Say "City of London" and most people think "cash". Well here, visitors can discover the backstory of Britain's central bank – from its beginnings over 300 years ago to its role today. Admission free.

Worth a visit for its fascinating history, this City garden was originally a plague pit (Bone Hill) and is where famous nonconformists such as Daniel Defoe and William Blake were laid to rest.

The Charles Dickens Museum in London is the world's most important collection of material relating to the great Victorian novelist and social commentator.

Heard the saying "in the Clink"? Well it came from this prison, which now has this somewhat grisly museum on the original site, featuring reconstructions of the jail, torture devices and all.

This curio museum is home to the oldest collection of clocks and watches in the world and was started by the Clockmakers' Company in 1814. Admission free.

The College of Arms is the official repository for heraldic, genealogical and ceremonial records covering the past 500 years.

An amazing, atmospheric experience. Visitors are encouraged to wander this beuatiful Spitalfields house in silence, soaking up the character of the ten rooms which capture various periods between 1724 and 1914.

This wonderfully preserved period house is where famous City scribe Dr Samuel Johnson worked on his 1755 Dictionary of the English Language, first published in 1755.

As the home of the City of London Corporation, Guildhall has been the centre of City government since the Middle Ages.

The City of London Corporation began collecting works of art in the 17th century and its collection now numbers some 4,500 of which about 250 may be on display here at any one time.