Faraway corners in London parks
July 18th 2007 07:02
The pomp and majesty of Buckingham Palace, the razzle-dazzle of the West end, the splendour of the Houses of Parlliament, Westminster Cathedral and St Paul's, the jewels and the dark stories of the Tower, the beauty of Tower Bridge, the shabby fascination of Soho, the exquisite opulence of Harrods, the bargains of Oxford Street, the quaint treasures of Portobello Road, the cosy companionship and the inimitable character of the Pub, those clubs where anything is possible and you never know who you'll meet, the slow grind of the London Eye's giant wheel against the ever-changing sky, the reflection of the passing clouds in the glass walls of high-rise, the buzz of Picadilly and Trafalgar Square, the bustle of Covent Garden, the streets crowded with faces and costumes from the world's every corner, the babel of languages, the endless whoosh and rumble of big red buses, the edgy rush and clamour of the tube, the chug of engines and blare of horns on the Thames - the noise, the colour, the movement. - this is London - but only part of it.
Scattered throughout the chaotic and crowded cityscape are over 300 hectares of park land. Inevitably, there are the kiosks, the cafes, the crowds of city workers on lunch breaks, the inevitable tourists and the lawns peppered with pink hopefuls on striped deck-chairs in London's parks and gardens.
However, there are also hidden corners, glimpses of other-world charm and unexpected patches of seemingly untouched nature where the hectic city seems a world and an age away.
St James', just over the road from Buckingham Palace, is one of those parks. There, beyond the deckchairs and the cafe, a fairy-tale path winds away past a magical pond with fountains, bulrushes, swans, flickers of gold on fish beneath the water, llily pads and the croak of frogs.
There's an old-world cottage in a picture-book garden.
There are squirrels, rabbits and birds. There's a field of long grass that stretches away into an infinity of tall trees with heads of thick leaves. The silence is broken by birdsong. And overhead, there's a huge expanse of uninterrupted sky
Scattered throughout the chaotic and crowded cityscape are over 300 hectares of park land. Inevitably, there are the kiosks, the cafes, the crowds of city workers on lunch breaks, the inevitable tourists and the lawns peppered with pink hopefuls on striped deck-chairs in London's parks and gardens.
Deck chairs in St James park
However, there are also hidden corners, glimpses of other-world charm and unexpected patches of seemingly untouched nature where the hectic city seems a world and an age away.
Horses and carriage Hyde Park
St James', just over the road from Buckingham Palace, is one of those parks. There, beyond the deckchairs and the cafe, a fairy-tale path winds away past a magical pond with fountains, bulrushes, swans, flickers of gold on fish beneath the water, llily pads and the croak of frogs.
The fairy tale pond in St James' park
There's an old-world cottage in a picture-book garden.
The cottage in the picture-book garden
There are squirrels, rabbits and birds. There's a field of long grass that stretches away into an infinity of tall trees with heads of thick leaves. The silence is broken by birdsong. And overhead, there's a huge expanse of uninterrupted sky
Grass and trees, St James' park
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