Regents Park

 Regents Park is one of the places that make London the greenest capital in the world.

Regent's Park began as a royal hunting ground under Henry VIII and was known as Marylebone Park until 1646. The park that we see today was the brainchild of the fashionable Regency architect John Nash. Nash was a close friend of the Prince Regent, the future George IV and here he designed a vast setting of gardens, lakes, canals, and residential terraces surrounding a summer palace for the prince.

OK, so the middle of Winter isn't the best time to appreciate the sheer beauty of it, but there's no tourists and the walks are relatively quiet. Only problem is, it's also the season where the excellent park keepers do all their remedial work, and replanting etc. There's also less wildlife about.

Today, York Bridge was closed for major repairs. That meant quite a lengthy detour for me to get to where I wanted to be. Oh well, never mind!

Regents Park extends onto Primrose Hill, and thence to London Zoo. I only covered one small corner of the park today, but I will return and cover it fully. Today I only walked through Queen Mary's Rose Garden (the roses are not in bloom in February of course), the Japanese Island Garden (picturesque) and through the Avenue gardens to the Griffin Tazza. 

This is the Japanese Island Garden, which is approached over York Bridge normally, but it is currently closed for repairs, so I had to make quite a detour to get here. 

The Japanese Eagle

The Avenue Gardens are what they say they are - formal gardens along long, straight, tree-lined avenues. There are fountains and flower urns galore, and slap bang in the middle is the Griffin Tazza. 

The magnificent Griffin Tazza. Tazza meaning large 'vase', this is the original constructed in composition stone. It is one of 30 stone vases in Avenue Gardens, and easily the most impressive.

To the left of the main path in the centre of the Avenue Gardens, stands a large circular stone bowl supported by four winged stone lions, known as the Griffin Tazza (often called the Lion Vase).The Griffin Tazza was designed by Austin and Seely and installed in the Gardens by William Andrews Nesfield in 1863.

It was later repaired during the restoration of the gardens in 1993-1996 and is one of about 30 stone vases in the Avenue Gardens.

The park boasts London’s largest outdoor sports area.  At The Hub you can hire pitches for a wide range of sports – from football and rugby to cricket and lacrosse. There are tennis courts a-plenty and if you head over to the lake, you can hire a boat.  Past the Zoo, and there is Regents Canal too.

Over 120 species of bird can be seen at The Regent’s Park each year. And it’s not just birds – the park is even home to London’s only breeding population of hedgehogs. With 5,000 varieties of tree, areas of wild meadow and precious historic grasslands, wildlife thrives here. 

" Hello I see a peeples, with food?"

A coot foraging just a few feet from the path

"Sorry mate, if I'd known you would be here, I would have brought nuts"

And, of course, there’s that famous view. Hike up to the top of Primrose Hill to enjoy show-stopping views over the city of London. For generations, this vista has inspired artists and poets 

There are various entrances to the park at all points of the compass. I wanted to cross from York Place, over York Bridge and through the Jubilee Gates on the Inner Circle. (the park has inner and outer circular roads bisecting it)

The magnificent Jubilee Gates.The Jubilee Gates are grand iron and gilded semi-circular gates that were installed to mark the Silver Jubilee of King George V and the official opening of Queen Mary's Gardens in 1935.

Located near York Bridge off the Inner Circle, The Jubilee Gates act as the main entrance to Queen Mary's Gardens. 

The gates, which are Grade II listed, were donated by Sigimund Goetze, a wealthy and successful artist who lived in Grove House (now Nuffield House) on the northern perimeter of the park from 1909 to 1939.

Regents Park is one of the Royal Parks of London, and occupies 410 acres. Being a Royal Park, it is strictly governed, and the Park Rangers have the ability to issue fines of £120 for anybody stupid enough to ignore the very apparent 'No Skating, No Cycling' rules!

On 15 January 1867, forty people died when the ice cover on the boating lake collapsed and over 200 people plunged into the lake. The lake was subsequently drained and its depth reduced to four feet before being reopened to the public.

In July 1982, an IRA bomb was detonated at the bandstand, killing seven soldiers. On 7 July 2006 the park held an event for people to remember the events of the 7 July 2005 London bombings. Members of the public placed mosaic tiles on to seven purple petals. Later bereaved family members laid yellow tiles in the centre to finish the mosaic. I have yet to visit the mosaic.

Finally (for the time being), I love the way this tree has been encouraged to grow. It reminds me of a menorah