London is full of green spaces even in the midst of its concrete jungle to the extent that nearly 47 percent of its total area is green. It has eight Royal Parks and a large number of other parks and gardens. Whereas most residents and tourists are aware of Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens, Regents Park and St James’s Park, there are several little-known green spaces that provide natural environment and beauty at its best that not many would have heard of. These are some of London’s hidden parks and gardens.
Japanese Roof Garden: Dedicated to forgiveness, this serene green space at the School of Oriental and African Studies was built in 2001 and provides wonderful tranquillity where you can relax and ponder over your problems and forgive those who have done you wrong. The Japanese Roof Garden’s dedication to forgiveness is the Kanji character engraved on the granite water basin.
Postman’s Park: George Frederic Watts’s ‘Memorial to Heroic Self-Sacrifice`’ is one of London’s most touching monuments located a short walk from St Paul’s Cathedral. There are 50 ceramic plaques under a tiled roof in Postman’s Park with each commemorating an ordinary person who sacrificed their life saving other human beings and providing heartbreaking stories. You can learn more about each commemorated person through a free app called ‘The Everyday Heroes of Postman’s Park’.
Phoenix Garden: It is a lovely little green space for people working in the Charing Cross Road area to have a leafy lunch and get away from the stresses of their official work in the office. The work of maintaining the plants, flowers and wildlife is done by volunteers. The place has frogs and sparrows that thrive because of a hearty conservation initiative. In the nearby churchyard of St Giles in the Fields, you can find weekly food stalls and refreshing coffee.
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Red Cross Garden: This Victorian garden was originally meant to provide playing space for Southwark children from nearby tenements. It has recently been restored while maintaining its original design including its pond, cottage, bandstand and formal borders. It plays a big part in London’s social reform efforts. While in 1887 it was surrounded by workhouses, factories and slum dwellings, it is today a peace haven for relaxation and for staring at the glass prism of the Shard.
Skip Garden: It is a sustainable urban garden, located amidst the building works in the King’s Cross area that uses waste products from the building works as planters. While chickens can be seen enjoying the relaxed environment, pumpkins and beans grow from skips and chillies and tomatoes come out of poly-tunnels. The Skip Garden Kitchen cafe uses all the food grown there and hosts supper clubs and seasonal feasts.
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Abney Park Cemetery: There is a large central clearing dominated by the menacing shell of a derelict chapel that you can reach after going through the overgrown woods of Abbey Park Cemetery and after going past the crumbling gravestones. The eerie allure of the place is heightened due to the fact that the impressive gothic-revival building dating back to 1840 had been gutted by fire in the 1970s and closed for a while.
Barnsbury Wood: Sandwiched between houses in affluent Barnsbury and originally a vicarage garden, this 0.35-hectare nature reserve is London’s smallest. It was abandoned in the 1840s that led to the creation of woodland and as such you can now find sixteen spot ladybird in Barnsbury Wood.
Camley Street Natural Park: King’s Cross has of late changed a lot as it now presents wide-open public spaces and beautiful architecture. However, the hustle and bustle of progress does take a toll and for finding a bit of peace, it becomes necessary to move to this two-acre garden on the banks of the Regent’s Canal. The pond meadow and woodland are maintained by London Wildlife Trust volunteers making it a peaceful retreat in the midst of the hectic commuters.
Butterfly House at Clissold Park: There is a sanctuary for beautiful insects located next to the deer and goats that graze in Stoke Newington’s small ‘zoo’, In the warm glass dome you can see native and tropical butterflies moving between flowers and plants. The dome is open for periodic free tours from May to September. By taking a regularly scheduled tour you can wander through the park at night and see local owls and bats.
Culpeper Community Garden: This friendly community garden is located behind the Angel and Chapel Market. It has 50 winding plots with two for disabled gardeners that provide residents, local groups and market traders a quiet refuge even though it is quite small. At one time when some flowers could not be found, the garden put up a cartoon artist’s impression of the thief, drawn by one of the volunteers. In the warmer months, drawing classes such as the Botanical Illustration workshop are held.
Hampstead Hill Garden and Pergola: This eerie and elegant green space is hidden in Hampstead Heath’s wild and undulating parkland through which thousands roam around. It includes impressive gardens and a dramatic elevated walkway in which a lush canopy is created by overhanging plants and tangled roots twist around smooth stone columns. If you go there in the early evening, you can see long-eared bats that roost here.
There are many other such little-known gardens that include Queen’s Wood, World Peace Garden, King Henry’s Walk Garden, a hidden garden in Brockwell Park, Lavender Garden in Vauxhall Park, Crystal Palace Park Maze and Isabella Plantation among many others.
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