George III

George III's connection to London runs deep, though tracking down the actual sites tied to Britain's longest-reigning 18th-century monarch takes a bit of detective work across the capital. Most visitors end up at Kew Palace in southwest London, where the king spent considerable time and where you can walk the rooms he inhabited - it's a proper intimate look at royal domestic life, nothing like the grandeur of Buckingham Palace. The palace itself is modest by royal standards, which is rather the point. You get a sense of how the man actually lived when he wasn't holding court.

History buffs will find it worthwhile, particularly those interested in Georgian politics and the American Revolution era. The palace rooms are small enough that you won't need more than ninety minutes, though the gardens around Kew add hours if you're keen on botany. It's free to wander the grounds, but the palace interior requires a ticket - reasonable value at a few quid.

For a London holiday, especially if you're based at Lovat Parks just over a mile away, Kew works as a pleasant half-day excursion. The riverside location is genuinely lovely for a walk, and you can easily combine it with the Royal Botanic Gardens next door. Families with young children might find the palace rooms a touch dull - there's not much to interact with - but teenagers studying this period will get proper value. Early mornings beat the crowds considerably.