There are many parks and open spaces in London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

. Green space in central London

Central London

Central London is the innermost part of London, England. There is no official or commonly accepted definition of its area, but its characteristics are understood to include a high density built environment, high land values, an elevated daytime population and a concentration of regionally,...

 consists of five Royal Parks

Royal Parks of London

The Royal Parks of London are lands originally owned by the monarchy of the United Kingdom for the recreation of the royal family...

, supplemented by a number of small garden square

Garden square

A garden square is an open space with buildings surrounding a garden, often located in fashionable urban areas. There are many garden squares in London, England, for example. The large estates in London, e.g., the Bedford Estate in Bloomsbury, included garden squares in their development....

s scattered throughout the city centre. Open space in the rest of the city is dominated by the remaining three Royal Parks and many other parks and open spaces of a range of sizes, run mainly by the local London boroughs, although other owners include the National Trust

National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty

The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...

 and the City of London Corporation.

Royal parks

The centrepieces of London's park system are the eight Royal Parks of London

Royal Parks of London

The Royal Parks of London are lands originally owned by the monarchy of the United Kingdom for the recreation of the royal family...

. Covering 1976 hectares, they are former royal hunting grounds which are now open to the public. Four of these — Green Park

Green Park

-External links:*...

 (16 ha), St. James's Park

St. James's Park

St. James's Park is a 23 hectare park in the City of Westminster, central London - the oldest of the Royal Parks of London. The park lies at the southernmost tip of the St. James's area, which was named after a leper hospital dedicated to St. James the Less.- Geographical location :St. James's...

 (34 ha), Hyde Park

Hyde Park, London

Hyde Park is one of the largest parks in central London, United Kingdom, and one of the Royal Parks of London, famous for its Speakers' Corner.The park is divided in two by the Serpentine...

 (140 ha), and Kensington Gardens

Kensington Gardens

Kensington Gardens, once the private gardens of Kensington Palace, is one of the Royal Parks of London, lying immediately to the west of Hyde Park. It is shared between the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. The park covers an area of 111 hectares .The open spaces...

 (111 ha) — form a green strand through the western side of the city centre, whilst a fifth, Regent's Park

Regent's Park

Regent's Park is one of the Royal Parks of London. It is in the north-western part of central London, partly in the City of Westminster and partly in the London Borough of Camden...

 (197 ha) is just to the north. The remaining three Royal Parks are in the suburbs — Greenwich Park

Greenwich Park

Greenwich Park is a former hunting park in Greenwich and one of the largest single green spaces in south east London. One of the Royal Parks of London, and the first to be enclosed , it covers , and is part of the Greenwich World Heritage Site. It commands fine views over the River Thames, Isle of...

 (73 ha) to the south east, and Bushy Park

Bushy Park

- External links :***...

 (450 ha) and Richmond Park

Richmond Park

Richmond Park is a 2,360 acre park within London. It is the largest of the Royal Parks in London and Britain's second largest urban walled park after Sutton Park, Birmingham. It is close to Richmond, Ham, Kingston upon Thames, Wimbledon, Roehampton and East Sheen...

 (955 ha) to the south west.

Garden squares

Many of the smaller green spaces in central London are garden square

Garden square

A garden square is an open space with buildings surrounding a garden, often located in fashionable urban areas. There are many garden squares in London, England, for example. The large estates in London, e.g., the Bedford Estate in Bloomsbury, included garden squares in their development....

s, which were built for the private use of the residents of the fashionable districts, but in some cases are now open to the public. Notable examples open to the public are Russell Square

Russell Square

Russell Square is a large garden square in Bloomsbury, in the London Borough of Camden. It is near the University of London's main buildings and the British Museum. To the north is Woburn Place and to the south-east is Southampton Row...

 in Bloomsbury

Bloomsbury

-Places:* Bloomsbury is an area in central London.* Bloomsbury , related local government unit* Bloomsbury, New Jersey, New Jersey, USA* Bloomsbury , listed on the NRHP in Maryland...

, Lincoln's Inn Fields

Lincoln's Inn Fields

Lincoln's Inn Fields is the largest public square in London, UK. It was laid out in the 1630s under the initiative of the speculative builder and contractor William Newton, "the first in a long series of entrepreneurs who took a hand in developing London", as Sir Nikolaus Pevsner observes...

 in Holborn

Holborn

Holborn is an area of Central London. Holborn is also the name of the area's principal east-west street, running as High Holborn from St Giles's High Street to Gray's Inn Road and then on to Holborn Viaduct...

 and Soho Square

Soho Square

Soho Square is a square in Soho, London, England, with a park and garden area at its centre that dates back to 1681. It was originally called King Square after Charles II, whose statue stands in the square. At the centre of the garden, there is a distinctive half-timbered gardener's hut...

 in Soho

Soho

Soho is an area of the City of Westminster and part of the West End of London. Long established as an entertainment district, for much of the 20th century Soho had a reputation for sex shops as well as night life and film industry. Since the early 1980s, the area has undergone considerable...

.

The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea

Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea

The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea is a central London borough of Royal borough status. After the City of Westminster, it is the wealthiest borough in England....

 contains over a hundred garden squares whose use is restricted to residents. The upkeep of these squares is paid for through a levy on top of residents' council tax

Council tax

Council Tax is the system of local taxation used in England, Scotland and Wales to part fund the services provided by local government in each country. It was introduced in 1993 by the Local Government Finance Act 1992, as a successor to the unpopular Community Charge...

.

Council parks

In addition to these spaces, a large number of council-owned parks were developed between the mid 19th century and the Second World War, including Victoria Park

Victoria Park, East London

Victoria Park is 86.18 hectares of open space that stretches out across part of the East End of London, England bordering parts of Bethnal Green, Hackney, and Bow, such as along Old Ford Road, London E3 and Victoria Park Road E9. The park is entirely within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets...

 (86 ha), Alexandra Park

Alexandra Park, London

Alexandra Park is an 80 hectare, Green Flag Award and Green Heritage winning landscaped park in the Borough of Haringey in north London.-Overview:...

 (80 ha) and Battersea Park

Battersea Park

Battersea Park is a 200 acre green space at Battersea in the London Borough of Wandsworth in England. It is situated on the south bank of the River Thames opposite Chelsea, and was opened in 1858....

 (83 ha).

Other green spaces

Other major open spaces in the suburbs include:

• Hampstead Heath
  Hampstead Heath
  Hampstead Heath is a large, ancient London park, covering . This grassy public space sits astride a sandy ridge, one of the highest points in London, running from Hampstead to Highgate, which rests on a band of London clay...
  
  , 320 hectares
• Clapham Common
  Clapham Common
  Clapham Common is an 89 hectare triangular area of grassland situated in south London, England. It was historically common land for the parishes of Battersea and Clapham, but was converted to parkland under the terms of the Metropolitan Commons Act 1878.43 hectares of the common are within the...
  
  , 89 hectares
• Wandsworth Common
  Wandsworth Common
  Wandsworth common is a public common in Wandsworth, south London. It is close to Clapham Common and Wandsworth Common railway station. It is wholly in the London borough of Wandsworth...
  
  , 73 hectares
• Wimbledon Common, about 460 hectares
• Epping Forest
  Epping Forest
  Epping Forest is an area of ancient woodland in south-east England, straddling the border between north-east Greater London and Essex. It is a former royal forest, and is managed by the City of London Corporation....
  
  , 2,476 hectares
• Trent Park
  Trent Park
  Trent Park is a country park, formerly the grounds of a mansion house which currently forms the Trent Park campus of Middlesex University in the north of London, United Kingdom...
  
   169 hectares
• Hainault Forest Country Park
  Hainault Forest Country Park
  Hainault Forest Country Park is one of the remaining sections of the former Forest of Essex in England. Epping Forest and Hatfield Forest are other examples. It is located in Hainault in the London Borough of Redbridge and its area is 136 hectares...
  
   136 hectares
• Mitcham Common
  Mitcham Common
  Mitcham Common or Seven Islands is 182 hectares of common land situated in South London. It is predominantly in the London borough of Merton, with parts straddling the borders with Sutton and Croydon.- History :...
  
    182 hectares
• South Norwood Country Park
  South Norwood Country Park
  South Norwood Country Park is a park in South Norwood, close to Elmers End station, mainly in the London Borough of Croydon. It is a 47 hectare green space which opened in 1989...
  
   47 hectares
• Wildspace Conservation Park
  Wildspace Conservation Park
  The Wildspace Conservation Park, also known as London Riverside Conservation Park or Wildspace, is a major new conservation park currently under development. The conservation park is predominantly in London, within the London Borough of Havering, but also extends across the capital's...
  
   645 hectares
• Watling Chase
  Watling Chase
  Watling Chase is a community forest of 72 square miles.. It is located to the north of London, England around the towns of Potters Bar, St. Albans, Bushey, Borehamwood and Barnet...
  
   18,840 hectares
• Thames Chase
  Thames Chase
  Thames Chase is a community forest of 9842 hectares located in 47 sites in London and Essex, England. Its stated aim is...to renew and regenerate the landscape at the edge of East London and South Essex by creating Thames Chase, the Community Forest: a varied wooded landscape for local people to...
  
   9,842 hectares

They have a more informal and semi-natural character, having originally been countryside areas protected against surrounding urbanisation. Some cemeteries provide extensive green land within the city — notably Highgate Cemetery

Highgate Cemetery

Highgate Cemetery is a cemetery located in north London, England. It is designated Grade I on the English Heritage Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England. It is divided into two parts, named the East and West cemetery....

, burial place of Karl Marx

Karl Marx

Karl Heinrich Marx was a German philosopher, economist, sociologist, historian, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. His ideas played a significant role in the development of social science and the socialist political movement...

 and Michael Faraday

Michael Faraday

Michael Faraday, FRS was an English chemist and physicist who contributed to the fields of electromagnetism and electrochemistry....

 amongst others. Completing London's array of green spaces are two paid entrance gardens — the leader is the Royal Botanic Garden

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, usually referred to as Kew Gardens, is 121 hectares of gardens and botanical glasshouses between Richmond and Kew in southwest London, England. "The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew" and the brand name "Kew" are also used as umbrella terms for the institution that runs...

 at Kew

Kew

Kew is a place in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in South West London. Kew is best known for being the location of the Royal Botanic Gardens, now a World Heritage Site, which includes Kew Palace...

, whilst the royal residence of Hampton Court Palace

Hampton Court Palace

Hampton Court Palace is a royal palace in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, Greater London; it has not been inhabited by the British royal family since the 18th century. The palace is located south west of Charing Cross and upstream of Central London on the River Thames...

 also has a celebrated garden. All Outer London

Outer London

Outer London is the name for the group of London Boroughs that form a ring around Inner London.These were areas that were not part of the County of London and became formally part of Greater London in 1965...

 boroughs contain sections of the metropolitan green belt. Furthermore one of the great legacies of the 2012 Olympic Games in London will be the development of the largest urban park in Europe at Stratford in East London.

Greenways

There are several types of London greenways

London greenways

Many green routes have been planned in London which come within the international definition of a greenway but most of them come under other designations in London. The exception is The Greenway in North East London...

 including The Greenway and the Thames Path

Thames Path

The Thames Path is a National Trail, opened in 1996, following the length of the River Thames from its source near Kemble in Gloucestershire to the Thames Barrier at Charlton. It is about long....

.

By location

City of London Westminster Westminster parks and open spaces The City of Westminster, a central London borough, has 116 parks and open spaces; these include small gardens as well as larger areas of land. The open spaces are managed by and private resident and business associations. Westminster is also home to four of the Royal Parks . The Royal Parks are... Kensington and Chelsea Kensington and Chelsea parks and open spaces The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, an Inner London borough, has responsibility for some of the parks and open spaces within its boundaries. Most of them are relatively small: many are the typical London square, built to service the houses around that square. Two of the larger open spaces... Hammersmith and Fulham Hammersmith and Fulham parks and open spaces The London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, an Inner London borough, has a total of 231 hectares of parks and open spaces that are accessible to the general public. 159 hectares of this is within parks and 52.5 hectares are within cemeteries and churchyards... Wandsworth Wandsworth parks and open spaces The inner London borough of Wandsworth contains some 670ha of green space in the form of parks, commons, allotments and cemeteries, which is the largest proportion for any London borough.... Lambeth Lambeth parks and open spaces The London Borough of Lambeth, in spite of being close to the centre of London has over 64 areas of parks and open spaces, in addition to 34 play areas and eight paddling pools, within its boundaries... Southwark Southwark parks and open spaces The London Borough of Southwark, occupying a roughly triangular area south of Tower Bridge over the River Thames, considers itself to be one of the greenest boroughs in London, insofar as its parks and open spaces are concerned. There are more than 130 such green areas, ranging from the large areas... Tower Hamlets Tower Hamlets parks and open spaces The London Borough of Tower Hamlets, in spite of being close to the centre of London and perhaps retaining the idea of it being the docklands area, has over 100 areas of parks and open spaces within its boundaries. These range from the huge to small gardens and squares... Hackney Hackney parks and open spaces The London Borough of Hackney, one of the inner London boroughs, has 62 parks, gardens and open spaces within its boundaries, totalling 330 ha. These provide the "green lungs" for leisure activities... Islington Islington parks and open spaces The London Borough of Islington is short of large parks and open spaces, given its status in recent decades as a desirable place of residence. In fact, Islington has the lowest ratio of open space to built-up areas of any London borough... Camden Camden parks and open spaces The London Borough of Camden is arguably the greenest of the Inner London boroughs. This is largely because it contains most of the extensive swathe of land that is Hampstead Heath. But there are also many smaller green spaces, like Primrose Hill... Brent Brent parks and open spaces The London Borough of Brent, an Outer London borough to the north west of the conurbation, has about 100 parks and open spaces within its boundaries. These include recreation and sports grounds, a large country park, and a large reservoir... Ealing Ealing parks and open spaces The London Borough of Ealing, one of the Outer London boroughs although not on the periphery, has over 100 parks and open spaces within its boundaries. These include allotments, cemeteries, playgrounds, and golf courses in addition to the larger open spaces such as nature conservation areas... Hounslow Hounslow parks and open spaces The London Borough of Hounslow is a peripheral London borough in the south-west of the conurbation; as such part of the Metropolitan Green Belt lies within its boundaries. It has one of London's largest Nature reserves as well as many smaller gardens and sports grounds... Richmond Richmond upon Thames parks and open spaces The London Borough of Richmond upon Thames lies to the south west of the conurbation. A large part of the borough is taken up with parks and open spaces, including some which attract both domestic and international tourism such as Richmond Park, Bushy Park, Kew Gardens, and Hampton Court Park;... Kingston upon Thames Kingston upon Thames parks and open spaces The Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames is located along a stretch of the River Thames where the Hogsmill River joins the former at the town of Kingston. The Borough contains a large number of parks, sports grounds and open spaces including Hogsmill Valley Walk which is maintained by the borough,... Merton Merton parks and open spaces The London Borough of Merton is an outer London borough in the south west of the conurbation. Merton's parks and open spaces range in size from Mitcham Common and a major part of Wimbledon Common to the smaller gardens, sports grounds and recreation grounds within its boundaries.The major areas of...		Sutton Sutton parks and open spaces The London Borough of Sutton, one of the peripheral London boroughs, has 89 parks and open spaces within its boundaries, a total area of 1500 acres . The main parks are:* Beddington Park* Benhill Recreation Ground* Carshalton Park* Cheam Park... Croydon Croydon parks and open spaces The London Borough of Croydon has over 120 parks and open spaces within its boundaries, ranging from the 200 acre Selsdon Wood Nature Reserve to many recreation grounds and sports fields scattered throughout the Borough. Croydon covers an area of 86.52 km², the 256th largest district in England... Bromley Bromley parks and open spaces The London Borough of Bromley in London, England has over one hundred parks and open spaces within its boundaries: some large, like Crystal Palace Park, and some small, such as recreation grounds. Some of the open spaces form part of the South East London Green Chain... Lewisham Lewisham parks and open spaces The London Borough of Lewisham, like all the London boroughs has many parks and open spaces within its boundaries, part of the "green lung" of London... Greenwich Greenwich parks and open spaces The London Borough of Greenwich has over fifty parks and open spaces within its boundaries. They include:* Avery Hill Park* Bostall Heath and Woods* Blackheath* Charlton Park* Eltham Common* Greenwich Park* Horn Park* Maryon Park in Charlton... Bexley Bexley parks and open spaces The London Borough of Bexley owns and maintains over 100 parks and open spaces within its boundaries, with a total of . They include small gardens, river and woodland areas, and large parks with many sporting and other facilities... Havering Havering parks and open spaces The London Borough of Havering is a London borough in northeast London, England. Part of Outer London, much of its area is protected from development by the Metropolitan Green Belt and more than half the borough is now parkland... Barking and Dagenham Barking and Dagenham parks and open spaces The London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, one of the outer London boroughs, has over 25 parks, gardens and open spaces within its boundaries. These provide the "green lungs" for leisure activities.-Principal open spaces:... Redbridge Redbridge parks and open spaces The London Borough of Redbridge, one of the northern peripheral London boroughs, has within its boundaries parts of two large open spaces: Epping Forest and the Lee Valley Park... Newham Newham parks and open spaces The London Borough of Newham, in spite of being one the more crowded areas of London, has over 20 parks within its boundaries, as well as smaller recreation grounds... Waltham Forest Waltham Forest parks and open spaces The London Borough of Waltham Forest is an Outer London borough. The Borough manages over 500 acres of open space; also within the boundaries are parts of Epping Forest; and a series of reservoirs alongside the River Lea... Haringey Haringey parks and open spaces The London Borough of Haringey maintains 600 acres of parks and open spaces within its boundaries. These range in size from Finsbury Park to a number of playgrounds and sports fields... Enfield Enfield parks and open spaces The London Borough of Enfield is the northernmost of the Outer London boroughs. The borough lies within the Metropolitan Green Belt, and several of its 123 or more parks and open spaces are part of it. The ancient Enfield Chase, remnants of which still exist, occupied much of the area... Barnet Barnet parks and open spaces The London Borough of Barnet, located on the northern periphery of London and having much of the area within its boundaries in the Metropolitan Green Belt, has a large number of parks and open spaces... Harrow Harrow parks and open spaces The London Borough of Harrow is one of the northern outer London boroughs: as such much of the Green Belt land is within the Borough boundaries. Parks and open spaces range from the large area around Harrow-on-the-Hill to the smaller gardens and recreation grounds; there are also a number of spaces... Hillingdon

External links

• London Parks and Gardens Trust
• London Landscape Architecture Visitors Guide
• Green-Spaces Guide to London