So nobody has written an opinion on this place yet then eh? How strange. There are ops here on Golders Hill Park, Chiswick Park and all sorts of others, but not on Green Park. Well, time to fix that then.
The 53 acres of Green Park are located to the west of St James's Park. Joined to St James's Park on its eastern corner, and by subway to Hyde Park on its western corner, the three parks together offer a massive area of parkland right in the centre of London. A little way to the west, the Queen is known to spend the occasional night at a little castle called Buckingham Palace.
The name comes from the fact that when the park was first laid out it had very few flower beds. Even today it is predominantly grass, interspersed with Plane trees (it says here - never heard of Plane trees myself but I'm no horticulturalist). It is one of central London's least crowded parks and so is a good choice if you are looking for some peace and quiet - a perfect place to come to spend your lunch hour if you work anywhere nearby, and as I work in Victoria I'm just one tube stop away. Which is nice.
Legend has it that the park is built on the site of the burial ground for lepers from St James's hospital, which is why no flowers grow here, but that seems like a load of cobblers to me. But do I have a better explanation? No.
What is known is that the area was first set aside as parkland under the reign of Henry VIII (1509-47), and became a royal park under Charles II (1660-85). In the 18th century, ballooning, firework displays and duels often took place in Green Park. And in 1748 Handel wrote his Music for the Royal Fireworks for a firework display that took place here to celebrate the Peace of Aix-la-Chapelle. A wide avenue called Queen's Walk, named after George II's wife Queen Caroline, runs along the eastern edge of the park. Attractions close by include Spencer House and St James's Palace.
Needless to say, Green Park is open to the public. I'm mean, I'm no royal. I'm working on it, but I'm not there yet. So it's a good job that you can have access to Green Park whenever you so desire it, or from, I believe, about 8 in the morning until 9 at night.
Talking of royals, the fact that this place is so close to Buck House does unfortunately mean you get more than your fair share of snap-happy camera nutters doing their stuff in and around the park. But thankfully, many seem to look over the fence, see a big old load of grass and trees, think "We have dish back in Holland yesh?" and decide not to bother.
Er, well, there's not much else to say about the place to be honest with you. Facilities there include, well, toilets, when they're open. And obviously Green Park tube station is right next to the park. Hence the name. Clever eh?
Oh, unlike other parks nearby there is no river or lake in Green Park, so you'll see few birds around the place as they all clear off to Hyde Park or St James' Park instead. I saw a sparrow there the other day though, so it's not all people...
So that's Green Park then. Basically, if you want to relax in the shade when it's sunny, it's the best place in London to come to in my opinion. Equally, the very same trees provide perfect cover if you fancy a walk in the rain without getting plastered. If you want beautiful flowers and lakeside walks and all that - nope, sorry, move along please, nothing to see here.
So come to Green Park. But no littering. The groundsman has a big stick, and he's not afraid to use it.
I went there today :) Its my favourite london park i think, not fancy or busy, or over the top. Very few tourists getting in the way, lovely to sit under a tree and chill out x
OKkaraoke 13.11.2002 04:50
We went to Green Park for the Golden Jubilee concerts and it was far from a tranquil enclave then! So many people, so few toilets.
borntoloaf 13.09.2002 14:59
Think I went here a few years ago when I worked in London. Nice review. Intersting theory about the lepers and lack of flowers.
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