London Parks

The public parks of London are the lungs of this great city, its citizens enjoying more green spaces than any other city in the world – over 45,000 acres of public land in Greater London, with around one thousand parks over twenty acres in size. Long-time North London resident and chronicler of life around his beloved Hampstead Heath – Hunter Davies takes the reader on a joyous and colourful stroll through many of the parks that are renowned in the capital, that he himself has gotten to know and love since he moved here in the early 1960s.

 

Since the demise of the Greater London Council in the early 1980s, many London parks have either fallen into disrepair, or been bought up into private ownership as the city’s younger generation struggles to get on the property ladder. London parks are their gardens, their escape. Equally, despite the majority of London parks needing investment, and charging for what was once free, the defenders and lovers of our parks are more numerous and stronger than ever – with communities of nature lovers, swimmers, walkers, and environmentalists all striving to maintain their glorious surroundings.

 

In My London Parks, Hunter Davies will showcase those he loves best, including Hampstead Heath (which he has daily walked in since 1960 when he and his wife Margaret Forster moved to the city) plus St James's, Green Park, Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens, Regents Park, Greenwich Park, Richmond, and Hampton Court. He details their history, describes their layout and offers advice on the best routes to walk for views and landmarks. It will be an essential companion for anyone wishing to take in the ever-green beauty of Britain’s capital city.