London Parks & Gardens - Bulletin - November 2023

 

From the Inventory this month...  When the Crystal Palace was moved to Sydenham Hill in 1852 after the Great Exhibition, pleasure grounds - now known as Crystal Palace Park - were laid out to surround it. Trees and lakes from the original layout survive, and visitors can also still enjoy the iconic Crystal Palace Dinosaurs! Photo by Colin Wing  Find out more about Crystal Palace Park in our Inventory, where you can browse 2,500 fascinating sites across the capital. Dear , Our Winter Lecture Series is in full swing with November's lecture now fully booked! Book now for December and January's online talks, and for February and March where we will be delighted to welcome you either online or in person at our Sloane Square venue. Thank you to everyone who bought tickets for our Autumn Raffle - congratulations to those who won a prize! All funds raised in our raffle and through the sale of lecture tickets and London Open Gardens tickets help us continue our vital work to protect London's green spaces for everyone to enjoy.  In this month's edition: Winter Lecture Series - tickets for December's online lecture are selling fast! Planning Round Up - our latest conservation work  London Open Gardens - discounted tickets on sale soon in our pre-Christmas offer  Join Us - become a member, purchase a gift membership or volunteer with us Please do send us seasonal photos of your favourite London green spaces - we will feature a selection on our website and social media.  Winter Lecture Series This year's Winter Lecture Series is well underway; the November lecture is fully booked, and tickets for December are selling fast! Book now to join researcher Lisa White online on 11 December and learn about the early life of Alexander McKenzie, the 19th Century horticulturist and landscape designer, who grew up in the woods and vales surrounding the Scottish seaside town of Nairn. Photo courtesy of RHS Lindley Library Lecture Series Information and Booking All our talks are delivered live online at 6pm. Those in February and March will also be delivered in person, so if you prefer to join us at our London venue we would be delighted to see you (visit our website for the full programme). Our warmest thanks to Francis Holland School, Sloane Square, for hosting these live lectures.  Planning Updates LPG received 22 planning cases in October, spanning 11 London Boroughs. Work included: responding to an application to install cycling infrastructure throughout the Golden Lane Estate to ensure consideration of the impact on the layout of the Grade II listed site, including the carefully planned spaces between buildings;  responding to an application for the use of the courtyard garden in Dolphin Square for corporate hospitality events, suggesting measures to minimise  damage incurred to the gardens; providing strategic advice to the Gardens Trust regarding an application to instal 12 floodlights at Kingston Grammar School sports field, in close proximity to Hampton Court Palace's Grade I listed park and garden. Geoffry Powell’s competition winning scheme for Golden Lane Estate (London Metropolitan Archives) London Open Gardens: 8-9 June 2024 Tickets to London Open Gardens 2024 will be on sale soon, with a special pre-Christmas sale.  Join us for our 25th year enjoying London's gardens and green spaces. Adult tickets booked before Christmas will come at a discounted price, and make a great Christmas present for family and friends.  Visit our website to buy tickets once they're on sale, and follow us on social media for the latest updates. Warwick Square, pictured at LOG 2023 (photo by Amund Hugin)