London Dog Walking - Green Park

Officially "The Green Park" is one of the Royal Parks, but unlike its negihbours that form a path of green from Whitehall thorugh to Kensington, it does not have a lake.

It covers 53 acres (21 hectares). It is a beautiful wooden meadow, with deck chairs to sit on and rest.

It was believed to originally be a burial ground for the lepers from the nearby St Jame's Hospital. It was enclosed by King Henry VIII. It was further developed into a Royal Park by King Charles II on the outskirts of London. It remained isolated until well into the 18th century and was the haunt of many highwaymen, famous people robbed here included Horace Walpole.

It was used for fireworks and balloon flights in the 17th and 18th century. Handel's Music for the Royal Fireworks was commissioned for the a velebration in Green Park in 1749.

It was also a renowned duelling ground, one of the most famous was between the Earls of Bristol and Bath in 1730.






The road to the South of the park is Constitution Hill, not much of a hill. It was named after King Charles II who took a regular constitutional walk along here. Queen Victoria survived three assassination attempts here, in 1840 by Edward Oxford, 1842 by John Francis and 1849 by William Hamilton. Nothing would move this lady! The former conservative Prime Minister Sir Rober Peel was not so fortunate, he was thrown from his horse here and died three days later of the injuries.





The Canadian War Memorial was built to remember the one million Canadians who served with the British and the 100,00 who lost their lives during the two World Wars. It is the result of Pierre Granche winning the 1992 competition for the design.The memorial takes the form of an arrow pointing from Halifax Canada, to London, reflecting that this was the embarkation port during the two wars.The Canadian materials granite and bronze followed the same route.





In two world wars / one million Canadians / came to Britain / and joined the fight for freedom / From danger shared, our friendship prospers.

Was written in both French and English, by the French speaking Quebec artist Pierre, at a time when Canada was revisiting its dual origin and relationships with Britain.









If you are hungry, you can always for for tea at the Ritz, which is on the North Eastern corner of Green Park.









The Diana fountain, the Constance Fund Fountain, is very beautiful and useful for dog owners. It has three jets, which then drain into low level drinking bowls for dogs. The main part is a bronze sculpure with tree growth and Diana with hunting dog.





The Canadian Gate entrance to Green Park











From Green Park you can go to Wellington Arch or go onto Buckingham Palace