1 64 LONDON PARKS & GARDENS 



and some of the commons now have their " sea-side ' or 

 " sand-pit," and probably not only do they give immense 

 pleasure, but they act as a safety-valve for small mis- 

 chievous urchins, who otherwise could not resist tres- 

 passing on flower-beds. 



The grass in this, as in all the parks, has to be en- 

 closed at times, to let it recover, the tramp of many feet. 

 The wattled hurdles which are often used in the London 

 Parks for this purpose, have quite a rustic appearance. 

 They are like those which appear in all the agricultural 

 scenes depicted in fifteenth century MSS. It is much to 

 be hoped that no modern invention in metal will be 

 found to take their place. 



Kennington Park 



Not very far from Vauxhall, beyond the famous 

 Oval, lies the larger and more pretentious Kennington 

 Park of I9|- acres. This has a long history as Kennington 

 Common. It formed part of the Duchy of Cornwall 

 estates, having been settled by James I. on Prince Henry, 

 and has since belonged to each succeeding Prince of 

 Wales. In still earlier times there was a Royal Palace 

 at Kennington, which fell into decay after Henry 

 VIII. 's reign. Here as on all similar commons, the 

 people had a right of grazing cattle for six months of 

 the year. But the moment it was open to them in the 

 spring such a number of beasts were turned on to the 

 ground, that in a very short time "the herbage" was 

 " devoured, and it remained entirely bare for the rest of 

 the season." 



The Common was a great place for games of all sorts, 

 particularly cricket. When in 1852 it was turned into 

 a Park, and play could not go on to the same extent, by 



