Lovely garden hidden away in Bloomsbury.Gardens were known…read moreas open air sitting rooms for the poor in the 19th century.Virginia Woolf talks about her walks among the graves here in her novels This garden contains the grave, of Anna Cromwell, the 6th & favourite daughter of Oliver Cromwell, the Protector who died in 1727. Her grave bears the family coat of arms. The street address (Heathcote) named after my distant relative, the Rev Heathcote of the Foundling Hospital nearrby

One of my friends stumbled upon this park/cemetery some time ago and I'm so glad he shared it with…read moreme. It's absolutely beautiful, especially just after a light rain shower, when everything looks greener and the air smells as though you could be out in the countryside. I'm oddly fascinated by old cemeteries. Some of the tombstones are overgrown with moss and other vegetation which makes this place seem a bit like the secret garden. It's extremely picturesque. I'm hoping to return on a sunny day with a book.

I stumbled upon this spot while searching for free sites to check out in London. It's a peaceful…read moregarden that stands in the remains of a former burned down church. The churches walls remain as a skeleton and lattice of sorts for the growing garden. It'll only take you a few moments to see the small space. It was a little smaller and simpler than I anticipated. You can easily get there on foot after crossing the London Bridge.

The moment you step onto the property and stand in the open courtyard, see the birds flittering…read morefrom scalloped cut out to cut out, vines shrouding the walls, the greenery hanging over your head like a rainforest canopy, and the original cobblestone beneath your feet, you feel as if you've been transported to another century, a much simpler time. Whether you prefer to sit in the sun on a bench in the center of the old church whose rooftop was damaged in the Great Fire and then from a bomb in 1941, or to retreat to the shady areas behind the high arched walls, it is nonetheless a very divine experience. Photographs do not do this place justice, you have to simply go and understand for yourself. The trek up the hill to this place is irritatingly modern. All around its perimeters is either some form of disruptive and dust-raising construction or a cold and corporate office building, glass skyscraper, or something blocking the sunlight. If you want a more private affair, come during the early morning, late afternoon, or on weekends when the nearby office workers aren't swarming it eating their lunch or taking ciggie breaks. It can make for a less pleasant experience when you're swimming in a cloud of smoke.

Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park (known locally as Bow Cemetery) is a historic Cemetery located in…read moreLondon's East End. The nearest tube station is Mile End The Cemetery opened in 1841 by an Act of Parliament and is one of London's Magnificent Seven Cemeteries. The Cemetery closed to burials in 1966. It became Tower Hamlets first Local Nature Reserve in 2001. Near-by land was added in the mid-nineties, known as "Scrapyard Meadow" and Ackroyd Drive Green Link. Today it is 33 acres of "managed" mature, broadleaved woodland and meadow. It's a fantastically creepy and wonderful place and it is possible to sign up to tours through the website.

This cemetery park is closed for burials since the sixties, and ever since, the local residents and…read morethe small charity Friends of Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park have been fighting to protect it from bulldozing or developers and save this oasis of greenery for the local community. This cemetery is huge and in some places, it is almost like a little forest. The charity is working hard on taking care of the maintaining the diversity of the greenery in the park, and is gradually working on limiting the occurrence of undesirable species and seeding some interesting ones. If you wish to help, contact Friends of Tower Hamlets on their website. I visited and helped culture the site as part of our team-building social responsibility activity, and the charity is happy to welcome larger groups from company's CSR schemes, or individuals. Our guide was very knowledgeable and clearly had a passion for improving this park and turning it into a center point for the community. The park is open 24 hours a day. It is nice for a quiet walk or run, but also watch out for cultural events in it - for example, every year there is a seven day long arts festival.

From being a child this has been one of my favourite places on a summers day. Sleeping with…read morefriends, during the Richmond Festival, as a teenager..under the terrace ..we were awoken by police dogs and I hopped in my sleeping bag with a snapping one at my errm rear! On the west, rising above the river are the Terrace Gardens: these gardens were laid out in the 1880s and extended down to the River Thames some 40 years later; the broad gravel walk along the top is earlier and the view west towards Windsor has long been famous. Laid out in the 1700s, the Terrace Walk towards the end of the 20th Century was in need of upgrading. The famous View from Richmond Hill was protected by an Act of Parliament in 1902 and it was this Act which provided the catalyst for the development of the London's Arcadia project. Works carried out during Phase 1 include resurfacing and re-grading of the walk, restoration and repainting (though not repositioning) of the railings on the road side by contractors. The railings along the hedge side were restored over a six week period by prisoners on day release from Latchmere House Prison. Magnificent Lime trees have been planted to 'gap-up' the historic avenue of trees on the Terrace and at the top of Terrace Fields. Richmond Terrace Walk is listed as Grade II* in the English Heritage Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest The Terrace Gardens and adjacent Terrace field, overlooking the River Thames, were formerly brick works. During the 18th century various noble owners had fine houses erected, all now sadly demolished. Some features of the gardens' history remain, including the re-sited statue of the River God and an ice house set in the slope to the rear of the thatched summer house. The Terrace Gardens, Petersham Road, are famous for their seasonal bedding, shrubberies, rockery and rose garden, all set amongst fine trees and sloping lawns. Close to the main entrance in Petersham Road is a conservatory with tropical plants. To get an idea of why the landscape here is considered so special, you should pause at the top of Richmond Hill, above the pretty Terrace Gardens. Below you the Thames curls, serpent-like, amid trees casting long shadows in the silvery water. You can pick out the roof of Ham House through the greenery and, away on the horizon, Box Hill and the Surrey Hills. So celebrated is this view that they passed an act of parliament in 1904 to protect it from development - it's the only protected view in England. The legislation was the first-ever piece of environmental planning, and a plaque on the hill commemorates the passing of the act. JMW Turner painted it, and the poet Alexander Pope waxed lyrical about it, as did Sir Walter Scott, who described it in his great novel The Heart of Midlothian (1918). Petersham Meadows, periodically grazed on by herds of cattle, as they have been for centuries. That willow-fringed island to your right is Glovers Island, one of a series of picturesque islets that dot this stretch of the Thames. On the balustrade seating area (where we slept) on the top terrace is a formal pool with its modern statue of Aphrodite (affectionately known as Bulbous Betty). Take a look at the watchmans hut. Built in 1887, the Terrace Gardens Hut has survived for more than 115 years against all odds. The wooden hut represents a sophisticated and exceptionally rare architectural style Anglo-Japanese. The style was briefly current during the years of the Aesthetic Movement of the 1870s and 1880s the era of the Mikado and Walter Pater's 'Art for Art's Sake'. The modest Terrace Gardens Hut is one of the only surviving structures that can properly be described as 'Anglo-Japanese' Other features of the Terrace Gardens Hut, however, are decidedly not Japanese not surprisingly, since it was the product of an eclectic era. The tiled roof is an interesting feature; the tiles are made of a lightweight metal, possibly zinc, and are likely to have been manufactured according to a long-forgotten patented system. The diagonal tongue-and-groove panels on the door are typical of 'reformed gothic' design of the 1860s and 1870s. Remains of the wrought-iron fixings for a notice possibly enamelled that announced the purpose of the hut, are still visible on the apex of the roof. Go stroll..take a picnic..eat in the cafe..have a pint close by but don't miss it.

Terrace Gardens is an openly accessible, fairly expansive public park area close to Richmond Centre…read moreand separated only by a road from the Thames and the promenade. You will find a small café there, and large flower beds are spread over the whole area. Nice and quiet, ideal for an evening walk or to escape the bustle and noise of the city. Lovely.

A few weeks ago I joined my friends for a walk in Waterlow Park with their dalmatian whippet mix…read morepup, MoMo. Fall was quickly turning to winter and autumn hued leaves were all around. While it was too cold for a picnic on this visit, I definitely want to come back for one in the spring. Located near on a hillside near the posh Highgate Village, views of London from this park are very pretty. An ideal place to bring a kid, a dog or a person you fancy.

As a passionate and dutiful dog owner, a trip to Waterlow Park is on my daily to-do list. It's such…read morea lovely park, with loads of old trees, spacious meadows...and best of all, it's all so well-maintained. In fact, the other day we had visitors from South London and they were in awe by how luscious and well-kept this park was...apparently quite a difference to some of the more plain commons. What's also nice about this park is the fact that you have amazing views over the City (on clear days, that is). A good time to come here is around lunch-time, sit on one if the many benches and soak in the beauties surrounding you... The only thing that I would like to change, is the rubbish bins. The thing with them is...they don't have a lid or a cover, which invites the non-human inhabitants of this lovely park (aka squirrels, foxes & crows) to rummage through the bins in the search for edible left-overs. While doing that, they have no shame in littering the floor with tissues, coffee cups and wrapping paper. My concern is not so much the appeal of this, but I'm more concerned about my dog, who namely thinks that this rubbish is the most tasty thing in the world!

Lovely beautiful open space to take a break after a hectic day at the British museum or walking…read morearound Bloomsbury admiring the gorgeous old buildings. There are no kids playgrounds or activities at this park, it's just a nice wide huge open space to stretch your legs and take a few deep breaths. In the afternoons. It's difficult to find a seat, given the number of people who head here to eat their lunch. But evenings are much easier to find a seat. Grab a coffee from Cordon Bleu Cafe or the London Review cafe and settle in with a book.

Pretty urban gardens in the middle of Bloomsbury, surrounded by handsome 18th/19th century…read morebuildings. They are a nice spot to relax after an exhausting visit to the British Museum or to sit and enjoy the weather (if nice!) after work! It has a small central square, lots of benches to seat, a play area for children and a flower garden.

We were walking along the Thames and made a stop off here to get a respite from the heat…read more Beautifully landscaped, lovely flowers and lot of shade. Thank you!a

Beautiful, peaceful, and well maintained. A lovely spotTi relax & take in some nature. A certain…read moremust see & stop when in the area.

A beautiful, if small, park near Baker Street station. Very dense with trees and grass, it's quite…read morean amazing postage stamp in the middle of one of the densest parts of London. All sorts of lovely stuff growing here, it felt quite heavenly as a stop with my sandwich and crisps ("chips" in American). According to the signs and the online information, Paddington Street Gardens were formed during the 18th century as an additional burial ground for the old St Marylebone Parish Church that is not far away. The park still has some 80,000 graves present (ew?) and is considered consecrated ground. In 1885 the gardens became a recreational ground which was officially opened by HRH Princess Louise on 6 July 1886. Most of the tombstones have been removed but the mausoleum in the south garden was left because of its exceptionally fine design. There are benches and a playground area for the little one. Outside the park on Paddington Street is a public loo ("toilet" in American) that is quite proud to have won the award "public loo of the year" according to their signage.

My occasional warm weather lunch spot…read more It is obviously set up for the London folk looking for a quick fix of green and an escape form Baker Street and Marylebone High Street as there are benches around the entire perimeter, and they are always full of suits eating a sandwich and storing their cans of Coke or paper coffee cups on the floor between their feet. The lawn areas are like a disaster area when the sun comes out, bodies strewn everywhere, all of them trying to catch those elusive rays of sun. The rose gardens are very wel tended, the grounds in general are very well looked after and the whole place is a lovely place to come and have a work picnic away form the computer screen