All about Holland Park, West London, Uk

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Visiting and Enjoying Holland Park

Holland Park is one of London's more beautiful parks. It has a number of amazing features and is placed in one of the more pleasant parts of West London.

It is situated near to some interesting places to eat and shop, and is accessible by two the Central Line and District line on the tube.

Why I enjoy Holland Park 

Holland park is a beautiful spot to walk through. It allows someone on foot to easily connect High Street Kensington on the Circle and District with Holland Park Station on the Central Line as well.

This park has breathtaking flower gardens which change seasonally. They have sculptures, some of which are permanent, and some which are guest sculptures.

Holland Park houses the Kyoto Gardens, an astounding display of rocks, well laid out flora, carp swimming around a small pool and small waterfalls. It is serene and also full of life.

Enclosing the Western side of the walks in Holland park are nature reserves, where there are squirrels, peacocks and peahens. The squirrels are actually quite confident and friendly, and if you bring a bag of monkey nuts, then you can feed them.

I have incorporated this as part of my daily commute to and from work, and walking through a park, among trees, flowers, greenery and wildlife every day really does just relax me as well as giving me some valuable exercise.

Nothing quite beat being able to see the bluebells come out in force on my way to and from work - where in previous years, cooped up in a flat or office, I pretty much missed the show.

Holland Park to take away 

Further reading on Holland Park, and Londons other great parks.

London's Parks & Gardens

Amazon Price: $30.89 (as of 12/24/2009) Buy Now

Walking London's Parks And Gardens

Amazon Price: $11.66 (as of 12/24/2009) Buy Now

London's Royal Parks

Amazon Price: $33.82 (as of 12/24/2009) Buy Now

Walking with peacocks 

Holland Park has a group of Peacocks living on the grounds as well as Peahens. You will hear there quite distinctive call when you walk through and you may even see them. Having spent their lives in a London park, they are fairly confident around people and will come right up to you.

A Peahen by the way, is the female of the species. They are the same size, but a more drab brown colour.

Plants and Displays 

The breathtaking floral gardens of Holland Park have an array of different plants, and every so often they give away bulbs for those wanting to have such flowers in their own gardens.

Holland Park also has plants with astounding leaf colours. It can be a very colourful and serene place.

BlueBells 

Because parts of Holland Park are woodland, there is plenty of wildlife to be found. There are fenced off reservations, where a sharp eye will observe many things. Because I incorporate Holland Park into my daily commute during the summer and spring, I always manage to catch the Bluebells.

If you manage to get to Holland Park between April and May, you will see how much these beautiful flowers come up.

The Kyoto Gardens 

These Japanese themed gardens are a serene place with beautifully landscaped lawns and flora chosen specifically for the location.

There are rockeries with tactfully placed stones. A calm pond with very large carp and a small stone bridge over it. A waterfall with more of a trickle than a roar.

Small sculptures and plaques with Kanji characters are placed around the garden too.

It can be overwhelmed by tourists at times, but at the quiet times it is one of my favourite spots to go and relax at.

Take a close look at the Kyoto Gardens On Google Maps.

How I incorporate it into my daily commute 


  • Distance: 0.7 miles

  • Sights: Holland Park

  • Good For: Relaxation and joining dots.



Holland Walk is a route I incorporated into my daily route when Shepherds Bush was closed.

As you come out from Holland Park Station, cross the road. It can be very busy, so do use this crossing, and watch out for bikes. Turn left here.

Cross over the road named only "Holland Park", and carry on past the houses, and on the right you will see a small bike path, that leads off uphill between the houses.

Follow this path, again past beautiful large houses, and you will see the park on your right. You will pass some of the nature reserve areas of the park, and may here see a squirrel pausing, or even a cat hunting (as I have done). Things are pretty much in character, with even the lamps and signs suited to the place - looking like old gas lamps. You will pass a large school on the left, and you will also pass the Hostel in Holland Park on the Right.

As you walk through, you may hear the call of the Peacocks that reside in the park. Continuing along, it gets greener, and the large green is on right, with another row of grand town houses on the left.

Eventually you will come through the gates onto Kensington High Street, which is fantastic for shopping. You will immediately see a number of well known chains, and interesting small independent shops. The character of this area is superb. If you chose to follow Earls Court Road, you will of course, be able to reach Earls Court in walking distance, but you will again pass plenty of shops full of character on the way, my favourite being an independent garden centre.

This walk is available even after hours when the park is closed, though obviously, if you are walking late, please bear you safety in mind, as even in an affluent area, you still want to play it streetwise.

View this route in more detail on the Google Maps Pedometer.

Local amenities at Holland Park Station 

At the North West of the park you will find Holland Park Station. This area is adjoining Kensington and Notting Hill, and is every bit as affluent and pleasant as those.

Holland Park station is pleasant, and has a few very interesting independent businesses close by, including The Castle (a pub with a number of good beers), a bakery, fashion shops, nutritionists and a couple of lesser known charity shops.

In easy reach of Holland Park Station is also Kensington Leisure Centre (not my favourite, but not too bad either), and some of the old granaries of London, with a plaque depicting the age and also how poverty stricken these parts of town were, which is far from the very affluent area it is now. Flats in Holland Park are leased at prices that would give even the very rich cause to hesitate.

The Station sits on the A40, which can be followed right from the outskirts of West London and Uxbridge, through Acton and Shepherds Bush to Holland Park, through Notting Hill, Bayswater, Marble Arch, Oxford Street, Holborn, St Pauls (Cheapside) and Bank. This one road captures so many iconic parts of London.

Outside the Station, there are some really beautiful houses, and a memorial on the corner here. Some of these huge houses are sadly derelict, but I would like to hope they are owned by someone with grand designs on them.

While you are in Holland park... 

consider some other places to visit around London and closer to Holland Park. The Churchill Arms is just around the corner.

To see my lenses on a map - Danny's guide to West London

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Incorporate Holland Park Into a visit to London 

If you are coming to visit London, spend a little time in the quieter parts of west London and Kensington.

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Other info on Holland Park 

Holland Park - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Holland Park is a district and a public park in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, in west central London in England. Holland Park is widely regarded as one of the most romantic parks in London, due to its abundant wildlife and secluded hideaways.

Check the weather in London 

If you are going to visit the park, you probably want to check the weather. When I use this as part of my commute, I was going come rain or shine, but rain does not make for such a good day trip.

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Lensmaster dannystaple has been a member since July 5 2008, has rated 415 lenses, favorited 127, and has created 40 lenses from scratch. This member's top-ranked page is "HOWTO: Fix Broken Christmas Lights Quickly". See all my lenses

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I build stuff, grow stuff, read stuff and like to write about it. I like to philosophise, research and learn, and then go the next step and apply, do and build. I love reading How-to's and will experiment with things to see what else I can learn. Read more about me and my lenses here.
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