Cabmen's Shelter, Russell Square
the cabbies' secret green huts
A tiny green Victorian hut that has fed and warmed London's cab drivers for over a century, one of just thirteen survivors.
Free to visit · Bloomsbury · Russell Square · WC1B 5EH
Opening: Hatch serves the public during opening hours
Dotted across central London are little green wooden huts the size of a garden shed, easy to mistake for quaint sheds but actually historic cabmen's shelters. Built from the 1870s by a charity that worried about cab drivers drinking in pubs, they gave horse-cab and later taxi drivers a warm place to rest and get a hot meal off the street.
Only thirteen of the original sixty-one survive, all now listed, and the one by Russell Square is a fine example. The inside is reserved for licensed cabbies, but most will happily serve the public a cheap tea or bacon roll from the hatch. It is free to admire, and a lovely living link to the city's horse-drawn past.
Getting there: By Russell Square in Bloomsbury, a minute from Russell Square station.
Best time to go: A weekday when the hatch is open for a cheap takeaway tea.
Insider tip: The interior is cabbies-only, but you can usually buy a cheap tea or snack from the side hatch. Look for the green huts elsewhere too, there are survivors at Embankment, Kensington and Hanover Square among others.
Free things to do in London · London Free Guide