The Regent's Park (often known as just Regent's Park) is one of the eight Royal parks of London and occupies an area of 395 acres. It is formed of an Inner Circle and Outer Circle and boasts large open spaces, formal gardens, tree-lined pathways and a boating lake.
The Park has central London’s largest outdoor sports area and buildings around its periphery including London Zoo, a university and a mosque. There are also 4 children's playgrounds.
To the north of Regent's Park is Primrose Hill which affords excellent views of London.
Originally the land at the park formed part of the manor of Tyburn, but was acquired by King Henry VIII in the sixteenth century and used as a hunting ground and forestry park. The idea for a park was that of The Prince Regent - later to become King George IV and its after the Prince Regent that Regent's Park gets its name. The landscaping of the park was undertaken by John Nash, James Burton and Decimus Burton.
In 1916 King George V and HM Queen Mary visited a newly built postal depot at the park and in the nineteen thirties Queen Mary's Gardens, in the Inner Circle, was created.
Regent's Park has three eating places. The Regent's Bar & Kitchen is situated in the middle of the park. You can enjoy meals, wood-fired oven cooked pizza, coffee and freshly baked cakes. Beer and Pimms is available in the summer. In good weather burgers, hotdogs and vegetarian option are availble from the BBQ. Takeaway food is also available.
The Boathouse Café is situated by the dock for rowing boats and pedalos at the boating lake. The menu includes light snacks such as sandwiches and toasties. Also available are flat bread pizzas, soup and stew, as well as cakes. Coffee and a selection of teas and cold drinks are also available. Enjoy a cooling ice cream on a hot summer's day. Customers can sit on the terrace by the lake or eat indoors.
The Hub Café is a circular, skylit, glass-walled venue offering a 360 degree view of the park. Teas, coffees and pastries, sandwiches, wraps, light snacks and fruit juices are available. The Hub mainly serves the sporting and fitness community at the park.
The Regent's Park has a wetland area with reed beds and a secluded island. There are formal gardens, shrubberies and rough grasslands which all attract wildlife.
Over 200 species of bird visit the park annually including the Mistle Thrush, Redwing, Pied Wagtail, Reed Warbler and Blackcap. By the boating lake, and with with over 20 nesting pairs each year, there is an amazing Heronry.
Regent's Park is one of the few parks in London that has a population of hedgehogs. Other mammals in the park include foxes, squirrels and mice.
Visitors can see flowerbeds at the Avenue Gardens and the roses in Queen Mary’s Gardens. The various habitats of the park attract butterflies, moths, dragonflies and damselflies, and there are also over 100 species of spider and beetle.
To the north side of the park is the word-famous London Zoo - the oldest scientific zoo in the world. Here visitors can see animals and birds from across the globe can be seen. There are lots of interesting zones at the zoo including Butterfly Paradise, Meet the Monkeys and The Aquarium.
See the pygy hippos - they don't really live in the park lake!
Located within the Inner Circle of the park and accessible via Queen Mary's Garden, is the Open Air Theatre. From May to September visitors can enjoy a range of theatre, comedy, music and film events.
The Open Air Theatre is the oldest, professional, permanent outdoor theatre in Britain.
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