Kensington parks - the Totally Kensington guide to the best parks in Kensington London

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KENSINGTON PARKS

There are three beautiful parks in Kensington - possibly the best parks in London. All of them are great to walk around on a sunny summers day. If you're interested in horse riding in London, then Hyde Park is your best bet - more information below.

HYDE PARK		KENSINGTON GARDENS

Hyde Park was originally one of King Henry VIII's hunting parks for deer, and not opened to the public until Charles I he opened the park to the general public in 1637. The Park is one of the largest in London covering 350 acres and when the weather is fine it's filled with pedestrians, roller bladers, rowing, and horse riders - as well as people enjoying a leisurely picnic. The Serpentine is a lake enclosed within the park and as well as having rowing boats for hire, it features Lansbury's Lido, a swimming area partitioned off from the rest of the lake. It's open only in the summer. The 2012 London Olympics will see the Triathlon and Open Water Swimming competitions held in Hyde Park. The Princess Diana Memorial Fountain was unveiled in 2004 by Queen Elizabeth and is located in the southwest corner of Hyde Park, just south of the Serpentine Lake and east of the Serpentine Gallery. Hyde Park has hosted some huge rock and pop concerts including Pink Floyd, the Rolling Stones, R.E.M., The Who and the charity gig Live 8. The Park encloses several important buildings, including Kensington Palace and the Serpentine Gallery. See our things to do in Kensington page for more information. Hyde Park Stables offer horse riding and riding lessons in Hyde Park, along Rotten Row. There are five miles of bridleways for riding in the Park and there are also two outdoor riding arenas, for more formal riding lessons and dressage. They cater for all abilities, both kids and adults.		>> Kensington Gardens was once the private gardens of Kensington Palace and covers 275 acres. It was laid out between 1728 and 1738 and features included the Round Pond, formal avenues and a sunken Dutch garden The park is famous as the setting of J.M. Barrie's book Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens, a prelude to the character's famous adventures in Neverland. There's often often confusion between Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens because they essentially merge and both contain the Serpentine lake - but the part of the Serpentine that lies within Kensington Gardens is known as "The Long Water". At its north-western end (originally the inflow of the River Westbourne) there are four fountains and classical sculpture known collectively as the Italian Garden HOLLAND PARK Holland Park is located right by Kensington High Street and includes a dog run, tennis courts, a football pitch, a netball court, cricket nets and a golf bunker as well as gardens, grassed areas and woodlands. The northern half or so of the park is semi-wild woodland, the central section around the ruins of Holland House is more formal with several garden areas, and the southernmost section is used for sport. Holland Park contains one of the best equipped children's play areas in London, and its always a joy to see the peacocks strutting around the gardens. There are no official boundaries to the park, but they are roughly Kensington High Street to the south, Holland Road to the west, Holland Park Avenue to the north and Kensington Church Street to the east.

Kensington London, Kensington parks, Hyde Park, Holland Park, Kensington Gardens

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