Hidden London: St Christopher's Place

Image courtesy of The London Traveller

To help motivate me to get out and explore my adopted city, I'm starting a new feature: Hidden London. Once a week, I'll post places off the beaten tourist trail. This week: St Christopher's Place.

You couldn't have an area closer - yet further - from the adrenaline rush of Oxford Street. All you need to do is locate the clock, find the hidden passage, and thirty seconds later you're in a quiet square lined with cafes, restaurant and boutiques. Sound magical? It is, in a way. The square has a Continental feel to it and you almost feel like you've been transported out of London.

I first discovered St Christopher's Place on a London Walk. The Man and I have done almost all the walks now - covering everything from Dickens' London to the Jewish East End. This one, focusing on Marylebone, was one of our favourites. Following our tour guide, we scooted past Selfridges and turned into a narrow corridor. I was immediately intrigued, but we had no time to linger as we continued up to Marylebone High Street (where we ran into Alan Rickman outside of Waitrose).

A year or so later, I attempted to find St Christopher's Place with my friend J, who was visiting from Toronto. I could vaguely recall it was somewhere outside of Selfridges, but the multiple glasses of champagne at Selfridge's champagne bar didn't aid in the search. Vision blurred, I managed to track down the clock and we scoffed some divine Turkish food at Sofra.

If you need some respite after shopping - and you can find it - St Christopher's Place is worth the hunt.