Park Life
If you’re walking in Trafalgar Square or strolling through Soho, London may not seem like the greenest city in Europe – but it easily outshines Rome, Paris, Berlin and many others with an incredible 35,000 acres of public green spaces in the Greater London urban area, including more than 3,000 parks.
The ones you’re most likely to stumble across in the heart of the city are St James’s Park, overlooked by Buckingham Palace, Green Park, Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens. These are London’s green ‘lungs’, but they’re also historic places in their own right.
Restaurant Near Buckingham Palace
St James’s Park was bought by Henry VIII who enclosed it for the hunting of deer. James I ordered that it be drained and landscaped. Camels, crocodiles and an elephant were housed there, along with an aviary full of exotic birds.
Green Park used to be part of the Poultney estate, but it was surrendered to Charles II who turned it into “Upper St James’s Park”. It became Green Park in 1746. The story goes that Charles II was discovered by his consort Catherine of Braganza to have picked flowers in the park for another woman – so she ordered that every flower should be removed and no more planted.
Hyde Park was also acquired by Henry VIII for hunting (he was a sporty chap in his youth). Since then it has hosted rock concerts with bands like The Rolling Stones, seen duels in which aristocrats were killed, hosted the Great Exhibition of 1851 in Joseph Paxton’s Crystal Palace and is now host to a Christmas fair – Winter Wonderland – that attracted 14 million visitors in its first ten years.
One of the best green walks in the capital is from Horse Guards Parade, through St James’s Park and Green Park, where you can stop and have excellent tapas at El Pirata in Down Street. After a great value meal, you can then carry on through Hyde Park to Kensington Gardens – once the private gardens of Kensington Palace, and a pretty place to rest for a while.
