ELTHAM HEN HOUSE

A squat brick structure in south London that hardly looks like much from the street, but Eltham Hen House is genuinely fascinating if you care about Tudor history or Victorian architecture. Built in the 1480s as a royal poultry house for the palace, it's one of the few surviving buildings from Henry VIII's era, and the brickwork alone tells you something about medieval craftsmanship - those aren't uniform little blocks, they're hefty and uneven, built to last.

The building itself is modest, which is rather the point. It's not a grand palace wing or a decorated chamber - it's a working farm building that somehow survived four centuries of London sprawl. You can't always get inside to look around, but viewing it from outside still gives you that odd thrill of standing near something that's been in roughly the same spot since before the Renaissance.

Historically minded adults will appreciate it far more than families with young kids. There's no interactive displays or play areas, and the exterior won't hold anyone's attention for long - budget twenty minutes maximum. It works best as a stopping point when you're exploring Eltham Palace across the grounds, which is properly worth your time.

If you're staying at Abbey Wood Experience Freedom Glamping nearby, it's worth a quick detour, but don't plan a special trip just for this. The real draw is Eltham Palace itself - the Hen House is the appetiser, not the meal.