Tower House, Holland Park

The Tower House, built by William Burges.

Wandering through the Holland Park district of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, you will find this Victorian era house, with a cylindrical tower and conical roof. It is distinct from the others houses on this street and really catches the eye.

William Burges purchased the leasehold to the land in 1875, from the Earl of Ilchester, and began designing the Tower House as his own private residence. By 1878 the exterior and much of the interior were completed, but decoration, furniture and furnishings were still being designed up until his death in 1881.

It is a red brick building with dressing of Bath stone and Cumbrian green roof slates and was Grade I listed in 1949. 

It has a basement with a kitchen and other utility rooms, while the ground floor has the hall, dining room, drawing room and library. The first floor has the main bedroom, guest room, bathroom and an armoury. The staircase is built into the cylindrical tower.

A late Victorian townhouse, with a tower.

Following his death, Richard Popplewell Pullan, Burges's brother-in-law, inherited the lease. Pullan would go on to complete some of Burges's projects. The author, Colonel T.H. Minshall then purchased the lease, before selling it on to Colonel E.R.B. Graham, in 1933.

Royal Parks

The Royal Observatory, Greenwich Park.

London is full of parks and green spaces, both large and small, that offer quiet areas to relax in relative tranquillity, away from the hustle and bustle of city life.

These parks stretch from the City of London out to all Boroughs and come in all shapes and sizes. Some are well known, while others are only known by those in the know.

A quiet place for contemplation.

Ruined churches, pocket parks and even cemeteries offer green spaces in which to sit and contemplate your day. Such as, Postman's Park, St Dunstan-in-the-East, Bunhill Fields and 

Holland Park.

Then there are the larger parks like Battersea, Gunnersbury, Holland, Olympic, Southwark or Victoria Parks, with their long and storied histories.

The Orangery and lake, Gunnersbury Park.

Many of these have playgrounds, for children, but others offer just peace and quiet.

However, the best known of these green spaces are the Royal Parks, of which there are eight. These Royal Parks contain memorials, ancient trees, historic buildings, flower gardens, palaces, deer, lakes and much more.

Below are the eight Royal Parks, with a little information about each one.

Bushy Park is the second largest of London’s Royal Parks and is home to wild deer and the Diana Fountain.

• Location - North of Hampton Court Palace
• Area -1,100 acres
• Date - Circa 1500s
• Open (pedestrians) - 24/7 
• Open (vehicles) - 06:30-21:00
• Rail - Hampton, Hampton Court, Hampton Wick, Teddington

The Green Park is a peaceful triangle of mature trees and grasslands and is home to the Bomber Command Memorial. It is here that you can see the Royal Gun Salute, performed by The King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery.

• Location - Next to Buckingham Palace
• Area - 47 acres
• Date - 1660
• Open (pedestrians) - 05:00-00:00
• Open (vehicles) - n/a
• Rail - Green Park

A Royal Gun Salute in Green Park.

Greenwich Park is part of the UNESCO Greenwich Maritime World Heritage Site. A mix of 17th-century landscape, stunning gardens and expansive views over London, plus it is home to the Old Royal Naval College, Meridian Line, National Maritime Museum, the queen's House and the Royal Observatory.

• Location - South of the Old Royal Naval College
• Area - 184 acres
• Date - 1433
• Open (pedestrians) - 06:00-21:30
• Open (vehicles) - n/a
• Rail - Greenwich, Maze Hill, Greenwich Pier

An impressive view of London, from Greenwich Park.

Hyde Park is home to a variety of gardens, children’s playgrounds, sports facilities and historic monuments. It is also where you will find the Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain, Speaker's Corner and the Royal Parks Shop.

• Location - Northwest of Buckingham Palace
• Area - 350 acres
• Date - 1637
• Open (pedestrians) - 05:00-00:00
• Open (vehicles) - n//a
• Rail - Hyde Park Corner, Knightsbridge, Lancaster Gate, Marble Arch

The Serpentine, Hyde Park.

Horsleydown Old Stairs

Looking up Horsleydown Old Stairs, from the foreshore.

Back when the River Thames was a working river, there were countless stairs that workers could use to access the foreshore. Over time, many of these stairs were removed or access restricted. Some, like Horsleydown Old Stairs, still give access to the River Thames.

City Beyond the Bridge.

One of the reasons that I love using these stairs, to access the foreshore, is the unique views you can get of the historic Tower Bridge. Plus, there is a wide swathe of the foreshore to explore, where pieces of clay pipes are in abundance, along with other artefacts favoured by mudlarks.

'Modern Marriage' by Simon Fujiwara

'Modern Marriage' by Simon Fujiwara (2015).

Wandering around the Nine Elms Regeneration Zone, Embassy Gardens, surrounding the Embassy of the United States of America, you will notice some pieces of public art on display.

These works of art are on display along a Linear Park, which, when completed, will be a green walking route linking Battersea Power Station to Vauxhall.

One of the pieces that I find most interesting is 'Modern Marriage' by Simon Fujiwara.

This sculpture of a dismembered left foot, lying on its side, looks, at first glance, to be just a sculpture of a foot. However, on the sole of the foot there is a gold wedding ring embedded in the skin.

 

A wedding ring embedded in the sole of the foot.

It is an intriguing piece, that I find endlessly fascinating.

Southwark Park

The Caryatids of the Old Rotherhithe Town Hall.

Opening to the public on June 19, 1869, Southwark Park covers 26 hectares and is Grade II listed. It stretches from Jamaica Road, to the north, to Hawkstone Road in the southeast.

Southwark Park, has two entrances on Jamaica Road, Christchurch Gate, named after a nearby church, and Paradise Gate. Christchurch Gate was designated an entrance in 1903, but following damage in World War II it was replaced with a new gate, modelled on the original, thanks to the Heritage Lottery Fund restoration in 2001-2002.

Southwark Park Bandstand.

Entering through Christchurch Gate the path divides, with one that leads you on a tree-lined avenue around the park, while the other leads you to the Bandstand. This Bandstand was acquired, in 1884, from the Great Exhibition in South Kensington and placed in the park. During the summer months free concerts are held here.

Caryatids. One representing Oak and the other Laurel.

Continuing south from the Bandstand you suddenly come across some stone pillars, hidden among the trees. These are Caryatids that originally flanked the the main entrance of the old Rotherhithe Town Hall. They were placed here in 2011. Continuing on there are tennis courts to the west, while a bowls club, hidden behind manicured hedges, takes up a small area at the centre of the park. 

Memorial to a working-class man.

Then there is the polished grey granite Jabez West Drinking Fountain, which is a memorial to a working-class man. 

A simple gate.

Jamaica Gate stands at the west end of Carriage Drive, which now divides the park into separate spaces.