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Holland Park

One of London’s Hidden Gems – an Oasis of Calm

Bordered by some of London’s most prestigious streets Holland Park, in fashionable Kensington, is one of the city’s best kept secrets.   This unique park has something for everyone – woodland walks, a wildlife reserve, sports and children’s play areas, a theatre and a superb restaurant. The survival of a large private country estate in the centre of the capital until the mid-twentieth century is quite exceptional.

These beautiful gardens are a mirror of the seasons and the colours in the woodlands are marked by the ever-changing flora and fauna.  The dappled sunlit shade brings peace to the mind and soul. Migratory birds use this area alongside the resident jays, moorhens and peacocks.  Pond life proliferates and sometimes provides a meal for a visiting heron.  Holland Park is a mix of natural areas and formal gardens.  Each season brings its own delights and even in winter it provides a wonderful area to walk and appreciate nature and take your ease in its little sun traps.

The “Wilderness”

The remarkable mix of native and exotic trees is the result of the previous owners’ commitment to the Park.  In the early 18th Century, Charles Hamilton began planting the area north of Holland House as a wilderness zone giving us the diversity seen today.  Many trees have been lost over the past decades to Dutch Elm and Black Bark disease and the Great Storm of 1987; in some areas the dead wood has been allowed to rot naturally to provide habitat for fungi such as false chanterelles, orange-peel fungus and sulphur tufts.  It also provides habitat for the resident wildlife.

Fauna

Foxes, rabbits, squirrels, shrews and hedgehogs are frequently seen and bats flit around at dusk – though they are not thought to breed in the park at present.  During the summer a variety of butterflies and moths are seen and as many as sixty different birds have been spotted.  Great spotted woodpeckers can be heard drumming on the trunks of the trees and at dusk sometimes you can catch a glimpse of a tawny owl silently going about his business. Dragonflies can be seen darting through the vegetation: frogs, newts and toads are also attracted to the ponds.  Imagine all this diversity of nature in the very heart of our metropolis.

The Kyoto Garden

This is a very special and tranquil place with its waterfall bubbling over rocky terrain into a pond surrounded by gently sloping grass.  His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales and His Imperial Highness The Crown Prince of Japan formally opened the area in 1991.  The design incorporates the simplicity, harmony and atmosphere of a Japanese Garden with authentic bamboo water features giving it a traditional feel.  The garden encapsulates the various terrains of Japan i.e. mountains, rivers, lakes and grassland. 

Holland House

Holland House was built c1605-08 for Sir Walter Cope.  Its early names were “Cope’s Castle” and “Kensington House”.  Cope died in 1614 without a male heir and the estate eventually passed to his daughter Isabel who had married Sir Henry Rich (Created 1st Earl of Holland in 1624).  During the English Civil War (1642-46) the Earl’s loyalties were divided and he was executed by Parliamentary Forces in 1649. Isabel’s eldest son, Robert, became the 2nd Earl of Holland and the property passed through the family until the last Earl of Holland died in 1721. 

During the 18th century the house came down through the hands of various tenants and in 1742 it was leased by Henry Fox, Secretary of War, who later bought it when he became Baron Holland of Foxley.   The estate was transferred in 1874 to the 5th Earl of Ilchester, this line being descended from Henry Fox’s elder brother. 

Under the third Lord Holland the house became a great centre of social, literary and political life with many famous visitors such as Lord Byron, Charles Dickens, Sir Walter Scott and Benjamin Disraeli.  It then was passed through the family and was eventually sold, along with the grounds, to the London County Council in 1952. It is now owned by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.

Back-drop for Holland Park Opera Festival

In 1940 incendiary bombs destroyed much of the house and the east wing was subsequently reconstructed and in 1959 became part of the new King George VI Memorial Youth Hostel.  The remains of the central portion now form the back-drop to the Holland Park Opera Festival which was been staging events here since 1964.  On summer evenings the strains of Verdi or Puccini can be heard wafting through the park and many people sit outside to listen to their favourite arias.

Over the years Holland Park has been changed and added to with the Orangery and Ice House now being used to stage exhibitions and events - the next big event is the Holland Park Art Exhibition 8th to 16th March 2008.

This park is a vibrant centre for visitors and residents alike and The Friends of Holland Park take an active role in the running of this oasis. Find out more about their work and events . . .

Find out More

www.friendsofhollandpark.org.uk 

Tel: 0207 602 0304
The Secretary: rhoddy.wood@virgin.net