Holland Park is the most romantic of London’s parks. The park opened in 1952, on what remained of the grounds of Holland House, the rest of the land had been sold off in the late-19th century for the construction of large houses and terraces to the north and west.

The woods and formal gardens of Holland Park surround the reconstructed Jacobean Holland House. Some of the formal gardens laid out around Holland House have survived from the early-19th century

The small, but lively, park is more wooded and intimate than the large royal parks of Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park to the east.

Features include the Kyoto Japanese Garden (which is small but I love it), laid out for the 1991 London Festival of Japan, rose gardens, woodland, wildlife pond and ecology centre. The park’s abundant wildlife includes tame rabbits, squirrels and peacocks.

There is also an adventure playground, cafe, and, during the summer, open-air theatre and opera under an elegant canopy.

Holland House, at the south end of the park takes its name from an early owner Sir Henry, Earl of Holland. During the 19th century Holland House was a centre of social and political intrigue with statesmen, including Lord Palmerston, mixing with people like the poet Byron.

Holland House suffered bomb damage during World War II, and now only the ground floor and arcades remain. The restored east wing houses a youth hostel, and the summer ballroom has been converted in to a contemporary restaurant, ‘The Belvedere’. The orangery and ice house stage temporary exhibitions