Lit­tle known but impor­tant: the old Lon­don Mag­a­zine near the Ser­pen­tine, Hyde Park. An 1805 Pal­la­di­an-style vil­la, it once housed naval cordite for the defense of Lon­don. In 1911, war threat­ened over the Agadir Cri­sis. Observ­ing the Mag­a­zine was unguard­ed, Churchill sent a marine detach­ment. His deci­sive action helped con­vince Prime Min­is­ter Asquith to appoint him First Lord of the Admi­ral­ty, where he pre­pared the Roy­al Navy for war. For years aban­doned, it reopened in 2013 as an art gallery then a restau­rant. (Zaha Hadid Architects)