Palace Road Nature Garden
Palace Road Nature Gardens was once the
grounds of a large Victorian house, number 36 Palace Road. In the
post war recession the number of people who could afford such
magnificent properties declined substantially, and sadly it fell
into disrepair and was finally knocked down in the early 1980s. If
you walk along Palace road you can see that many other similar
houses shared its fate, and were replaced by blocks of flats. Number 38 still stands, and is now a care home. Looking at it you can begin to imagine what Number 36 must have been like.
Fortunately Lambeth Council had the inspired
idea of preserving the garden as a community asset for rest and
recreation. Some changes were made including the
installation of a pond and provision of new paths. The garden
has been allowed to develop in a semi-wild fashion and now has many points
of interest. There are after all few things more beautiful than a
carefully laid out garden to which nature has added the finishing
touches.
The nature garden is an ideal resource for children. There are many secret paths
and bowers where they can play. On a sunny day it is a nice spot for a picnic (no barbecues please!). In spring
you will find tadpoles in the pond. In autumn there are plenty of sweet blackberries, and in the winter ducks visit the sheltered pond.
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