Kyoto Japanese Garden in Holland Park, London

London is known for its parks and green spaces and with the days getting longer, it is the perfect time to head out and explore one of the many gardens in the capital city. Many of the city's famous parks have a royal connect: Kensington Gardens, Greenwich Park, Richmond Park, Hyde Park, Green Park - are some of the parks that are owned by the Crown Estate but are open to the public. Then there is Victoria Park - one of London's oldest and most important public park located in Tower Hamlets. Also popular is Hampstead Heath which offers a taste of the countryside just a few miles away from central London. And there are many more to include in the list - Regent’s Park, Battersea Park, Brockwell Park and London Fields to name a few. We have been to most of these London parks and no matter what season you visit in, they look beautiful.

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Holland Park

Located in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea is Holland Park. The park, spread over more than 50 acres, is one of London's finer green spaces and surrounds Holland House, a Jacobean mansion. In early 17th century, the grounds were home to Cope Castle, a large Jacobean mansion built by Sir Walter Cope. When the property was inherited by Lady Rich, wife of Earl of Holland, the mansion was renamed Holland House and that is how the park got its name, Holland Park.

Holland Park is home to an Ecology Centre, sports facilities, formal gardens, playing fields, children’s play areas, a restaurant & cafeteria, a youth hostel and a very popular and unexpected Japanese Garden called the Kyoto Garden.

Kyoto Japanese Garden in Holland Park

The Japanese-style Kyoto Gardens in Holland Park was donated by the Chamber of Commerce of Kyoto in the early 1990s when the Japan Festival was held in London. The garden though small is remarkable. Situated in the heart of Holland Park, the garden offers a Zen retreat that never fails to surprise first-time visitors. 

In the Kyoto Garden you will discover Japanese maple trees, a pond with Koi Carps, a small waterfall with a beautiful bridge and a muster of peacocks that roam freely in the park.

It is a peaceful and beautiful place. One can just sit and relax in this lovely garden watching the birds and squirrels and listening to the waterfall - a lovely oasis of calm and tranquility. And if you are lucky, you might get to see the peacocks putting on an elaborate display. It is an amazing sight, watching the peacocks shake their colourfully-hued plumage in a courtship display.

How to get to Holland Park

Holland Park | Ilchester Pl, Kensington, London W8 6LU

The park is open daily from 7.30am until 30 minutes before dusk. Entry is free. The nearest tube stations are Holland Park and Kensington High Street while the nearest train station is Kensington Olympia.

 

Create your own Japanese Garden

 

A visit to the Kyoto garden in London is sure to get you interested in Japanese Garden design. And if you want to create your own Kyoto environment in your home or office, 'Creating Your Own Japanese Garden' by Takashi Sawano (Japanese landscape architect) is a great read. The book has easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions along with many drawings and photographs and practical advice for constructing your own Japanese garden.