Services: Parks and green areas

Famous Parks in the United Kingdom

• Royal Parks of London is a complex of eight parks in London. In the past, grounds of those parks were used by the royal family for recreation. It consists of the following parks:
  • Bushy Park is located in London Borough of Richmond upon the Thames. It is the second largest Royal Park in London. It is home to Teddington Rugby Club, Teddington Hockey Club and four cricket clubs. It has ponds, horse rides and more. In this park you can find deers, it is advised to keep at least 50m distance from them since there were accidents when deers would charge humans for food.
  • Green Park is located in Central London. Green Park has no lakes or monuments, only one fountain named Canada Memorial, it’s made mostly from trees and grasslands. There is a legend saying that all flowers were removed from the park after King Charles II wife caught him picking up flowers for another woman.
  • Greenwich Park is located at Greenwich and used to be a hunting park. There is an observatory with marked Prime Meridian line located in this park. You can get a nice view of the Thames River and London in it.
  • Hyde Park is the park divided in two by the Serpentine and the Long Water. It is famous for Speakers´ Corner where people can express all their views as long as the Queen is not being offended.
  • Kensington Gardens are located in the City of Westminster. They used to be private royal gardens.
  • Regent’s Park is located in City of Westminster and London Borough of Camden. It contains open spaces, formal gardens, four children’s playgrounds, boating lake, Regent’s Canal which connects the Grand Union Canal with the Thames river and outdoor sports areas. In the north, there is a London ZOO. In the park, you can find the famous Queen Mary’s Garden which contains the biggest rose collection in London.
  • Richmond Park is located at London Borough of Richmond upon the Thames. It is the biggest Royal Parks with an area of 2500 acres. It is an important site of wildlife conservation and since it is a nature reserve and Site of Special Scientific Interest, all dogs must be on a leash. You can go cycling, fishing (after paying for permit) and run on the popular Tamsin Trail. The park also has designated places to play rugby and golf. It also has roads designated only for horse riding.
  • St. James’s Park is the oldest of Royal Parks, it is located in the City of Westminster. It contains a lake with two islands, one of them is called Duck Island because of the big number of birds living there. In the park, you can also see pelicans, which are here since they were donated by the Russian ambassador in 1664. In boundaries of the park, there is The Mall, a procession route in honour of Queen Victoria, and Horse Guard Parade ground where parades for Queen’s birthday take place.

• The Meadows is a large public park in Edinburgh, Scotland, to the south of the town centre. It has a large open grassland crossed by tree-lined paths. It also has a children’s playground, a croquet club, tennis courts and recreational sports pitches.
• Bute Park is a major park in the city of Cardiff, capital of Wales. The park’s name comes from the 3rd Marquess of Bute, whose family lived in the castle.
• Botanic Gardens is a public park in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The gardens are popular among students and tourists. There is The Ulster Museum, which is located at the main entrance.

Usual Elements in Parks

• Parks usually contain paths designed to take walks with benches, lanterns and trash cans on their sides,
• Some of them can have ponds, lakes, fountains or monuments.
• In some, you can find deck chairs that can be rented or are free to use.

Notable elements in some parks:

• The most notable feature in Botanic Gardens is the Palm House conservatory.
• Bute Park contains a combination of the arboretum, flower gardens and recreation grounds. Most of the park is grassland but there is also an abundance of woodland and tree-lined avenues. Unusual sculptures are spread around.
• Hyde Park has the Drinking Horse, which is shaped like a huge horse head drinking water, a family of Jelly Babies standing on top of a large black cube, and Vroom Vroom which looks like a giant human hand pushing a toy car.
• The Meadows is well-known for its mature elms. There are also specimens of the variable Field Elm, while an old Japanese Elm stands near the Chalmers Street entrance to the park.

People Associated to the Care and Viligance of Parks

• In the UK, there are usually gardeners and security guards who take care of the parks. They are responsible for the peace and cleaning of the parks.

Behaviour Associated to the Use and Enjoyment of Parks and Green Zones

• Most people go to parks for a walk to get some fresh air, spend time in nature and sometimes to calm themselves.
• Cycling is welcomed only in designated areas.
• Dogs are usually welcome in all parks although there are some places where they are not allowed or should be kept on a lead. You should also clean after your dog.
• Picnics can be held in most parks but every one of them has a different person limit.
• Smoking is usually prohibited in playground areas and enclosed areas.
• Listening to music is usually permitted as long as you do not disturb other people.
• In big parks with wild animals, there can be a rule to keep quiet so animals won’t get stressed.

Exercises

External link to Services: Parks and green areas exercises (504).