A slightly scruffy area suffering from an unsightly flyover cutting right through its centre, Hammersmith is home to the Apollo which hosts many top class acts and popular shows. Just to the south of this the area becomes more attractive: the delightful Hammersmith Bridge built in the 1880s links the north and south banks of the Thames and has recently been fully restored.
On the Hammersmith bank are a number of handsome Regency houses interspersed with riverside pubs and boathouses. A little further along is The Dove, a pub close to the hearts of locals and Londonders; it was here that the traditional song Rule Britannia was composed by Thomas Arne in the 18th century! A regular haunt of the writer Graham Greene, its back bar is reputed to be the smallest in England measuring just 4ft by 7ft! Just nearby is Kelmscott House, a gorgeous brick villa purchased by William Morris from the poet George Macdonald in the late 19th century. It soon became a meeting place for contemporary writers such as Yeats and George Bernard Shaw. The literary tradition is kept up: the current owner is playwright Christopher Hampton, best known for his screen adaptation of Dangerous Liaisons.
Nearest Underground stop: Hammersmith