Regent's Park

I took a stroll around Regent's Park today. It's about 20 minutes from my house and is absolutely huge (487 acres or 2 km²). People often play cricket and football there, or just go to walk around. It borders the London Zoo so you can peer over a fence and see some of the animals for free, rather than paying the $30.00 fee to get in. I saw a groundhog and what I think may have been a sleeping kangaroo.

It was a pretty cloudy day today, so only a few pictures turned out when the sun finally came out.





The above picture is actually in Primrose Park adjoining Regent's. It looks a lot like parks in Ottawa, especially the arboretum by Carleton.




Lots of people were playing cricket. I think about 4 games were going. Other people were playing football with skills that were astounding.



This place sells organic food and seems to be only one of two restaurants in the park. Consequently prices are high.




Regent's Park is one of the Royal Parks of London. It's owned by the royal family and was originally reserved for the recreation of the family, usually meaning hunting. Even today, the public has no legal right to use the parks. Legal-speak says that people are allowed in the park "on the grace and favor of the Crown", but practically speaking the public has been using the park for about a hundred years. I guess in theory the royal family could shut all the parks down for their own uses, though that probably wouldn't go over too well in London.