Cavalry Memorial

The Cavalry Memorial sits on the edge of Hyde Park, and it's one of those monuments you might walk past without really clocking it - until you stop and actually look. Built in 1924 to honour the mounted regiments who died in the First World War, it's a quietly powerful piece of work: a bronze horse and rider facing down Rotten Row, carved with real craft and purpose. The craftsmanship is what gets you - the detail in the horse's musculature, the weight of the rider's uniform.

It's genuinely worth five minutes of your time if you're already in the park, which you almost certainly will be if you're staying at Lovat Parks, just a short walk away. History buffs will appreciate the inscription and the regiments it commemorates, but it's not the sort of place that demands hours of your attention. Families won't get much out of lingering, though older kids might find the scale of it striking against the London backdrop.

The real gift is that there's no admission fee and you can see it properly from the pavement at any time. Go early in the day if you want a clear photograph without crowds, and it pairs naturally with the broader walk through Hyde Park itself - you're not making a separate trip, just stopping when you happen past. On a grey London day it looks particularly solemn and right.