London has some grand park spaces, Royal Parks, as it were. These are large spaces that are not legally owned by the public, but are used by the public by the “grace and favour of the Crown”. These are lands that are owned by the Crown Estate, basically the land holdings of the Queen which are managed by the Crown Estate Commission as part of the land portfolio that the Monarchy owns. These historic spaces are freely accessible and absolutely beautiful. In the past couple of weeks, I have visited the four of them in Central London, as Spring in London is motivation enough to get out there. Most of these parks were designed or remodeled in the 1820’s by John Nash, famous architect and landscaper commissioned by the Prince Regent.
St. James’s Park is the smallest of the five and the oldest, bordered by St. James’s Palace, Buckingham Palace, The Mall and Birdcage Walk. The main feature of this bucolic space is a manmade lake in the center, filled with pelicans which have been resident since the late 1600’s. The gardens and romantic winding paths are.definitely worth spending a quiet afternoon, right near the hustle and busttle of Victoria Station, Westminster Abbey and Parliment. The closest tube station is Victoria Station.
St. James’s Park leads into Green Park, a solid green space filled with meadows, woods and trees that is bordered by Piccadilly, Constitution Hill, and the Queen’s Walk. This is the closest public space to Buckingham Palace and it is one of the most calm places in central London. Bucolic is the best word to describe the space and it is a place that I like to go to clear my head. There are very few memorials and public monuments, but, one of note is the Canada Memorial. It is the WWI and WWII memorial of the Canadian Soldiers that died defending Britain. The closest station is Green Park.
Green Park leads into Hyde Park at Hyde Park Corner. Hyde Park is one of the largest parks in Central London, and is to London what Central Park is to Manhattan. I live at Lancaster Gate which is at the border of Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens. Hyde Park is divided in two by the Serpentine, a water feature that allows for paddle boats, swans, and rowing. Pathways for running, walking and rollerblading crisscross the park, and bike trails and a bus road bisect the park. It differs from Central Park in one main way – in Central Park, you never lose sight of the skyscrapers or the large buildings that border the park. In Hyde Park, ther are a few places where you can completely lose sight of the fact that you are in the middle of the UK’s biggest city, becomeing one with the nature and monuments that are in park. You can rent lawn chairs, get ice cream, and eat at a restaurant in the middle of the park.
Kensington Gardens is the final of this chain of parks. Though often considered part of Hyde Park, the gardens have been separate since the 1720’s, as originally these were the gardens of Kensington Palace. Kensington Gardens is the original adventure spot for Peter Pan, as represented by the statue and monument in the eastern part of the park. The Gardens are more formal, botanical in nature and have the Italian Gardens fountain water structures right near the entrance I use to go to the park. The Western boundary of the gardens is Kensington Palace, former home to Diana, Princess of Wales and the home to the British monarchs prior to Buckingham Palace.
All in all, this chain of parks can provide you plenty of free pleasure and relaxation, right outside your doorstep – well, at least mine.
American Expat in London 