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Writer's pictureDave Goble

17 Bushy Bark

Updated: Feb 18

The second largest of the eight royal parks in London, Bushy Park is 1,000 acres in size and located just north of Hampton Court Palace, mainly in the post towns of Hampton and Teddington, but also East Moseley and Kingston. Richmond upon Thames. It is well known for its mix of gardens, waterways and herds of red and fallow deer.


Pic 1 Bushy Bark


The area has been settled for at least the past 4,000 years, with the earliest archaeological records found on the site dating back to the Bronze Age. There is also evidence it was used in medieval times for agriculture. It became a royal park in 1529 when given to King Henry VIII by close adviser Cardinal Wolsey, along with Wolsey’s humble home, Hampton Court Palace. The King named three parks that make up modern-day Bushy Park and a small area beside: Hare Warren, Middle Park and Bushy Park, and established them as deer-hunting grounds. (May 31st post “Meat ‘n’ Grate” on the Hampton Court kitchens may be of interest – vegetarians beware).


A 12 mile canal known as the Longford River, created entirely by hand in the 1630s to create a steady water supply to Hampton Court, today looks like a natural part of the landscape, and supports a wide variety of plants and animals. Several distinctive water features were also built.

The Diana Fountain is a centrepiece on the mile-long Chestnut Avenue designed by Sir Christopher Wren. This stretch used to afford access by road through the park, from north to south, and vice-versa, though restrictions put in place since the first Covid lockdown have, apparently, been made permanent and it no longer serves as a through road to public vehicles.

During WWII part of Bushy Park became a US air base known as Camp Griffiss. It was from here the Supreme Headquarters of the Allied Expeditionary Force led by General Eisenhower planned the D-Day Landings (see June 28th Post titled Camp Griffiss for more on this). Annual Chestnut Sunday celebrations, popular since Victorian times, predictably stopped. The event was, however, not forgotten, and a revival began in 1977 when some local residents thought to try and reawaken interest using the Queen’s Silver Jubilee as a catalyst. From then it grew.


Each May a parade of classic old vehicles, including vintage bicycles such as penny-farthings, motorbikes including Harley Davidsons, cars, trucks and WWII military vehicles, (British and American), drive down it from Teddington Gate and park up near the Diana Fountain, offering onlookers the chance to take a closer look and chat with the drivers and other participants. Those of a certain age may find the smell of warm engine oil and fading leather interiors nostalgic. This said, for the first time since the onset of WWII, in 2019 Chestnut Sunday ground to a halt again, on this occasion due to Covid. It has yet to start again, but hopefully it will resume in 2024. In recent years, historical re-enactment groups have put on displays including the Ancient Greeks, Elizabethan England, the American Civil War and a musket firing battle between Roundheads and Cavaliers. Live music is played by local school jazz bands, and stands are provided by groups including the RSPB, the park’s gamekeeper and tree surgeons, bee-keepers, history groups and the Friends of Bushy and Home Parks. Weather permitting, (and it's usually sunny and warm), it’s well attended, and a splendid way to spend a spring afternoon.

Pic 2 Chestnut Mile facing north, with Teddington Gate ahead and Hampton Court Gate behind


Bushy Park is a deceptively busy place, even when it isn't Chestnut Sunday. It is home to Teddington Rugby and Hockey clubs, (the rules of the modern hockey game were largely devised here), and four cricket clubs. The original Parkrun began in Bushy Park in October 2004: it is a free, timed, 5K run that takes place every Saturday morning at 9 am, attracting up to 1,500 runners each week.


Apart from that the park is mostly grassland and mature trees, including ornamental Woodland Gardens and the Upper Lodge Water Gardens, the latter reopening in 2010 after restoration to the original 18th Century design was completed.

Pic 3 Stumped


The yellow arrow is where Pic 1 was taken; the red where Pics 2 and 3 were taken, the latter looking north, towards the Teddington Gate

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