Golders Hill Park

 

Golders Hill Park is a small park in North London. One summer I went around the park taking photos of the glorious floral displays that are always a marvelous sight at that time of year.

The park is managed by the Corporation of London. Hidden away behind a wall near the flower beds is an area of greenhouses where gardeners grow all the bedding plants that are used in this park.

On some afternoons during the summer it is possible for the public to tour the greenhouses and ask the gardeners for advice about any gardening problems they may have.

Brightly coloured flowers are often used in public parks as they produce such a spectacular display. I won't attempt to name all the flowers used here but I can see some begonias and busy lizzies (impatiens) in these beds. At first glance this looks a tranquil scene, but if you look at the picture below you will see that the flowers are being watered with an automatic sprinkler.  It was a very hot day and the children were amusing themselves by running about in the spray. The lady with them was smiling at me because she could see that I was taking a photo of them being mischievous.

Not all the areas of these gardens are in such vibrant colours. These beds are filled with paler shades to produce this very attractive and restful scene. When plants are all mixed together in a less formal arrangement as they are here we call it a 'cottage garden' look.

This formal arrangement uses hedging to contain these colourful beds of marigolds. Different varieties of the plant have been used to produce bands of colour.

On a sunny day this statue of a girl sunbathing is surrounded by lots of real people doing the same thing. Often people sit down beside her to pose for a photograph.

This cafe at the top end of the park has a terrace overlooking the lawns.

If you sit on the terrace you can watch the local sparrows, who fly around the feet of the diners picking up any crumbs. Some are even bolder and land on the tables.  The cafe has been run for many years by an Italian family. It serves the usual selection of snacks and salads as well as authentic Italian spaghetti dishes and delicious home made ice cream in lots of flavours. On a hot summers day the queue for take-away ice cream can be quite long.

Along the edge of the terrace are a series of hanging baskets that  are a mass of flowers all summer long. It is a pleasant spot to sit and watch the world go by.  In the winter the cafe closes for a few months. The park is quieter, except for the rare occasions when we have snow in London. Then this hill is full of children and adults sledging and having snowball fights.

With long paths like this winding through the park it is very tempting to whiz down the hill on a bicycle, but it is not allowed, as you can see from this sign. Dogs must also be kept on a lead in this park but in some other parks they are allowed to run around freely as long as they are not causing a nuisance.

The park is located on a hill. At the top of the hill is an attractive cafe with outdoor seating. A long swathe of grass stretches down the hill to the bottom of the park where there are tennis courts and a play area for children.  In the middle of the park there is a small lake populated with ducks.

Tucked away in a corner of the park, beside the lake is a square of ground that is a mass of flower beds of wonderful variety and colour. I couldn't resist going a bit mad and taking lots of photos of the flower beds.

This corner of the site has been designed as a Mediterranean area with plants that tolerate a dry climate. The summers in Britain have become drier and warmer recently and there is a lot of interest amongst gardeners in these sorts of plants.

We still have frosts in winter so sub-tropical plants such as palms only survive if they are planted in very sheltered situations. This section of the garden is surrounded walls and is a real suntrap in summer, which is why these plants are doing so well.

The summer display in the park is lovely but spring can be equally colourful.

In early April when I took these photos the flower beds were full of spring flowers. The gardeners change the flowers regularly throughout most of the year so that there is always something new to catch the eye.

The trees were full of blossom and down near the tennis courts this lawn was a mass of daffodils. They are such a welcome sight after the dark days of winter.

At the lower end of the park there are a number of tennis courts and a small golf putting green. As you can see from the poster the Corporation arranges a series of tennis lessons in the summer for local adults and young people.

On the edge of the park there is a large enclosure containing a herd of deer and some mountain goats. Sometimes they come right up to the fence to watch the humans but on the day I was there they were content to relax and enjoy the sunshine.

Apart from the beauty of the flowers and greenery the park has a number of other attractions. In one corner there is a play area for children. It contains a sandpit and a large wooden climbing frame.

There is also an area of cages containing exotic birds and small mammals. These include flamingos, emus and wallabies.

Golders Hill Park is located in North London. Entrance is free. The nearest Underground Station is Golders Green which is a 10 minute walk from the park.  Alternatively you could reach the park from Hampstead Underground Station. It is slightly further away (a 20 minute walk) but Hampstead is an interesting area of London to visit, with a pretty, old shopping street and a nice 'village' atmosphere. Hampstead village is next to Hampstead Heath, one of the largest parkland areas in north London. Also close by is Kenwood House, a magnificent villa on the northern edge of Hampstead Heath that is open to the public and well worth visiting.  Both stations are on the Northern Line (Edgware Branch).

The gates of London parks are normally locked overnight. They are opened early in the morning and usually closed at dusk. This time varies according to the season and so a sign is provided to tell visitors the closing time.