London’s 8 royal parks

London’s 8 Royal Parks© Stuart Mitchell

Bushy Park

Location:

Borough of Richmond, South West London

Adjacent to the former royal residence of Hampton Court in a bend of the River Thames,

Bordered to the north by Teddington

Allotments and playgrounds

Character:

Size - 1,100 acres, 2nd largest Royal Park

Mix of formal landscaping, woodland, grassland, streams and ponds

Water Gardens and grand Chestnut Avenue form significant features

Dotted with sports pitches - 4 local cricket clubs, a hockey club and a rugby club

Allotments and playgrounds

Bushy Park

Attractions:

Diana Fountain, an imposing golden statue representing Arethusa, a Greek nymph. Found at the southern end of…

Chestnut Avenue – a grand avenue leading to Hampton Court

Plenty of wildlife including herds of red and fallow deer

History:

Originally created as a deer park by Henry VIII when he took control of Hampton Court as his royal residence

Subsequently evolved under successive monarchs, e.g., Charles I added the Longford River Canal

Chestnut Avenue and the Diana Fountain were added later, from designs by Sir Christopher Wren, to form the entrance to Hampton Court

Hosted the pre-World War II folk tradition of Chestnut Sunday which was resurrected in 1993

Military uses include a World War I Canadian hospital and Eisenhower’s camp from which he planned D-Day

Richmond Park

Character:

Size - 2,500 acres, the largest Royal Park, the largest park in London, the second largest walled park in the UK

Over twice the size of Bushy

A designated National Nature Reserve and a Site of Special Scientific Interest

Informal landscape of grassland and woodland covering gentle hills and surrounding ponds at its centre.

The sense of a country park but within the boundaries of London. More formal woodland can be found in the Isabella Plantation

Location:

Borough of Richmond, South West London

An expanse of land just south of the River Thames

Between the town of Richmond itself, neighbouring Kingston Upon Thames to the South and Wimbledon and Wimbledon Common to the West.

Richmond Park

Attractions: Noted for its wildlife including the famous Fallow and Red deer

and even the more recent colonising Parakeets.

Criss-crossed with bridleways and cycle paths

Childhood home of Bertrand Russell, Pembroke Lodge, now a restaurant

complete with its own public gardens.

Opens spaces and views of central London

King Henry’s Mound within the gardens of Pembroke Lodge

History: Park enclosed by Charles I as a refuge from the threat of the plague

allowing locals rights of way ensured public access down the centuries

Pembroke Lodge dates from the 1750s

home of the once Prime Minister Lord Russell and his grandson Bertrand

a military HQ during World War II

Kensington Gardens

Character:

Size - 270 acres

More formal layout than neighbouring Hyde Park

due to their purpose as the gardens for Kensington Palace

Large Round Pond at the centre

Separated from Hyde Park by the Long Water (Serpentine) & West Carriage Drive

Ornamental Italianate Gardens sit at the head of the Long Water

Location:

Straddling the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and the City of Westminster,

Borders Hyde Park to the east

Surrounded to the west and south by Kensington

Paddington and Notting Hill sit to the north.

Kensington Gardens

Attractions: Princess Diana Memorial Playground with its Peter Pan inspired Pirate

Ship

Ornate gothic Albert Memorial

Quirky Elfin Oak

Carved stone and water features of the elegant Italianate Gardens

Peter Pan sculpture & Henry Moore’s The Arch sculpture

Serpentine Gallery

History: Established by reclaiming a portion of Hyde Park as formal gardens

for the palace at Kensington in the 18th century.

River Westbourne was damned to form the Long Water/Serpentine.

Strong association with JM Barrie and Peter Pan

Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens was set in the location.

Hyde Park

Character: 

Size - 350 acres

Almost split in two by the Serpentine

sweeps down from the Long Water in Kensington Gardens

Separated from neighbour by West Carriage Drive

Expanses of lawn, punctuated by mature trees

Formal rose gardens and wilder meadows

Location: 

Eastern half the aforementioned green space in West London with Kensington Gardens

Enclosed by some of the most exclusive neighbourhoods in the UK

Knightsbridge to the south

Mayfair to the east

Marylebone and Paddington to the north

Hyde Park

Attractions:  Speakers Corner, where all-comers can voice their opinions

Open air concerts;

notably the Rolling Stones in 1969 and Blur during the closing of the 2012 Olympics.

Diana, Princess of Wales, Fountain just beside the Serpentine

Memorial to the victims of the 7/7 bombings

History:  Originally the possession of Westminster Abbey

Then owned by Henry VIII as a deer park

James I allowed the public in

Mid 18th century, it was landscaped as part of the changes that spawned Kensington Gardens

Serpentine was formed at this time by damning the River Westbourne

Site of the Great Exhibition of 1851 and Crystal Palace

Regent’s Park

Character: Size - 410 acres of landscaped parkland

Stretches up the slope of Primrose Hill on its northern edge

Diverse mixture of grassland, tree-lined avenues and formal gardens

Enclosed by an Outer Circle ring road

Planted gardens to the south of the park contained by small Inner Circle road

Numerous impressive buildings/grounds including Georgian villas

Separated from the grassy slopes of Primrose hill by the Regent’s Canal

To the south a boating lake and formal gardens split by The Broadwalk avenue

Location:

City of Westminster and the borough of Camden

To the south and west it neighbours the exclusive residences of Marylebone

To the north and west the equally exclusive St John’s Wood

It is surrounded by the Primrose Hill and Regents Parks areas to the north and east

Camden and Somers Town beyond.

Regent’s Park

Attractions: London Zoo sits entirely within the park

Open Air Theatre stages productions throughout the summer

Tennis centre, a sports centre at The Hub, a boating lake and playgrounds

Primrose Hill offers panoramic views of central London

Planted formal gardens such as Queen Mary’s Rose Garden in the Inner Circle

Organic Wildlife Garden just outside

The park’s buildings include the US Ambassador’s Residence and Regent’s College

History: Henry VIII dissolved the abbey at Barking

Previously Tyburn Manor, named after the eponymous river

As Marylebone Park, it was first a deer park and then leased farmland

Prince Regent (later George IV) commissioned John Nash to re-designed the park and the surrounding area to form a neighbourhood of palaces and grand Georgian terraces

In 1811 the park was landscaped with the Regent’s Canal, the lake, avenues and villas

The Georgian building boom spawned Marylebone, Mayfair and St James’s

Green Park

Character:

Size - 47 acres, the smallest of the Royal Parks

Almost conjoins with St James’s Park

Including Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens, they form a green belt from Notting Hill to Charing Cross

Mostly trees and grassland - the only park not to have any buildings or water features

Location:

Situated on the western edges of central London

Between Hyde Park and St James’s Park

Separated from St James’s Park to the east by The Mall

Hyde Park to the north west by the junction of Hyde Park Corner

To the south Buckingham Palace across Constitution Hill

To the north the exclusive residences of Mayfair and Piccadilly

Green Park

Attractions:

Impressive Spring daffodil display

Refuge from the hubbub of the surrounding city

Canada Memorial (to Canadian soldiers of the world wars)

History:

Burial ground for the patients of St James’s leper hospital

Charles II enclosed the park as Upper St James’s Park in the late 17th century

John Nash remodelled the park in 1820 alongside neighbouring St James’s park for George IV

Over the centuries it became popular as an outdoor entertainment space

The park had been home to a number of buildings including two temples both destroyed by firework displays

St James’s Park

Character: Size - 57 acres, marginally larger than Green Park

Semi classic formal parkland criss-crossed with paths

Dominated by a lake which splits the park in two

The Mall runs through its northern edge and serves as its boundary with Green Park

Location:

Sits in front of Buckingham Palace

Green Park to the north west

Horseguards Parade to the east

Birdcage Walk to the south.

Eastern edge of a green swathe across central London, flowing into Green Park, Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens to the west

St James’s Park

Attractions: Surrounded by attractions such as Buckingham Palace, The Mall (the ceremonial

route to the palace) and Horseguards Parade

The flower beds of the Memorial Gardens just outside Buckingham Palace

Stunning views of the palace from numerous vantage points

St James’s Park lake with its wildfowl including pelicans

History: Established by Henry VIII on the marshy banks of the old River Tyburn

to the west of what was referred to as York Place (now Whitehall)

with the intention of creating gardens for a new royal palace there

Drained and landscaped under the reign of James I who kept exotic animals on them

Landscaped and formalised further by Charles II, taking influences from French Royal Gardens

In 19th century, the Prince Regent commissioned John Nash to once again re-landscape the park

introducing more organic, romantic and winding features, turning the canal into a lake

Created The Mall as a stately approach to Buckingham Palace

Greenwich Park

Character: Size - 180 acres

Major constituent of the Maritime Greenwich world heritage site.

On split levels on a hill side which slopes down to the Thames

providing views down onto central and eastern London.

Within the park can be found formal herb and rose gardens, orchards, a deer park and lakes.

Location: Located in Greenwich, South East

London

Surrounded on its southern edges by the open grassland space of Blackheath

To the north is the National Maritime Museum, the Royal Naval College housing the University of Greenwich, and the River Thames beyond

The park is famously situated on the Prime Meridian at 0 degrees longitude

Greenwich Park

Attractions:

Royal Observatory - historical and scientific hub at the heart of the park

the origin of the Prime Meridian (which runs through the park)

a branch of the Maritime Museum

Glimpses of deer

Famous sundial and view Roman ruins

Tennis courts and boating lake

History:

Dating from 1433 Greenwich is the oldest of the Royal Parks as well as being the first to be enclosed

Acquired by Henry VI in the 15th century

Charles II created the Royal Observatory (with the help of Sir Christopher Wren)

On the site of the derelict Greenwich Castle (originally built by Duke of Gloucester).

The buildings known as the Royal Naval college today originated as Greenwich hospital and

On the site of the Tudor Palace of Placentia (birthplace and home to Tudor monarchs) in the late 17th century.

The area was turned into a deer park by Henry VIII, who was born in the adjoining palace

Enclosed by James I when they were formally landscaped in the 17th century

Useful Links

Further Information The Royal Parks

The Royal Parks on Wikipedia

Visit London

Moving to the areas: Estate Agents Knightsbridge

Estate Agents Marylebone

Estate Agents Mayfair

Estate Agents Regent’s Park

Wimbledon Flats