The Design Museum is a museum in Kensington, next to Holland Park, which covers product, industrial, graphic, fashion and architectural design. There is also a nice cafe on the 1st floor with beautiful views of the park.
Behind Markfield Beam Engine is the River Lee which travels from the Chiltern Hills all the way to the Thames via Tottenham Hale. There is a special light along this stretch of the river possibly due to there being about 10 massive reservoirs behind the levee on the other side of the river, offering an amazing sense of space. A great place to walk, cycle and feed the ducks, swans, geese and coots.
The Roundhouse was built as a steam-engine repair shed in 1846, and then became a warehouse before falling into disuse for 25 years and reopening as a performing arts venue in 1964 hosting acts like Jimi Hendrix, The Doors and Pink Floyd. It was redeveloped between 2004-2006 and is one of my favourite music venues in London; it’s a beautiful building, has a great sound and isn’t too huge so feels fairly intimate. Some highlights for me this year were The Flaming Lips, David Byrne & St.Vincent and the Timepiece installation by Conrad Shawcross.
Specialising in photography & fashion books and magazines, this independent shop can be a goldmine for rare and out of print books. Also if you’re lucky you’ll meet Otis, the lovely pug-cross resident.