How to go unicorn spotting around London.
"I want to see unicorns!" Anyone with a pre-schooler has heard this one before. It's a tricky request, unicorns not actually existing and all. But then I did some Googling and discovered that "London is the unicorn capital of Europe". That's according to the Standard's business pages, no less.
I'm not really sure why financial journalists are writing about mythical creatures. Perhaps I've got the wrong end of the stick... which seems somehow apt when it comes to unicorns. But, either way, I thought I'd go in search of the capital's uni-pronged horses. I found more than I expected.
How to go Unicorn spotting in London
The most literal place to view a unicorn is on Unicorn View, a short street of pleasant new-builds up in Barnet.
Sadly, I don't think there's much to enchant the typical four-year-old here, unless they're into competent brickwork and off-street parking solutions. That said, neighbouring streets include Sphinx Way, Dragons Way and Minotaur Drive, so perhaps a mythical odyssey can be enjoyed here after all.
Unicorn Central for kids must surely be the Unicorn Theatre on Tooley Street. Supposedly "the largest children's theatre in the UK", it's been putting on shows for kids since 1949, settling into its current home in 2005.
The Unicorn Theatre is, appropriately enough, located on the site of a Unicorn Passage, as attested by the annoyingly obscured street sign:
Fair enough, you might think, the theatre was named after the alley (which was probably named after a pub). But not so. It's sheer coincidence. The theatre took on its current name in 1967, when it was still a couple of miles away in the West End. Only after it moved to Tooley Street in 2005 did the theatre discover that its new home was formerly called Unicorn Passage — a name attested as far back as 1746. Call it nominative determinism or unicorn magic, it's remarkable either way.
Anyway, the Unicorn Theatre's programme of child-friendly productions can be browsed here.
By now, your patient toddler will want to see a few visual unicorns, and not just places named after them. It's actually fairly easy. The unicorn is an ancient symbol of Scotland, and it's appeared on the Royal Coat of Arms since the early 17th century, when the Scottish King James VI also became English King (as James I). Anywhere with royal significance will therefore have unicorns on show. You'll find them on palaces, of course, like Buckingham Palace and the Tower of London, but also appended to any shops with Royal Warrants from the monarch (St James's and Mayfair are your happy hunting grounds). Fortnum and Mason has a good one.
Unicornic heraldry isn't restricted to the King or Queen. Several institutions in the City of London have unicorns as part of their own coats of arms. Best of all is Wax Chandlers' Hall on Gresham Street. Its unicorns are magnificently realised in three dimensions above the front door — a delight for children.
Another boss unicorn in the Square Mile can be found on Temple Bar, the gateway between St Paul's and Paternoster Square. The gateway itself was designed by Christopher Wren, and dates from the 17th century, where it stood on the boundary of the City and Westminster. The unicorn, and its best mate the lion (not pictured), are not of this vintage. They were carved in the early Noughties to adorn the restored gateway when it moved from an estate in Hertfordshire to the rebuilt Paternoster Square.
Here, the lion and unicorn remind us of the gateway's Royal connections. Temple Bar's original home, where Fleet Street meets Strand, was the traditional spot where the monarch would pause for a bit of ceremony with the Lord Mayor whenever entering the City of London. A wonderful painting in Ironmongers' Hall shows Elizabeth II maintaining the tradition.
If you're looking for a side mission at this point, then head into Inner Temple. Its symbol is a flying pegasus, a close relative of the unicorn. Numerous examples can be spotted within the Temple precincts (note, the Temple is freely open during weekdays but closed to the public at weekends).
If, at any point, your child demands to RIDE a unicorn; that's totally doable, although you will need to venture to the mythical land of Barking, where a fleet of unicorn pedalos awaits.
Unicorn (and Pegasus) hunting can be thirsty work. Happily, London has several pubs named after the mythical creature. The most central is the Lion & the Unicorn in Waterloo station. This reasonably new venue is named after the Lion & Unicorn pavilion — a long-gone part of the 1951 Festival of Britain that featured giant straw figures of said beasts. As a Wetherspoon pub, it's family friendly with a kids' menu, and also very conveniently located... if a little unmemorable.
A more characterful option, also child friendly with a kids' menu, is the Lion & Unicorn in the backstreets of Kentish Town, a five-minute walk from that Tube station. And if you're out east, the Unicorn in Ilford also welcomes families.
Finally a special shout out to the King's Arms in Borough, just off the High Street. Above the door can be seen a Royal Coat of Arms from the reign of George III, which once stood over the entrance to London Bridge. Its unicorn has a horn so magnificent that it could probably pick up radio signals.
Keep your eyes peeled when wandering around town. Unicorns can pop up unexpectedly at any turn. Once you get an eye for them, you'll start to see them everywhere.
