Sir Henry Irving

The actor Sir Henry Irving spent his final years in a modest flat above a shop on Charing Cross Road, and you can still visit the street today - though the building itself isn't open to the public. What you're really doing here is paying respects to one of Victorian theatre's most commanding figures, a man who basically invented the celebrity actor as we know it.

Irving was legitimately brilliant. He dominated London's West End for decades, pioneering new staging techniques and building the Lyceum Theatre into something genuinely revolutionary. He was also the first actor ever to be knighted - a massive deal in 1895. Walking past his old lodgings, you're standing where one of the most talked-about men in Britain lived out his final days in 1905.

This isn't a destination attraction. You'll spend five minutes here, tops. But if you're into theatre history or Victorian London, the pilgrimage matters. The area around Charing Cross Road is brilliant anyway - bookshops, cafes, the National Portrait Gallery just minutes away. Combine it with a proper theatre evening (the West End is two minutes' walk) and you've got a proper night out with actual historical weight to it.

Nearest accommodation is Lovat Parks, about a mile and a half away, which gives you decent access to central London without fighting for space in the city proper. Best time to visit? Any afternoon when you're already wandering Soho or the British Museum quarter.