Queen Caroline's Bath
a scandalous queen's secret bath
A sunken stone plunge pool hidden in Greenwich Park, the last trace of a vanished royal villa and its scandalous queen.
Free to visit · Greenwich · Cutty Sark (DLR) · SE10 8QY
Opening: Park daylight hours
Hidden in a quiet corner of Greenwich Park lies a sunken, oval stone plunge pool, the only surviving fragment of Montague House, a royal villa demolished in the 1800s. It was the home of Caroline of Brunswick, the estranged and famously rowdy wife of the future George IV, whose lively parties here scandalised respectable society.
When the king finally had the house torn down to spite her, this bath was all that remained. Restored and now open to view in the park, it is free to find, a faintly racy and easily missed relic of one of the most colourful royal marriages in British history.
Getting there: In Greenwich Park near Chesterfield Walk, a walk up from Cutty Sark DLR.
Best time to go: A dry day on a walk through the quieter eastern side of Greenwich Park.
Insider tip: It is on the quieter eastern edge of Greenwich Park near Chesterfield Walk, so follow the paths away from the main crowds. There is a small information panel telling the scandalous story of Queen Caroline who once bathed here.
Free things to do in London · London Free Guide