London is well known for being a place of culture, museums, pubs and a huge variety of people and communities. But what people don’t realize before they arrive in the city is how huge it is in reality. The roads and buildings stretch for miles and miles…even at the top of the British Airway’s London Eye on the side of the Thames, it is possible to see the end of the London City District, but the municipality of London continues to stretch out towards the horizon. With so much space being occupied by the tarmac and girders, its only right that the city possess’ some glorious public parks and gardens that occupy an area large enough to counteract the smoggy, hectic environment of the city. And London achieves that in droves, with a huge number of expansive, beautiful parks. Some of these are so large that in the centre, there is really no sense of the city surrounding you.
The suburbs contain a large number of open spaces such as Hampstead Heath and Epping Forest, but for those of you who are in London for a shorter period, the five royal gardens and three council gardens in the middle of the city are a more convenient option. Although there are eight royal gardens altogether, three of the largest (Greenwhich, Bushy and Richmond Parks) are further outside the city in the surrounding suburbs. The royal parks in the centre are beautiful, and are all located near some of the main tourist attractions in London so it is easy to leave a museum or district and take a brief breather among the trees.
One of the first parks you’ll come to in London city centre is St. James’ Park, directly behind Buckingham Palace. St. James’ is nice break after the rush of Trafalgar Square. The park was enclosed by Henry VIII in the 16th century after purchasing the swampy land from Eton College. Following this, James I turned the park into an area for exotic animals and birds. The two islands in the centre of St. James’ Pond still hold a variety of waterfowl and remind visitors what the original intentions of the gardens were: not relaxing spaces to escape a bustling cosmopolitan district but an area to exhibit the wonders that could be purchased with the wealth and power of the British crown.
Just behind St. James’ park lies Green Park, part of a huge green stretch that lies between Whitehall, Victoria Station, Kensington and Notting Hill. Originally thought to be a leper burial ground, the gardens were also enclosed by Henry VIII, but maintain no traces of its grisly past. The park now contains the modern Canada Memorial, and is a nice walk to get through a significant part of the city (from Trafalgar Square towards Kensington, where there are some great museums and galleries). At the east end of Green Park, it connects corner to corner with the amazing Hyde’s Park.
Divided in two by the Serpentine, Hyde’s Park is huge and also includes Kensington Gardens (although the two were officially separated in 1728). Hyde Park Corner is a central tube station and is a good place to hop onto tube lines that travel around the city. The park includes both meadows and forested areas, and is the prime area to get lost in after the grid of London city streets. Hyde Park is slightly smaller than Central Park in New York, but still bigger than the entire Principality of Monaco. The park is also known for being the sight of the Great Exhibition in 1851, a showcasing of industrial and cultural advances for which the Crystal Palace was constructed. This is easily my favourite place in London, for many reasons. Lying in the grass on a sunny summer day, the city is worlds away and barely audible when large willow and elm trees surround you. It is very similar to Central Park, because it is filled with bikers, runners, skaters, carriages or just families walking around together. Also, it is extremely close to some of the best museums in the city, just as Central Park is hemmed in by the Metropolitan Museum and the Guggenheim.
Just south of Hyde Park is the Science Museum and the Natural History Museum, two of the London museums that are of greatest interest to kids, with hands-on and engaging exhibits. Also around the corner is the Victoria and Albert Museum, possibly one of the greatest museums of the city. Filled with nearly five million objects covering every possible genre, the museum is a gigantic space filled with objects relating to design from 1960’s England to Africa to Ancient Asia. The museum has one of the largest Islamic design collections in the world, along with the Metropolitan Museum and the Louvre. Because they are city museums, all of these sights are free to visit, and added bonus to already spectacular museums.
At the south edge of Hyde Park is the Royal Albert Hall, a famous concert venue in which the seasonal Prom’s and many other wide-ranging concerts are performed. Opposite this is the Albert Memorial and the entrance to the Kensington Gardens, a beautiful section of manicured land that contrasts with the almost rugged appeal of Hyde Park.
The last royal park in the centre of London is Regent’s Park, about ten minutes walk north from the northeast corner of Hyde Park, along Marylebone Rd. Although not connected to the larger parks stretching east from Buckingham Palace, this park is fairly large and has much to offer for families. Containing part of London Zoo and the London Zoological Society, the park also has many parks and play areas as well as a lake complete with herons and other waterfowl.
London can be overwhelming at first, but once visitors experience the open spaces and parks nestled amongst the labyrinthine streets, the city has a whole other character; a character that combines natural love of the urban with that of the rural.
Top 3 hotels near London parks, UK
- Shaftesbury Metropolis London Hyde Park – double room from £59,00/€67,60
- Notting Hill Gate Hotel – double room from £40,00/€45,80
- Cleveland Square Hotel – double room from £85,00/€97,30
Photo of a squirrel in Kensington Park, London, by law_keven and some people on their free time in Hyde Park, London, by SNOWFactory.
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