London’s top 20 attractions named with ‘a night out in PECKHAM’ coming 19th 

Anyone who still makes jokes about Peckham being a mediocre London neighbourhood needs to wake up and smell the enticing thyme, orange peel and cucumber-infused cocktails they’re serving there.

The new Time Out guide to London includes a ‘Top 20’ list of attractions – and ‘a night out in Peckham’ comes 19th, thanks to its tropical-themed cocktail bars and streets that ‘buzz almost every night of the week’.

The No1 spot on the list goes to the Victoria & Albert Museum, with ‘street food’ and the Houses of Parliament coming second and third.

The new Time Out guide to London includes a ‘Top 20’ list of attractions – and ‘a night out in Peckham’ comes 19th, thanks to its tropical-themed cocktail bars and streets that ‘buzz almost every night of the week’. Pictured is Peckham’s Bussey Building

The No1 spot on the list goes to the Victoria & Albert Museum. Time Out says that it ‘has become one of the world’s most magnificent museums’

The No1 spot on the list goes to the Victoria & Albert Museum. Time Out says that it ‘has become one of the world’s most magnificent museums’

Time Out argues that ‘you can barely swing a tote bag without hitting an artisanal street food stall or provenance-first farmers’ market in London these days'

Time Out argues that ‘you can barely swing a tote bag without hitting an artisanal street food stall or provenance-first farmers’ market in London these days’

In an explanation about what makes the V&A so special, Time Out says that it ‘has become one of the world’s most magnificent museums’, with ‘grand galleries over seven floors’ that ‘contain countless pieces of furniture, ceramics, sculpture, paintings, posters, jewellery, metalwork, glass, textiles and dress, spanning several centuries’.

As for the No2 spot, Time Out argues that ‘you can barely swing a tote bag without hitting an artisanal street food stall or provenance-first farmers’ market in London these days… which is great news for foodies on a budget’.

Third-place Houses of Parliament is lauded for its ‘wonderful mish-mash of styles, dominated by Gothic buttresses, towers and arches’.

The Houses of Parliament is lauded by Time Out for its ‘wonderful mish-mash of styles, dominated by Gothic buttresses, towers and arches’

The Houses of Parliament is lauded by Time Out for its ‘wonderful mish-mash of styles, dominated by Gothic buttresses, towers and arches’

The Shard comes fourth in Time Out’s list, being ‘the undisputed kingpin’ of the recent sprouting of skyscrapers across the capital

The Shard comes fourth in Time Out’s list, being ‘the undisputed kingpin’ of the recent sprouting of skyscrapers across the capital

The British Museum comes fifth, being a ‘compendium of key artefacts from most of the significant cultures of the world'

The British Museum comes fifth, being a ‘compendium of key artefacts from most of the significant cultures of the world’

Shakespeare’s Globe occupies the No6 slot, partly because you can see an authentically staged play for just £5 if you stand as a ‘groundling’

Shakespeare’s Globe occupies the No6 slot, partly because you can see an authentically staged play for just £5 if you stand as a ‘groundling’

Visitors, the guide notes, can tour the palace buildings and observe debates in the House of Commons and House of Lords.

The Shard comes fourth in Time Out’s list, being ‘the undisputed kingpin’ of the recent sprouting of skyscrapers across the capital.

‘It’s so tall,’ the guide says, ‘you almost feel you’re on a different plane to the ant city below.’

In seventh place is St Paul’s Cathedral, with Time Out waxing lyrical about its breathtakingly grand interior

In seventh place is St Paul’s Cathedral, with Time Out waxing lyrical about its breathtakingly grand interior

IS TIME OUT RIGHT ABOUT PECKHAM? 

In a word, yes.

I’ve lived next door to Peckham in East Dulwich for 15 years and I’ve watched it transform into a very hip nightspot from something, well, not quite so hip.

One of my first Peckham experiences was the cinema. It could get a bit rowdy – think full-blown arguments erupting during movies and foyer punch-ups – but it only cost £3. So we’d take the risk.

Then, over the years, the trendy burger joints and cocktail bars arrived and the vibe became distinctly buzzy.

The arrival of the Overground in 2012 seriously spurred on the development of the area because it linked Peckham directly with Clapham and East London. There’s just one crucial omission in the Time Out guide – restaurant Peckham Bazaar. One of the best eateries not just in the neighbourhood, but London.

Ted Thornhill, MailOnline Travel Editor  

The British Museum comes fifth, being a ‘compendium of key artefacts from most of the significant cultures of the world, from Egyptian mummies and the Rosetta Stone to monumental Mesopotamian sculpture and even an Easter Island head’.

Shakespeare’s Globe occupies the No6 slot, partly because you can see an authentically staged play for just £5 if you stand as a ‘groundling’.

In seventh place is St Paul’s Cathedral, with Time Out waxing lyrical about its breathtakingly grand interior.

Afternoon tea’ percolates into the No8 berth on the list.

These can be experienced at most of London’s grand hotels.

The National Theatre comes next, at No9, being ‘the country’s leading drama showcase’. 

The guide adds: ‘Don’t miss the chance to see UK theatre at its very best in a building that’s a masterpiece of 20th-century architecture.’

At No10 is the Tower of London – ‘a fabulous showcase for the Crown Jewels’.

The rest of the list comprises the Notting Hill Carnival (11th), the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (12th), Westminster Abbey (13th), Maritime Greenwich (14th), Redchurch Street (15th), Tate Britain (16th), Liberty [the shop] (17th), St James’s Park (18th) and the London Transport Museum (20th).

Much of the top 20 is world-famous, so Peckham’s nightlife is in exalted company.

Is it really that good? Indisputably, according to Time Out.

It adds: ‘Peckham is an incredibly vibrant and exciting nightlife destination, a place where the streets are buzzing almost every night of the week.

‘Hipsters and culture vultures come for everything from theatre to film, and live music to cutting-edge clubbing. Peckham is undeniably trendy, but it’s open, fun and friendly, with something for everybody out looking for a good time.’

The guide recommends Peckham’s Bussey Building and its ‘rolling programme of cultural events’, the Rye Wax record shop, Peckham Levels – a former car park now transformed into a ‘multi-storey creative hub’ that houses tropical-themed cocktail bar Near & Far and Frank’s Café – Four Quarters South for cocktails and arcade games and Copeland Social for its ‘bangin sound system’. 

LONDON’S TOP 20 ATTRACTIONS 

1 Victoria & Albert Museum

2 Street food

3 Houses of Parliament

4 The Shard

5 British Museum

6 Shakespeare’s Globe

7 St Paul’s Cathedral

8 Afternoon tea

9 National Theatre

10 Tower of London  

11 Notting Hill Carnival

12 Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

13 Westminster Abbey

14 Maritime Greenwich

15 Redchurch Street

16 Tate Britain

17 Liberty

18 St James’s Park

19 A night out in Peckham

20 London Transport Museum 

Source: Time Out 

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