CHAPTER V 



GREENWICH PARK 



loivered cities please us then. 

 And the busy hum of men, 

 IVhere throngs of knights and barons bold 

 In iveeds of peace high triumphs hold. 

 With store of ladies, ivhose bright eyes 

 Rain influence, and judge the pri%e 

 Of ivit, or arms, ivhile both contend 

 To luin her grace, tvhom all commend. 



— Milton. 



T would not occur to most people 

 to reckon Greenwich among the 

 London Parks. But it is well 

 within the bounds of the County 

 of London, and now so easy of 

 access that it should have no 

 difficulty in substantiating its 

 claim to be one of the most beau- 

 tiful among them. Both for natural features and 

 historic interest it is one of the most fascinating. 



Its Spanish chestnuts are among the distinguishing 

 characteristics, and although smoke is slowly telling on 

 them, numbers of these sturdy timber trees are still 

 in their prime, and it would be hard to find a more 

 splendid collection in any part of the country. One 

 of the giants is 20 feet in girth at 3 feet from the 



ground, and contains 200 feet of timber. 



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