The barrel-made lookout from Shackleton's final ship is tucked away in the crypt of one of London's oldest churches.

A building that survived WWII, possibly on the virtue of its name alone.

William Smith's iconic "map that changed the world" is hidden behind a curtain in the Geological Society building.

The bronze uniforms commemorate the vital role of women during World War II.

London's most popular recording studio, located in the capital's East End, runs partly on solar power and has played host to some of the world's biggest acts.

This historic London residence was once the womb of Scientology.

The plunge pool is a surviving relic of a rowdy royal residence.

It is still illegal to "quarrel" at this unlikely urban oasis built on top of an electrical substation.

The last remaining example of the boatmen's perches that once dotted the south bank of the Thames.

You'd never know the houses at 23-24 Leinster Gardens were fakes—until you see the train tracks on the other side.

A closed London rail station created to cart away the dead still bears the marks of attempts to make it less morbid.

The Metropolitan Police refurbished the blue box (perhaps not coincidentally) the same year "Doctor Who" returned to TV screens.

An incarceration museum on the spot of possibly the oldest prison in England.

Rebuilt remains of a temple to Roman god Mithras.

The only university zoological museum in London houses extinct animals, bizarre natural history specimens, and a Micrarium of microscopic creatures.

This collection of illusory paraphernalia has been culled from the history of London's premier magician's club.

This shop and gallery is a modern-day cabinet of curiosities, unassumingly positioned along an urban thoroughfare.

Ruined 11th century abbey built by King David I in Edinburgh, Scotland.

This museum is dedicated to the most famous Irish writers in history.

A particularly disconcerting tribute to Irish martyrs.

The mysterious, fantastical woodland inspiration for "The Lord of the Rings."