London's surprising green spaces

On a river estuary in the south-east corner of the British Isles is one of the busiest conglomerations in the world: London. Over 7 million people live within the city walls of the M25, and in working hours the population of areas such as the City rises by over 50-fold.

Coming from Squeaky Hollow, which has a population of 6500 and where a Well Dressing is a major village event, I find the 24/7 bustling within the big smoke slightly alien. I've always found myself asking the same question when visiting the main tourist hotspots or making the journey from Kings Cross to Euston along the dusty Euston Road: Where is all the greenery? 

However, according to a report on the benefit of green spaces, commissioned by the City of London Corporation, London is Europe's greenest major city, and the third greenest city of its size in the world - and I'm starting to see why. 

In the past year, I've discovered that London is surprisingly abundant in parks and green spaces, and here are just a few of those places, plus why I think they're awesome. 

The Roof Garden, Crossrail Place

Crossrail Place Roof Garden (c) Howard Bristol

It's great to see green space - as a place for public recreation - factored into new developments. The Roof Garden at Canary Wharf's new Crossrail Place station is an excellent example of this. Protected by a semi-covered web, planting is structured by geographical area of origin and explained with slick interpretation panels. The Place has a touch of a botanic garden about it, but with an added dash of the avant-garde: it's also used as a performance space for small-scale music and drama productions.

Jubilee Park, Canary Wharf

 Jubilee Park (c) Howard Bristol

Just around the corner from Crossrail Place is Jubilee Park. If water is one of the main actors in Jubilee Park, then the raised stream-and-whirlpool features taking centre stage. The park receives some harsh criticism from gardenvisit.com, describing it as 'unsatisfactory' and 'municipal' - but I think this is a little unfair. It may not groundbreaking in design, but it's hardly the hackneyed council bedding scheme; it's an innovative community-orientated use of valuable space in London's tight urban jungle, and it seems to be well liked by those who use it.

Andrewes Highwalk, Barbican

Barbican Steps and Fountains (c) Tom Morris

I recently discovered that it's possible to walk the majority of the way from Moorgate to Barbican without setting foot on ground level. The route takes you through the large concrete apartment block of Andrewes House. However, within this seemingly brutalist space would appear to be a pleasant surprise: there is a spacious inner courtyard comprising gardens with pools and floating sitting areas. But most stunning of all is that each flat with an inwards-facing balcony has a windowbox, and all the windowboxes are planted up with vivid red bedding plants and trailers. This may be a municipal initiative or a spontaneous collusion - but either way, it's one that makes Andrewes Highwalk a hidden gem, greening up the otherwise grey Barbican architecture.

Kew Gardens, Richmond

Kew Gardens (c) Howard Bristol

If you've read this post, you'll know that I think Kew Gardens are doing a great job in terms of making natural heritage engaging in an environmentally sensitive and economically sustainable way. Last time, however, I probably didn't emphasise Kew's value as a green space, only spitting distance from the Metropolis. Covering a vast 300 acres, it's possible to visit areas of Kew in high season and still find total solitude in an arcadian setting. For a single visit, Kew is a little on the pricey side at £15 per adult, but with two-person season ticket costs from only £62, Kew incentivises repeat visits, so that locals and regulars can really treat the space as their own.

The parks of Zone 1

Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens (c) Leonard Bentley

Did you know that it's possible to walk 3 miles consecutively in London's parks and gardens and still not leave Zone 1? It's an amble through some of London's most popular parks that rivals a promenade through the Viennese Prater, and it ticks off some of London's top sights en route, too. Heading west from Horse Guards Parade, you can traverse St James Park, with its small serpentine lake, before crossing the Mall at Buckingham Palace into Green Park. Cutting westwards across Green Park, you pass through Wellington Arch at Hyde Park Corner and reach precisely that: the corner of Hyde Park. Following the Serpentine along its north bank, you eventually enter Kensington Gardens and clock 3 miles on reaching Kensington Palace and the Princess Diana Memorial Playground. Cool, huh?