Exploring Bushy Park, London, London, England

I recently wrote about my love of the various parks in London in particular, Richmond Park, which is very close to where I live and is one of my favourites. But, not too far away and rapidly growing in my affections is Bushy Park.

Standing within the shadow of Hampton Court Palace and stretching to Teddington, Bushy has a mix of woodland filled with ancient trees, streams, ponds, parkland and let us not forget the deer which run wild too. Well, not so much run but stand and chew grass - perfect for having a nosey and taking some pictures.

The area has the remains of medieval farmland, remnants of the Bronze age have been found there and it is a very regal park indeed. It used to be part of Hampton Court and Henry VIII would hunt deer there. Later, Charles I established the main road, Chestnut Avenue which dissects the park from Teddington to Hampton. It was designed by Sir Christopher Wren along with the ‘Diana’ Fountain commissioned by King Charles I for his wife Henrietta Maria. The bronze statue of a goddess sits upon the fountain and is surrounded by bronzes of four boys, four water nymphs and four shells.

There is a bit of something for everyone at Bushy Park, which behind Richmond is the second biggest of the Royal Parks. It is a great place to visit with children. Over the summer we went several times to different areas showing its diversity. Once was to a children’s party close to the Diana fountain where we had a big picnic with games and a children’s entertainer. In what was a bit of a rarity this August, it was also a very warm, sunny day. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).