Holland Park is an idyllic public park in the area of London colloquially called 'Millionaire's Row', where several celebrities have made their home in this very up-market part of Kensington and Chelsea in west London. Built amongst the ruins of a Jacobean mansion that was badly affected by bombing during the Second World War, the whole park now covers 56 acres. Visitors absolutely must see the perfectly-maintained Kyoto Gardens - featuring a serene waterfall - as well as the formal Dutch Garden and Fukushgima Memorial Garden.
The southern part of the park serves the community with sports facilities, the Holland Park Cafe, plus a toddler's playground as well as the extensive Adventure Playground - featuring a zip-line and a 10-person dragon-swinger! Culture vultures come to Holland Park to see performances by Opera Holland Park in the open-air theatre, with the fragmentary remains of Holland House forming part of its beautiful backdrop. Next to the formal gardens the iconic Belvedere Restaurant serves exquisite Italian food, where you will also find the park's Orangery and a giant chess set.
The northern part of Holland Park is semi-wild woodland, where you can find lots of wildlife - as well as playing host to the standard squirrels and birds, Holland Park introduced pigs several years ago to clear away nettles and make space for a meadow to grow flora and fauna. Most notably, though, this is the place in London where you are most likely to find peacocks!
Details
- Address:
- Ilchester Place
- W8
- Transport:
- Holland Park and High Street Kensington Underground stations