1. West Norwood station – start of the bus route

The first place to visit is West Norwood Cemetery – this is another of the “Magnificent Seven” along with Stoke Newington on bus 67. This one, however, was in a considerably better condition than Stoke Newington or Highgate – it’s very well maintained and the staff are incredibly helpful. One of them, Sam, in particular can guide you to the grave that you’re interested in or at least point you in the right direction. A few famous people are buried here – Paul Julius Baron de Reuter, who was the founder of Reuters News Agency. The irony of his tomb stone is that his name has been spelt incorrectly – it has Juluis instead of Julius. The plaque at the foot of the stone states “it is ironic since accuracy has contributed to the enduring success of the news agency which he founded”.

Not far from Reuter’s grave are two more of interest – Sir Henry Doulton and Sir Henry Tate. The former was an inventor and manufacturer of pottery, being best known for developing the firm of Royal Doulton. His mausoleum is of such historic interest that it has been awarded Grade II status. It was built using Doulton terracotta blocks and miniature bricks. The family mausoleum for Sir Henry Tate, the sugar magnate and philanthropist, is a matter of metres away, and was built by the same architect, Harold Peto, in a similar style.

There are many other things of interest to grab attention in the cemetery. There is a Greek “necropolis” with beautiful architecture in the Grecian style – though in the summer of 2023, it’s undergoing renovation. Not long after the cemetery was opened in 1836, members of the Greek community who had settled in London purchased a plot of ground within the cemetery for £300, railing it off and establishing it as a separate burial ground for London’s Greek Orthodox community.

If you look carefully at one of the paths within the grounds, there is a plaque stating that the river Effra flowed underneath the cemetery. The Effra has a long history, playing a major role in the Danish Conquest of England around 1016 when King Cnut The Great sailed up the river as far as Brixton.

It’s worth mentioning the inner gates to the cemetery which were made in the Gothic style by the celebrated architect Sir William Tite – his major work was the Royal Exchange in the city of London.

Still at the start of the bus route in West Norwood, the Picture House and Library are worth a quick visit. Frederick Nettlefold (the N in GKN, the aerospace and automotive components company) was a noted philanthropist, and he donated the land on which the West Norwood Free Public Library, which had been commissioned by Sir Henry Tate, was built. When it opened in July 1888, it was the first public library in the Borough of Lambeth. Over the road is the South London Theatre, a community theatre housed in a Grade II listed former fire station. It was built in the Gothic style in 1881. It remains a rare example of a fire station built for horse-drawn tenders which still has the look-out tower and original doors in place.

Very near the theatre is St Luke’s Church with its nationally significant clock. Benjamin Vulliamy, a clockmaker, had discovered on his travels in Europe, new ways to develop the layout for the mechanism of clocks. This “turret” clock at St Luke’s was the first of its kind in England.

The church itself is unusually positioned – it is oriented north–south instead of east–west. A stipulation in the original planning permission stated that no building in Lower Norwood should be built within 100 feet of an existing building without the permission of the owner of the other building. An objection from the owner of the Horn’s Tavern was raised hence the north-south orientation of the church.

The front of the church is in the Corinthian design and has six fluted columns and a stone portico. The building is Grade II* listed and is a formidable addition to this area of West Norwood.

The lower level of the churchyard has been converted into a memorial garden to remember those who died in the second world war. It’s a very pretty garden and a place of peace and solitude in an otherwise busy part of the city.

2. Brockwell Park Gardens bus stop

Other bus routes (number 37 for example) stop at Brockwell Park but at different entrances to the one on route 68. As you enter the park, you come across a Drinking Fountain and Cattle Trough. There are sometimes flowers planted in the troughs but this one seems to be neglected, which is something of a shame. Further in the park is Aesthetic Wood Art, a public sculpture that has been carved from a 19-metre branch that fell from a 600-year-old oak tree near the café in the park. The work was commissioned by Lambeth Wellbeing Fund and commemorates all those who died either as a direct or indirect result of the Covid pandemic; it honours those lost to suicide and raises awareness of mental health issues.

It’s a short walk to the lovely clock tower, known as “Little Ben”. In 1897, Sir Ernest Tritton then MP for Norwood, donated it to Brockwell Park, in celebration of Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee. Just at that time, Brockwell Park had become a new landmark. Over the years, the cclock tower had become degraded, losing its trademark colour and no longer serving its purpose of tracking time. In 2014, it was decided to restore and repair the clock. Interestingly, the company that made it in 1897 was still in existence, so a complete restoration could be made. The process was helped by Lambeth Council, the ‘Friends Of Brockwell Park’ and the original clock manufacturers – Gillet & Johnston. Once again, the monument is back to its former glory.

3. Kings College Hospital bus stop

The bus stops opposite Maudsley Hospital. It opened in 1923 and was founded by the eminent psychiatrist Henry Maudsley. His vision was for a hospital where mental healthcare, teaching and research came together. Construction of the hospital was completed in 1915 but before it could open, the building was requisitioned to treat war veterans. After the war it was returned to the control of London County Council and it finally opened as the Maudsley Hospital in February 1923. On the other side of the road is the Guthrie Wing, a stand-alone Art Deco building on the main hospital campus. This lovely building was built in 1937 in a neo-Georgian style.

4. Westmoreland Road bus stop

The Boundary Lane Boulder Garden is a few minutes’ walk from the stop. There’s not a lot written up about this very niche small garden but it’s an interesting find in a busy part of London (Elephant & Castle). It looks as if the boulders or stones have been placed within an enclosed space, specifically for children to climb on, but it’s also been used by adults who like to sit on the stones or the benches just outside.

5. Waterloo Bridge/South Bank bus stop

There are plenty of interesting places to visit in the South Bank Centre so you might want to be selective, if time is of the essence. Wend your way to the Hayward Gallery where there is currently an exhibition called Dear Earth, for which there is an entrance fee. In fact, outside the building are some things worth looking at. The sculptor Asim Waqif was commissioned to create Venu, a monumental bamboo construction, made from poles and bamboo, supported by an industrial metal skeleton. The work combines two common materials associated with buildings from South Asia & Europe. Nearby is Klaus Weber’s Drinking Fountains which should feature two water-spouting bronze figures but at present only has Peacock, a hybrid human whose hips from time to time emit a jet of water. The final exhibit outside is a large painting by Souad Abdelrassoul, entitled Me You and the Journey 2022. The two figures here are partially shrouded by a translucent cloth, which blends with the water, sky and skin, and which represents the very fine linen worn by Ancient Egyptian women.

6. Lancaster Place bus stop

Round the corner along the Victoria Embankment is Cleopatra’s Needle. It’s one of a pair of obelisks that were moved from the ruins of the Caesarium of Alexandria in the 19thC, having been in situ there for the previous 1,800 years. It was presented to the UK in 1819 by the then ruler of Egypt, in commemoration of the victories of Lord Nelson at the Battle of the Nile and Sir Ralph Abercromby at the Battle of Alexandria in 1801. It was brought to its present location in 1878.

Inside the obelisk is hidden a time capsule. This contains a host of artefacts that represent the times in which they were placed and include 12 photographs of the best-looking English women of the day, a box of hairpins, a box of cigars, a set of imperial weights, some children’s toys, a shilling razor, a 90 cm bronze model of the monument, a complete set of contemporary British coins, a rupee, a portrait of Queen Victoria, and copies of the Bible in several languages.

On either side of Cleopatra’s Needle are two faux-Egyptian sphinxes, which are cast in bronze and bear hieroglyphic inscriptions. These sphinxes appear to be looking at the Needle rather than guarding it. During World War I, a bomb from a German air raid landed near the needle. In commemoration of this event, the damage remains unrepaired to this day and is clearly visible in the form of shrapnel holes and gouges on the right-hand sphinx.

Opposite the Needle and on your way back to the bus stop at Lancaster Place, take a quick look in Victoria Embankment Gardens. These have always contained a mixture of deciduous trees and shrubs, bulbs and summer bedding, and continue to enhance the beauty of the river bank.

7. Southampton Row/Theobalds Road bus stop

Next place to see is Conway Hall which is owned and operated by Conway Hall Ethical Society. The Society began as a dissident congregation in 1787 in rebellion against the doctrine of eternal hell, followed by rejection of the Trinity. Over the years it engaged in many progressive steps on the road from universalism and Unitarianism to the present humanist position, which it had reached by the end of the nineteenth century. In 1824 a new chapel had been built in South Place and in 1926 it moved to its present location in Red Lion Square. The name of Conway Hall is after Moncure Conway, an American who vehemently opposed slavery and subsequently wrote a biography of Thomas Paine.

Near Conway Hall is the Dolphin Tavern which is most famous for having a clock that is frozen in time. The pub was very badly damaged by the first ever silent but deadly zeppelin raid on London. On the 8th September 1915 an explosive landed just outside the pub killing a man outside and two inside. The pub was rebuilt after the war and the old clock was discovered in the rubble, the time of the explosion showing as 10.40pm.

8. Upper Woburn Place/Euston Road bus stop

So to the Crypt at St Pancras Church. It’s not open every day but they do put on exhibitions in the gallery so it’s worth checking on their website. Even if it’s closed, there are still some interesting things to see from the outside. One such is a sculpture entitled Flight by David Breuer-Weil. It’s a 7 metre tall bronze sculpture of a figure flying and it marks the restart of international travel after the Covid Pandemic. It was installed in November 2021.

The church has a Grade I listing from English Heritage, as an important early example of the Greek Revival architecture. The architects drew on two ancient Greek monuments for their inspiration – the Erechtheum and the Tower of the Winds, both on the Acropolis in Athens. The church’s most celebrated features are the two sets of caryatids that stand above the north and south entrances to the Crypt. Unlike the original figures on the Acropolis, each of the St Pancras caryatids holds an extinguished torch or an empty jug, reflecting their position as guardians of the dead.

One more thing to see outside is the Drinking Fountain which can be found in the Church Gardens. Installed in the gardens by 1897, the fountain is grade II listed.

Final place of interest is the Quakers’ Friends House in Euston Road. Work started in July 1924, and by 9 January 1926, most of the offices were ready for occupation. The library and bookshop were completed by the end of March 1926 with the Large Meeting House being completed in late 1926. It’s a spectacular building in a neo-Georgian design and has been awarded grade II status. The initial brief stipulated that a substantial part of the building was to be rented commercially to provide a regular income to cover maintenance. 

As the House is multi-purpose, there are often exhibitions with the one in August 2023 being Made Visual, an eclectic mix of nature paintings.

Bus number 68 is another of those routes that has something for everyone – from sculptures to clocks and religious buildings, from old burial grounds to ancient monuments. You certainly won’t be bored travelling on the 68!

Toilets that are free and available to the public:

• West Norwood Picture House and Cinema
• Hayward Gallery
• Friends’ House