Description:

Bushy Park is the second largest of the Royal Parks and lies just north of Hampton Court Palace. It is a vast expanse of exceptional wild beauty, made up of lush grass, wooded copses and winding rivers.

Bushy Park has an interesting past. A settlement for over 4,000 years, archaeologists have unearthed a Bronze Age burial mound and barrow here, the contents of which now reside in the British Museum.

Henry VIII turned the whole area into a huge deer-hunting ground. The park was used more recently during both World Wars. During World War I, Bushy Park was home to the King's Canadian Hospital, and between the wars hosted a camp for undernourished children. During World War II, General Dwight D. Eisenhower planned the D-Day landings from Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF) at Camp Griffiss in the Park. A memorial by Carlos Rey to the Allied troops who fell on D-Day now marks the spot where General Dwight D. Eisenhower's tent stood.

The park's most notable feature is Chestnut Avenue, flanked on either side by majestic rows of horse chestnut trees leading to the majestic Diana Fountain. This is the park's main thoroughfare and runs from Park road in Teddington to the Lion Gate entrance of Hampton Court Palace on Hampton Court Road. The Avenue and the Arethusa 'Diana' Fountain were designed by Sir Christopher Wren as a grand approach to Hampton Court Palace.

Bushy Park has a recently restored formal baroque water garden and can be viewed in all its former glory. Its pools and cascades were originally built in the 1700s and have inspired gardens all over the country.

The Longford River, which flows leisurely through the park is a 13 mile artificial waterway, built in the time of Charles I to divert water from the River Colne to Hampton Court Palace. As well as powering the King's fountains, it supplied water to Bushy Park filling the ponds, supplying the Arethusa fountain and baroque Water Gardens.

Anglers can fish  in the three ponds and there are facilities for a range of other sports including rugby, football, horse-riding and hockey. There is a large children's playground near Hampton Court gate with refreshments and facilities nearby.

The formal plantations of trees mingled with wildlife conservation areas and  mounds of bracken hiding herds of deer make Bushy Park a wonderful day out. You could combine a walk in the park with a visit to Hampton Court maybe stopping to have a refreshing drink in the Kings Arms pub or a bite to eat at the Pheasantry Welcome Centre.