London's Royal Parks

When the British summertime finally arrives, often rather belatedly, many people start wanting to be outside enjoying the sunshine, having picnics and playing sports. As London is one of the greenest capital cities in the world, Londoners and tourists alike have a great selection of parks to choose from in order to do this. Though there are a large number of parks in the city, there are only eight Royal Parks. These parks have a great deal of history and have a wide range of attractions and activities.

Hyde Park is probably the most famous of the London Royal Parks. It is 142 hectares and has thousands of trees and a great deal of sports facilities. The park was acquired along with the Manor of Hyde by Henry VIII in 1536 and made into a private hunting ground. It wasn't until James I that the public were allowed limited access and it was over one hundred years later that the park was opened to the general public by Charles I in 1637. There are a large number of attractions in Hyde Park such as the Serpentine Bridge, the Joy of Life fountain and the statue of Achilles. A stainless steel memorial to the 52 people killed in the 7th July bombings can also be found in Hyde Park. Many people go to Hyde Park to swim, cycle or skate. There are tennis courts and sports pitches as well as tracks for horse riding. You can take a trip along the Serpentine in a Solar Shuttle, a boat that is powered by the sun or you can visit Speakers' Corner and listen to people discuss and debate their opinions. Slightly more-offbeat is the Hyde Park Senior Playground that has pieces of exercise equipment to help improve flexibility and balance.

The Regent's Park covers 197 hectares and much like Hyde Park was acquired by Henry VIII in 1538 from the Abbess of Barking and turned into a hunting ground. The park was named as a result of the involvement of the Prince Regent, later George the IV, in 1811. He wanted a new summer palace and hired John Nash to design the area. Initially Nash had the idea of building 56 villas in the park and a number of terraces around it. Unfortunately the Prince had turned his attention elsewhere and the idea of a summer palace was dropped with only 8 villas being built. The park was opened to the general public in 1835. Today the park is the largest outdoor sports area in London and has a number of attractions. It is home to the London Zoo and the Open Air Theatre. You can also visit Queen Mary's Gardens which feature beautiful formal rose beds.

Richmond Park is the largest of the Royal Parks covering 1000 hectares. It is best known for the hundreds of deer that inhabit the park. This park was supposedly one of Henry VIII's favourite hunting chases as he lived close by in Richmond Palace. Charles I enclosed the park in 1637, an unpopular decision with the local residents and the walls still mostly stand today. On visiting Richmond Park you can see an uninterrupted view of St Paul's Cathedral 12 miles away from Henry VIII's mound. The view is protected which means that there is a legal requirement to preserve the view and limit the height of buildings within the sight line. Many people visit to ride horses, fish, cycle, play golf and some people 'power-kite' where you are pulled along in a buggy or on a board by a kite. Richmond Park is also home to the Isabella Plantation, an ornamental woodland garden that is run on organic principles.

Greenwich Park is a slightly smaller park at only 73 hectares but it is the oldest enclosed Royal Park and is a World Heritage site. The land came into the possession of the Duke of Gloucester, brother of Henry V in 1427, and later deer were introduced by Henry VIII. Greenwich Park has a great deal of wildlife and is home to the Royal Observatory and the Observatory Planetarium. There are also remains of Roman buildings in the park that include what is believed to be a Romano-Celtic temple. The Channel 4 programme Time Team has even visited the site. Many people visit Greenwich Park to make use of the rugby and cricket pitches. It also has tennis courts and a putting green.

Bushy Park is located north of Hampton Court Palace and lies over 445 hectares. Although the history of the area can be dated as far back as the Bronze Age, the main history of Bushy Park lies, rather unsurprisingly, with Henry VIII and his love of hunting. He took over Hampton Court Palace from Cardinal Wolsey in 1529 and turned it into a hunting chase. The name of the park derives from the name of one of the parks that were part of the land. These parks were Hare Warren, Middle Park and Bushy Park. The park today has fishing and model boating ponds and has a 19km long canal known as Longford River. You can also visit the Upper Lodge Water Gardens which is a collection of pools and cascades in the baroque style.

Green Park was originally known as Upper St James's Park. Previously it was the location of the rebellion led by Sir Thomas Wyatt against the marriage of Mary I to Philip of Spain and the location of the occasional duel. It is the smallest of the Royal Parks at 40 acres. Charles II enclosed the park and stocked it with deer, it has been said that he wanted to be able to walk from Hyde Park to St James's Park without leaving royal land. The resulting name change is also supposedly attributed to Charles II. Allegedly the Queen heard that Charles had picked flowers from Green Park and given them to another woman. In vengeful response she ordered all the flowers in the park to be pulled up. Whether or not this is true, there are still no formal flowerbeds in the park.

St James's Park is the oldest Royal Park. Named for the leper hospital that originally stood on the land it was turned into a park by Henry VIII as yet another deer park in 1532. The Palace of St James was also built by Henry around this time. Later on Charles II redesigned the park and planted avenues of trees; he also opened to the public. It is a 23 hectare park and features a lake with two islands. The Islands are named West Island and Duck Island, the latter for the birds and waterfowl that reside there. Most famous are the pelicans that have been a part of the park since they were originally brought as a gift by a Russian Ambassador in 1664. A more recent addition to the park is a four metre high floral crown to celebrate and commemorate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.

The final park of the eight Royal Parks is Kensington Gardens. The park was originally part of Hyde Park but was bought by Willliam III in 1689 who also built the Christopher Wren designed Kensington Palace. For most of the 17th century the gardens were closed, eventually they were opened to the public but only gradually and initially only to the well-dressed. There are a wide range of things to see in Kensington Gardens. These include a bronze statue of Peter Pan, the famous gothic Albert Memorial and The Arch by Henry Moore. For children there is the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Playground that features a large wooden pirate ship and a beach around it. Kensington Gardens is also home to the Italian Gardens that is an ornamental water garden given by Prince Albert to Queen Victoria.

© Izzy Evans 2012 If you would like to find out more about the area surrounding Regent's Park then you can visit Estate Agents Regents Park .