Michael Ventris

The plaque marking Michael Ventris's former home sits quietly on a Hertfordshire street, easy to miss if you're not looking for it. This is where the man who cracked Linear B - the ancient Minoan script - lived and worked before his tragic death in 1956. If you're into linguistics, archaeology, or just proper clever Brits who changed everything, it's worth the trip from London.

Ventris was an architect by training but became obsessed with deciphering a 3,500-year-old writing system that had stumped scholars for decades. He solved it in his spare time, basically. The breakthrough came in 1952, and it remains one of the most significant archaeological achievements of the twentieth century. Standing at the house now, you're at the birthplace of that discovery.

It's not a full museum experience - this is a modest memorial, a blue plaque on a building. You'll need five minutes, maybe ten if you're reading everything and standing about thinking how extraordinary it all was. Not one for the kids unless they're genuinely into ancient languages, which, let's be honest, most aren't.

If you're staying at Elstree Park nearby, it's a reasonable detour on the way to or from central London. Combine it with proper archaeological sites like those in the British Museum if you want the full story. The plaque itself costs nothing - it's just there on the street, free to admire whenever you fancy it.