There is nothing like culture to revitalise a neighbourhood. East London’s Hoxton was reinvented through its art galleries; Liverpool’s Albert Dock was rejuvenated after the Tate opened there and now a similar transformation has swept through London’s South Bank. And where art leads, design is often close behind.

Home to Shakespeare’s Globe, the Royal National Theatre, the Southbank Centre (Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall and Hayward Gallery), the Design Museum and the spectacularly successful Tate Modern – now the third-most visited tourist attraction in the UK – this world-class cultural hub not only uplifts the soul but also raises house prices.