London's parks as cultural, public, and recreational spaces have become part of the tourist infrastructure and one of the city's calling cards. Today, more than 150 park areas, squares and gardens occupy more than 300 hectares in different places of the British capital. The most famous are the Royal Parks: their territory was once owned by members of the royal family, and now they are open landscape natural areas of the city. In addition to the Royal Parks in London, you will find park, squares, botanical gardens and even the Garden Museum! Attention and love of the British to the landscape architecture and design is also expressed on a private level - gardens are grown by owners of urban and rural homes, on the level of landscaping gardens and parks are cultivated and preserved in the cities. for centuries. For example, the famous Hyde Park has existed since the 17th century. And even this is not the oldest park in London.
Royal Parks
In the 16th century, the monasteries in Britain were dissolved and the land was redeveloped into eight royal parks and gardens, which today delight residents of Greater London. The former monastery gardens once formed a vast united park, originally used as hunting grounds for the royal family. In 1851, some 2,000 hectares of parkland were opened to the public under the Royal Lands Act.
Hyde Park
Hyde Park is one of King Henry VIII's favorite hunting grounds and the most famous park in central London. It is a popular place for jogging, walking and horseback riding on its many paths. Hyde Park hosts several major community events throughout the year, including Winter Wonderland, London's favorite winter event. Highlights of Hyde Park visits include paddling on the artificial snake lake in the west of the park, visiting the Diana Memorial Fountain, and visiting the Speaker's Corner, a favorite spot for Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin, and George Orwell.
The park is open from 05:00 to midnight daily. The nearest metro stations are Marble Arch, Lancaster Gate, Central Line, Hyde Park Corner, Knightsbridge, Piccadilly Line.
Kensington Park
Kensington Park is the site of Kensington Palace, the birthplace of Queen Victoria and one of London's finest parks for a leisurely stroll. Kensington's program includes the Albert Memorial, ornate Italian gardens with Carrara marble fountains, and the statue of Peter Pan based on J.M. Barrie's book of the same name. You can have lunch or tea in the conservatory at Kensington Palace. One of London's best playgrounds, Diana Memorial, is open for children.
The park is open from 06:00 to sunset daily. The nearest tube stations are Lancaster Gate & Queensway, Bayswater, High Street Kensington.
Green Park
Green Park is the smallest of the royal parks, a group of small grassy hills with groves of linden trees. In spring, 250,000 daffodils bloom here. On sunny days, it is an ideal place for picnics and lounging on lounge chairs. There is a themed picnic for children based on the famous book The Wind in the Willows, and a picnic basket along with food can be purchased at the nearby St. James Hotel in Fortum and Mason.
The park is open all day and is open seven days a week. The closest metro stations are Green Park, Hyde Park Corner.
Regent's Park
Regent's Park is named after Prince Regent (later King) George IV, who commissioned architect John Nash to reimagine Marylebone Park as a playground with houses for his friends. Although Nash's design was not fully realized, the park has become an idyllic green space covering 197 hectares that Londoners enjoy year-round.
Here is the London Zoo, which has a large collection of animals from all over the world and is home to several species of wild animals - foxes, squirrels, a few hedgehogs left behind in the city. On the grounds is the Queen Mary Garden with the largest collection of roses in London, numbering over 12,000 flowers, and by the Jubilee Gate is a Japanese garden. Other popular Regent's Park activities include a walk or cruise on the Regent's Canal, boat and pedal boat rentals to explore the big lake.
St. James Park
St. James is located in the heart of London, surrounded by Buckingham Palace, Westminster, St. James Palace. Walk through Admiralty Arch from Trafalgar Square and down the Mall, which is in St. James Park, and see the world-famous changing of the guard parade. The ceremony is held daily at 11:00 am and lasts 45 minutes.
The park is open from 05:00 to midnight. Nearest metro station: St. James Park.
Greenwich
Greenwich was home to the royal palace where King Henry VIII and Queen Elizabeth I were born. It covers more than 74 hectares, including a deer reserve, an impressive Edwardian flower garden and even the ruins of an ancient Roman temple. A Roman building stood on the mound, believed to be a Roman-Celtic temple, possibly in use for most of the Roman period of Britain (43 AD to 410 AD).
The park is open from 06:00 until sunset. The best way to get to Greenwich is via Docklands Light Rail (DLR), Cutty Sark and Greenwich stations.
Richmond Park
Feeling in the countryside in the center of one of the world's largest metropolises is possible! Richmond in southwest London is the oldest royal park, dating back to the time of King Edward I. According to legend, it was here that Henry VIII learned of Anne Boleyn's death in 1536 - it was announced by a cannon shot from the Tower of London. From King Henry's Mound on a clear day you can see all the way to St. Paul's Cathedral.
The park is open from 07:00 in summer and from 07:30 in winter until 20:00. The best way to reach it is via the Richmond train station.
Other popular London parks
Hampstead Heath
Hampstead Heath is the perfect place to escape the hustle and bustle of the city. In its woods and fields, Londoners walk, run, even swim in one of its three outdoor pools. There are more than 25 ponds that have become favorite spots for swimmers, model ship enthusiasts, and some are sanctuaries with more than 180 species of birds.
Hampstead Heath is always open. The closest metro stations are Golders Green, Hampstead, Kentish Town.
Kew Gardens.
Kew Gardens, officially Kew Royal Botanic Gardens, is a 250-year-old South London World Heritage Site. Kew Gardens has a collection of 40,000 plant species and employs over 250 scientists and 100 gardeners. Covering 132 hectares, the gardens range from tropical gardens at Palm House to mountain plant species in the Alps. The local arboretum has a collection of several thousand species of trees.
Kew Gardens is open 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8:30 p.m. Friday through Sunday. You can get to the gardens by tube at Kew Gardens station or by train to Kew Bridge station. Ticket prices for adults start at £14.
Holland Park
Holland Park, one of the largest public parks in West London, covers 22 hectares and is partially wooded. A popular recreation area, Holland Park includes formal gardens, a Kyoto Japanese garden where peacocks walk freely, a fantastic children's playground and an open-air theater where performances are held in summer.
Holland is open from 07:30 and closes 30 minutes before sunset daily. The nearest tube stations are Notting Hill Gate, Holland Park, High Street and Kensington.
London Gardens
London gardens are a feature of the urban architecture in the British capital. The first squares were built in the early 17th century and rapidly expanded and multiplied over the next two centuries.
- Berkeley Square in downtown Mayfair is a sheltered oasis of large 200-year-old plane trees and open lawns. Built by architect William Kent in the mid-18th century, the square appears in many works of art, and Winston Churchill's home was also located here.
- In the center of Soho, just off Oxford Street, is Soho Square, where you can enjoy a stroll or lie on the lawn on a sunny day. Built in 1681, the square was once the center of fashionable London; nearby was the home of naturalist Joseph Banks.
- Russell Square is next to the British Museum, a large green space in the heart of Bloomsbury. In the center of the square is a large fountain, around which are grassy lawns and large sections of old trees.
- One of London's most famous squares, Leicester Square, was recently renovated. It now has a classic lawn and large groups of mature trees hiding the famous statue of William Shakespeare. Once a residential area, the square is now home to world-famous theaters, cinemas and restaurants.
Gardening is a national hobby brought to the level of art by the British, so if you enjoy working in flower beds or studying garden design and botany, London has a lot to offer:
- The newly restored garden museum at St. Mary's Church, where John Tradescant, Britain's first great gardener and plant hunter, is buried
- The gardens of Lambeth Palace are the oldest permanently cultivated gardens in London.
- The garden at the Archbishop of Canterbury's house is open to the public on certain days during the summer months.
- This is not a complete list of what you can learn about gardens and parks in London: there are many open private gardens, small parks and intimate public gardens.
