7 weird London things on Google Maps: Nipple Gate Harry Styles House, Taskmaster and sharks

Next year Google Maps will turn 20, having become a part of everyday life for millions of people, not least those of us trying to get around London.

From the early years of printing out screen grabs to the near universal use of smartphones in this country, Google Maps may not have eradicated getting lost, but it has certainly added a new dimension to it and changed the way we give directions.

The digital maps have grown organically, in many ways, over the decades, relying on input from us, the users, for updates. When a new shop or restaurant opens, the first thing it should do (after advertising with its local news website...) is make sure it is put on the map (the process should be straightforward, according to Google).

Google Maps was born on February 8 2005, with Google Earth landing a few months later, so to speak. That December, Portland, Oregon became the first city in which journeys on public transport could be planned on the site, and it only took a couple of years for real-time traffic information to be added, with street-by-street navigation following in 2009.

In 2007, Google Street View arrived, opening up the streets to a whole new way of exploring the city (with faces, number plates and sensitive locations blurred out).

These days Google Maps has all kinds of quirks built in, and we’ve picked out seven of London’s weirdest entries in the gallery below.

Whether it is something, frankly, bizarre related to Harry Styles, the pop sensation and former One Direction member, or an unusual (maybe terrifying?) timepiece, there is lots to discover.

Remember the time when there were sharks in the canal, before the council got involved? And whose final resting place is honoured with a map entry?

Time to get out and explore.