London's Royal Parks the Postcard Collection

2017 | History & Politics

The Royal Parks of London are lands originally owned by the monarchy of the United Kingdom for the recreation (mostly hunting) of the royal family. They are part of the hereditary possessions of The Crown. With increasing urbanisation of London, some of these were preserved as freely accessible open space and became public parks with the introduction of the Crown Lands Act 1851. There are today eight parks formally described by this name and they cover almost 2,000 hectares of land in Greater London.Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens, Green Park, Regent's Park and St James's Park are the largest green spaces in central London. Bushy Park, Greenwich Park and Richmond Park are in the suburbs. The Royal Parks agency also manages Brompton Cemetery, Grosvenor Square Gardens and Victoria Tower Gardens. London's Royal Parks The Postcard Collection takes the reader on an evocative journey into the past of these much-loved green spaces past through a selection of old postcards which offer a fascinating window into their history and continuing development.

Paul Rabbitts (Author)