A tribute to the capital’s alleys, ginnels and snickleways.
32. Dean's Yard
Where? Westminster. It's a World Heritage Site, don't y'know. The tourists crawl all over it, like maggots on a perishing corpse. But there's one enclave of peace, to be found through the archway west of the Abbey. Nobody you talk to really knows Dean's Yard. It's given over to church dignitaries, and the upcoming generation of Hooray Henrys ensconced in Westminster School. But it's there to explore if you get the urge. And it's also a shortcut...
What? Head to the south-east corner for the pictured through-route. This takes you from Dean's Yard into Great College Street, and the demi-warren of unspoilt backstreets that gag to be explored.
Why use? Show the relatives another side of Westminster. This is said to be London's greatest concentration of pre-reformation buildings. No queues, no entry fee.
See each and every one of our back passages mapped:
