Historic London park on the Thames.
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Battersea Park Historic London park on the Thames. |
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Battersea ParkThis 200 acre historic park by the banks of the River Thames has sub-tropical and wildflower gardens, a deer park, a miniature railway for children, and a small zoo, among other family delights. The park is located between Chelsea Bridge and Albert Bridge, across the Thames from Chelsea. The park was originally part of a plan by upper-class Victorians to keep the lower classes of London in order by giving them an open-air space for exercise and recreation. The area now covered by Battersea Park was once the haunt of gypsies and taverns of the lowest sort, a place where drunken brawls and duels were not uncommon. In the 1840s architect Thomas Cubitt advised the government to clean the area up, and this they did, buying up 320 acres of land, closing the taverns, and clearing 200 acres for parkland. The rest of the area was leased for building use to fund the creation of the park. The marshy ground was filled with earth from the Victoria Docks, which was then in the process of construction. An ornamental lake was created, with broad carriage drives. The popularity of the new park was augmented by the sudden popularity of cycling. Bicycles were forbidden in Hyde Park, so keen Victorian cyclists came in droves to Battersea. Queen Victoria opened Battersea Park in 1858, but its most famous event dates from 1951, when the Festival Gardens were created as part of the post-war Festival of Britain. There are many more garden spaces, however, including an herb garden, Old English Garden, nature trails, and a deer park. Less immediately obvious, but even more precious, are the wonderful collection of exotic trees which grace Battersea Park. Scattered throughout the park are black walnut, hybrid buckeye, Chinese thuja, Kentucky coffee, and the foxglove tree, among others. Battersea Park is reknown for its resident bird population. Fowl to be seen frequently include black swans, cormorants, ducks, herons, and grebes, among others. One notable feature is the Peace Pagoda, erected in 1985 by Buddhist monks to commemorate the anniversary of Hiroshima. A controversial carving by Henry Moore entitled Three Standing Figures, stands in the park. This statuary was reviled when it was erected, called by critics "a piece of grotesque modern sculpture". Facilities at Battersea Park include:
The park hosts a variety of events, including open-air concerts, art and antique exhibitions, a horse parade, a dog show, and more. Admission Location
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Sloane
Square
