The Old Curiosity Shop
A lopsided 16th-century shop near Lincoln's Inn Fields, claiming to be the oldest in central London and the inspiration for Dickens.
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The lowdown
Wedged among the modern blocks of the LSE is a tiny, gloriously crooked timber-framed shop built around 1567, probably from the wood of old ships. The name painted on its front claims it inspired Charles Dickens's novel The Old Curiosity Shop, though that link is almost certainly a clever piece of Victorian marketing added after the book was a hit.
True or not, it is the genuine article as a survivor, one of the oldest shops in central London, having dodged the Great Fire and the Blitz alike. It is free to admire from the pavement, a wonky little time capsule leaning into the present day.
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