On the west edge of Hampstead Heath sits Golders Hill Park. If it's hidden gems you're after, then this really does deliver- not only does it have a seriously pretty walled garden, but it also has a fantastic little zoo. The latter is nowhere near as large as London Zoo- which sits not too far away, south of Hampstead Heath- but it's undeniably charming. Whilst it doesn't contain many species of four-legged and winged friends, it's certainly worth a visit.
These little chaps are cattle egrets...
The sacred ibis. At first he didn't want to play ball and I only ended up getting a photo of his bum. But then he decided to be nice and pose!
This is a Lady Amherst's phesant. He was hard to photograph through the fence, but you can tell this is a boy by his magnificent colouring.
This is a Lady Amherst's phesant. He was hard to photograph through the fence, but you can tell this is a boy by his magnificent colouring.
Just behind the birds are ring-tailed lemurs. They are native to Madagascar yet were no doubt warm enough (it was an overcast yet clammy August day.)
A close-up of these beautiful creatures, and their little faces are so animated!
A third friend making his way down from the tree...
Ring-tailed lemurs are members of the primate family...
They are considered endangered and are strepsirrhine (wet nosed) primates.
Further around we had two friendly donkeys...
Their names are Sienna and Calypso...
They were both happy to pose for us, and this one had just had a cooling roll around in the dirt!
Bennett's wallabies. These were very hard to photograph. Some parts of the fence consisted of a double layer of wire.
They are also known as red-necked wallabies, and are marsupials, meaning their young are born in an undeveloped state and are nurtured by their mother in a pouch on their mother's abdomen.
Dogs have to be kept on a lead in Golders Hill Park (unlike most of the Heath). Possibly one of the reasons is so that they can't run up to the zoo fences and spook the animals within.
Bug hotel. Whenever I say that the Chris Isaak song Blue Hotel runs through my head!
To the other side of the path is a deer park. These are fallow deer, and there are some lighter-coloured deer. Fallow deer can change colour with the seasons, and have four main coat variations.
This resting deer was totally uninterested in us!
Walking round to the walled garden, with the bandstand over the way. During June and July they have live music on Sundays.
The duck pond, with the humpback bridge in the corner to the right.
Steps up to the walled garden, which celebrated its centenary in 1998.
Weeping willows have got to be my favourite tree...
Pretty pink flowers, and the building to the right used to be a butterfly house. Sadly it is now permanently closed.
Black-eyed Susans.
Lavendar.
The pampas grass spread across the paths, and you had to wade through it!
The Water Baby Fountain, 1950, by Bainbridge Copnall, sits in the middle of the pond. It was moved here in the 1970s from nearby Victoria Park, Finchley.
This cherubic, plump infant sits on a water lily holding fish which spout water.
It's a fantastic centerpiece for this walled garden!
Bowery. The leaves were atmospherically dense under there.
Standing under the gloomth of the bowery whilst looking out to the arbour...
Regal tree and a little seating area. Some of these seats are memorial benches.
Red hot pokers, amongst colourful blooms. Aren't they what swingers have planted outside their houses? Well, we were on Hampstead Heath, which is nicknamed London's biggest cottage...😉😁
Incidentally, unlike the Heath, this little park is closed at night.
I just had to include this huge thistle as I though it looked spectacular.
Another shapely tree, with purple flowers sprouting up underneath it...
Standing on the little humpback bridge looking down at the ducks and Canada geese. The treetops were choc-a-bloc full of pigeons.
Seated Girl, 1990, by Patricia Finch.
These beautifully coloured flowers sat just behind the cafe, where we stopped off for a Danish pastry.
We then walked back to the train station through Hampstead Heath, and were totally and utterly surprised to stumble upon this...
It's called the Hill Garden and Pergola, and stretches for over 230 metres.
Here's the first photo I took; from the upper storey, overlooking the lower gardens, from the Stone Bridge over the public Right of Way.
In all my years living in London I had NEVER even heard of this, and wondered how this could be so!
This little "temple" is at the end of the upper walkway, and is called the Domed Garden Building.
From the end temple structure you take a flight of steps down, and I wish I'd walked further along, as I later found out that at the end to the right is a gorgeous pond.
Oh well, there's my excuse to come back sorted...
The house next door was once owned by Lord Leverhulme, who made a fortune manufacturing soaps from vegetable oils. He remodelled his house- called The Hill- extensively, including adding the pergola.
He used it as a spot to entertain guests, and raised the gardens by 20-30 feet. It has been mentioned that he also created the terrace to offer some privacy; so that those using Hampstead Heath couldn't peer into his house.
Building began in 1906, and continued until Lord Leverhulme's death in 1925.
Obviously sensible with money, the gardens were created using the spoil from the construction of the extension of the nearby Northern Line.
Here you can see where the terrace bridges over the Right of Way. The bridge was built after Lord Leverhulme acquired neighbouring Heath Lodge and Cedar Lodge, knocking the houses down, expanding upon the pergola and creating this bridged link between the different sections.
Plants such as wisteria and ivy cling to- and hang from- the majestic columns.
By the time London County Council took over the estate in 1960, everything was in a bad state of decline. The gardens were restored and opened to the public in 1963. Further restoration occured in the 1980s.
The house is now privately owned flats and is strictly out of bounds.
This is the top of the spiral staircase...
One last look from the top and we didn't get to see all of this magnificant construction- it had been a long and tiring day, and we were dusty and knackered.
The lower level.
We then left the heath and took a little wander down by Fenton House, which I've blogged about before, link:-
We also popped into the graveyard of St John-at-Hampstead, which has some notable burials. I have mentioned it before as part of my Hampstead blog, link:-
I'll leave you with this wonky house in Church Row, which dates from the 1720s, although the weatherboarding was added in the late 18th century.
Golders Hill Park and the Hill Garden and Pergola I will return!
Until then,
TTFN
Miss Elaineous
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