One of my favourite things about living in Camden is the proximity to Regent's Park. Even when I lived down in London Bridge, I used to schlep up to NW1 in the summer for picnics in the rose garden. It is my favourite place in London. Whether it's doing laps on my bike around the 4.5km outer ring road before work, cycling through it to and from the office every day, going to the Open Air Theatre, jogging, the odd trip to ZSL London Zoo, picnicking, the Frieze Art Fair (on 14-17 October), sunbathing or playing ball games, I love spending time there.
John Nash, the architect responsible for much of Regency London in the 19th century, designed the park which opened in 1835 spanning 395 hectares. It's alive with cherry blossom in spring and blooming roses in summer - the Queen Mary's Gardens features more than 12,000 roses and 400 varieties - and the sports fields are filled with football, softball, cricket, volleyball, american football and rugby teams; the 100 acres of sports facilities make it the largest outdoor sports area in central London. There are tennis courts, a boating lake, fountains and statues, wildflower grassland, a woodland area, the Regent's Canal, wetlands with geese, children's playgrounds, massive fields and neatly landscaped gardens surrounded by elegant white stucco terraces. What more could you want in a public park? I took these photos on a sunny autumnal evening before the seasons turn.
