Public Parks. 13 



and recreative way to the imagination. Hence, after a time, parks 

 began to be regarded, and to be maintained with reference, more than 

 to anything else, to the convenient accommodations of numbers of 

 people, desirous of moving for recreation among scenes that should 

 be gratifying to the taste or imagination. Hagley Park, for many 

 years, was considered the finest in England, although there are many 

 there now much handsomer, averaging from one to five miles in 

 diameter ; and many of them are open to the public with slight 

 restrictions. As the power of the people has increased the Royal 

 Parks have been more adapted to their wants. 



In the present century, not only have the old parks been thus 

 maintained and improved, but many new parks have been formed 

 exclusively for the purposes of recreation, enjoyment, and health, 

 especially within and adjoining considerable towns ; and it is upon 

 our knowledge of the latter that our simplest conception of a town 

 park is founded.* 



Nearly all the towns, villages, and cities have their pleasure- 

 grounds in some form, or private parks open to them. In addition, 

 all have their cricket-grounds and commons, where the old meet to 

 gossip, and the young to indulge in various athletic games. 



PARKS OF GREAT BRITAIN. 



The public parks of London are Kensington Garden, 262 acres ; 

 Hyde Park, 3S9 acres ; Green Park, 55 acres ; St. James Park, 59 

 acres (all of which are connected in a chain, though partly sepa- 

 rated) ; Regent's Park and Primrose Hill, 473 acres ; Battersea Park, 

 175 acres ; and Kensington Park containg 55 acres. 



The Royal Parks in the vicinity of London are also much resorted 

 to : — Windsor, 3,800 acres ; Hampton Court and Burley, 1,812 acres ; 

 Richmond, 2,468 acres ; and the Royal Gardens at Kew, 684 acres. 

 Epping Forest and others are easily reached, making 3,000 acres in 

 the city, and about 11,000 in the vicinity that are open to the public. 



The grounds of the Horticultural Society and the Crystal Palace 

 are open to the public for a small entrance fee. Victoria Park is 

 among the most frequented ; here 130,000 visitors have been counted 

 in one day. The fashionable drive of London is the Ring-Road, in 

 Hyde Park, three miles long and from twenty-seven to sixty feet 

 wide ; and another of a mile long and thirty-six feet wide. The 

 fashionable riding avenue is in this park, and is ninety feet wide and 



• Olmsted. 



