This was a nice statue of young Mozart in Chelsea
This was a sign on the bridge. It's one of the prettiest, especially lit up at night.
This is what Wikipedia says about Battersea Park:
Prior to 1846 the area now covered by the
park was known as Battersea fields, a popular spot for duelling. On 21 March
1829, the Duke of Wellington and the Earl of Winchilsea met on Battersea fields
to settle a matter of honour.[2] When it came time to fire, the Duke aimed his
duelling pistol wide and Winchilsea fired his into the air. Winchilsea later
wrote the Duke a grovelling apology.
Separated from the river by a narrow raised
causeway, the fields consisted of low, fertile marshes intersected by streams
and ditches with the chief crops being carrots, melons, lavender (all the way
up to Lavender Hill) and the famous ‘Battersea Bunches’ of asparagus.
Running along the riverside from the fields
were industrial concerns and wharves, including a pottery, copper works, lime
kiln, chemical works, and, increasingly, railways. The site of Battersea Power
Station was partly occupied by the famously bawdy Red House Tavern, patronised
by Charles Dickens. Access was via the rickety wooden Battersea Bridge or by
ferry from the Chelsea bank.
In 1845, spurred partly by the local vicar
and partly by Thomas Cubitt, the builder and developer, whose yards were across
the river in the still marshy and undeveloped area of Pimlico, a bill was
submitted to Parliament to form a Royal Park of 320 acres. The Act was passed
in 1846 and £200,000 was promised for the purchase of the land. The Commission
for Improving the Metropolis acquired 320 acres of Battersea Fields, of which
198 acres became Battersea Park, opened in 1858, and the remainder was let on
building leases.
The park was laid out by Sir James
Pennethorne between 1846 and 1864, although the park which was opened in 1858
varied somewhat from Pennethorne's vision.
The park’s success depended on the
successful completion of the Chelsea Bridge, declared open in 1858 by Queen
Victoria. In her honour, the road alongside the eastern edge of the Park was
called Victoria Road, linked to Queens Road by Victoria Circus (now Queen's
Circus). Prince of Wales Road (now Prince of Wales Drive) was laid out along
the southern boundary and Albert Bridge Road constructed along the western
side.
The park hosted the first football game played
under the rules of the recently formed Football Association on 9 January 1864.
The members of the teams were chosen by the President of the FA (A. Pember) and
the Secretary (E.C. Morley) and included many well-known footballers of the
day.
From the 1860s, the park was home to the
leading amateur football team Wanderers F.C., winners of the first FA Cup, in
1872. One team they are known to have played at the park was Sheffield F.C.,
the world's oldest football team, in the 1860s.
In 1924, a war memorial by Eric Kennington
was unveiled by Field Marshal Plumer and the Bishop of Southwark. It
commemorates the over 10,000 men killed or listed as "missing presumed
dead" whilst serving with the 24th East Surrey Division. It is now Grade
II* listed.
During both wars, anti-aircraft guns and
barrage balloons were installed to help protect London from enemy air raids.
Shelters were dug, part of the park was turned over to allotments for much
needed vegetables and a pig farm was also set up. Maintenance of the park was
reduced as the war effort took priority.
The Festival Gardens
In 1951 the northern parts of the park were
transformed into the "Pleasure Gardens" as part of the Festival of
Britain celebrations. As well as a new water-garden and fountains, new features
included a "Tree-Walk", which consisted of a series of raised wooden
walkways linked by tree house-like platforms suspended between the branches of
a number of trees.
Popular attractions included the Guinness
Clock, designed by Jan Le Witt and George Him, and the Far Tottering and Oyster
Creek Branch Railway.
What we found was the Peace Pagoda:
It was erected in 1985. You can see we were under the flight path!
We had to pay more than £10 entrance for the Physic Garden. It was lovely though. Not as a beautiful garden but with interesting plants and flowers. We were taken on a guided tour and we saw all sorts of specimens.
Sir Hans Sloane, who founded the gardens, surrounded by fragrant pots
This robin was lurking by a working gardener.
We bought sandwiches and ate them opposite the Pensioners' hospital and then had a long sit-down in Hyde Park near Marble Arch. That's about it. London is very busy and crowded with people.
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