (13 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, WC2; 020 405 2107; soane.org; open Tues-Sat 10am-5pm) is rather eccentric and unpredictable. Built 1812 and recently restored with new spaces unveiled in September, this beautiful, unusual museum was architect Soane’s house and displays his eccentric collection of plasterwork, paintings, models of buildings – and chillingly, of tombs complete with skeletons – as well as drawings, antiquities, sculptures and books from around the world that took nearly half a century to assemble and that more than 50,000 people visit annually. The items displayed are staggering in volume and variety and even hold the attention of very young children, especially since a surprise is around every corner, or a new alcove crammed with more treasures invariably appears. Soane bequeathed his collection to the nation on the understanding that nothing was removed or changed.
Sir John Soane’s Museum, 13 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, WC2; 020 405 2107; soane.org; open Tues-Sat 10am-5pm

Classical music concerts
On weekdays some of the City’s most beautiful churches put on free lunchtime classical music recitals. A monthly guide can be downloaded at london-city-churches.org.uk. Some music colleges, including the Royal Academy of Music (ram.ac.uk/events) and the Royal College of Music (rcm.ac.uk/events) also organise regular free classical concerts and other events.

Quite a few of my posts are free but every paid subscriber I have on Substack helps keep this newsletter going. Paid subscribers have access to all posts. A subscription is typically less than a monthly coffee at a cafe, so please consider subscribing if you can. And every like or shared post helps the Substack algorithm to show my writing to a few more people.