Parks, Farms and Gardens

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Kingston is well served with open spaces, such as Canbury Gardens on the River Thames, Queens Promenade, War Memorial Gardens, Fishponds and over eight recreation grounds.

The parks in neighbouring boroughs such as Richmond, Bushy, Hampton Court and Wimbledon Common are all easily accessible from Kingston.

The Royal Borough provides for both passive and active recreations within its numerous parks, recreation grounds and other horticultural attractions. The Queens Promenade and Canbury Gardens by the riverside which host summer bandstand concerts are well worth a visit.

Additionally, the attractively designed and landscaped parks have up to date play equipment with the latest safety surfacing. Please contact 020 8547 5505 for further details.

Bushy Park | Home Park | Garson Farm | Richmond Park | Kew Gardens | The National Trust | Osterley Park & House | Runnymede | Box Hill | Claremont Gardens

	Bushy Park tel: 020 8979 1586 web: www.royalparks.gov.uk Bushy Park is the second largest of the Royal Parks and covers an area of 450 hectares (1,099 acres). Lying north of Hampton Court Palace, the history of the park is inextricably linked to the palace, yet it has always had its own distinct rural character. The Longford River, an artificial waterway 13 miles long originally created by Charles 1 in 1639 to bring fresh water to Hampton Court, feeds Bushy Park’s many streams and ponds .
	Home Park tel: 0870 752 7777 Beyond the East Front gardens of Hampton Court Palace is Home Park with its great canal, or Long Water, dug for Charles II in the 1660s. The park contains a herd of 270 deer, a golf course founded in the 19th century and an oak tree from the original park, which is probably over 1,000 years old. This is the perfect setting for strolling or for a picnic.
	Richmond Park Holly Lodge, Richmond Park tel : 020 8948 3209 web: www.royalparks.gov.uk Richmond Park is a heritage landscapeof national importance and is listed Grade 1 on the English Heritage Register. The landscape still preserves the essential character of an ancient deer park in the English tradition. The most important features of the Park are the spacious grasslands and bracken stretches, inhabited by some 750 fallow and red deer, the Pen and other ponds and the woods with their ancient trees.
	Kew Gardens Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond tel: 020 8332 5000 web : www.rbgkew.org.uk The Royal Botanic Gardens Kew Gardens is within easy reach of Kingston by bus or train and offers a fascinating mixture of horticultural, landscape and architectural delights.
	Garson Farm Winterdown Road, West End, Esher tel : 01372 464 389 web: www.garsons.co.uk Growing since 1871, Garson Farm now has the largest Pick Your Own in the UK, with its award winning Farm Shop stocked with superb fruits, vegetables and good quality food. This farm is an example of rural shopping at its best, with plenty of free on-site parking, an outdoor children’s play area.
	The National Trust web: www.nationaltrust.org.uk There are a number of properties owned and cared for by the National Trust within easy reach of Kingston. For lovers of tradition, stately homes, superb English gardens and the tranquillity of the countryside, a visit to one of the following is highly recommended. Many have tearooms selling homemade cakes, others have specialist shops selling tempting, high quality gifts.
	Osterley Park and House Jersey Road, Isleworth tel : 020 8232 5080 web : www.nationaltrust.org.uk/osterley Designed by Robert Adam in 1761, this spectacular mansion and its surrounding gardens and farmland set in 140 acres, is one of London’s best kept secrets.
	Runnymede c/o North Lodge, Windsor Road Old Windsor tel : 01784 432 891 web: www.nationaltrust.org.uk/runnymede Runnymede is an attractive area of riverside meadows, grassland and broad-leaved woodland, rich in flora and fauna. It was on this site in 1215 that King John sealed Magna Carta, an event commemorated by the American Bar Association Memorial and John F. Kennedy Memorial. On the opposite bank of the Thames from Runnymede lies the important archaeological site of Ankerwycke, an area of parkland acquired by the National Trust in 1998 and containing the remains of the 12thcentury St Mary’s Priory and the Ankerwycke Yew, a magnificent tree believed to be over 2000 years old.
	Box Hill The Old Fort, Box Hill Road, Box Hill,Tadworth tel: 01306 885 502 web: www.nationaltrust.org.uk/northdowns An outstanding area of woodland and chalk downland, Box Hill has long been famous as a destination for day-trippers from London. Surprisingly extensive, it has much to offer the rambler and naturalist with many beautiful walks and views towards the South Downs.
	Claremont Gardens Portsmouth Road, Esher tel : 01372 467 806 web: www.nationaltrust.org.uk/claremont Claremont’s creation and development involved some of the great names in garden history, including Sir John Vanbrugh, Charles Bridgeman, William Kent and ‘Capability’ Brown. The first gardens were begun c.1715 and later the delights of Claremont were famed throughout Europe. Restored features include a lake, island with pavilion, grotto, turf amphitheatre, viewpoints and vistas.