PARK AND CEMETERY, 
i6o 
A GLIMPSE AT FINSBURY PARK, LONDON, 
ENGLAND. II. 
Sometime ago I gave some notes on Finsbury 
Park, London, accompanied with two photographs 
of the park itself. I now send two more illustra- 
tions of the same park, but of different localities 
from those previously given. One showing one of 
the main walks by the lake, the other, a portion of 
the lake and the heavily Wooded Island. This and 
AVENUE OE SHADE TREES, FINSBURY PARK, EONDON. 
all the London parks have large areas devoted to 
recreation grounds. 
It seemed to me to be the aim of the directors 
to make this the prominent feature, as it should be. 
How dispiriting it is in many public gardens here 
to come on the sign “Keep off the Grass” as is too 
often seen. It is true we have our parks where 
there are hundreds of acres in one, and where there 
are lots of grass, shade and room, and where people 
roam at will. 
And this is what is wanted all the time, not so 
much numberless flower beds as a place where city 
folks can get a glimpse of the country. Finsbuiy 
Park struck me as being very much of a country 
place, if I may term it such. There was more of 
nature and less of art than in some other parks, as 
I recollect it. I think the illustration showing the 
number of persons occupying the benches gives a 
good idea of the popularity of the place. Note the 
pretty back ground of shrubs and the fine avenues 
of shade trees. 
The shrubbery consists of golden elder, flower- 
ing currants, cotoneasters, spirea opulifolia mixed 
with alaternus, hollies, aucubas, euonymus, bays, 
and many broad leaved evergreens which will not 
stand our more severe winters. I have forgotten 
whether the large shade trees are planes or poplars, 
but I noted when there, one of the nicest avenues 
of our native Carolina poplar I had ever seen. They 
were planted a row each side of a road. Here this 
tree grows too rank, as everyone knows, but with 
less heat, it was an ideal tree at Finsbury, seem- 
ingly in the way, too, to be a more lasting tree 
there than it is here. The building shown at the 
end of the road is one for refreshments, where am- 
ple supplies of everything is kept, with courteous 
waiters to bring it to the tables. 
The island and lake view is a pretty one. What 
a lovely peaceful scene it is! The declining sun 
throws the shadow of the trees w'ell across the lake, 
and to be near it, whether on the water or on land, 
as evening comes on, gives a pleasure the recollec- 
tion of which lasts for many a year. 
"Oh! to see it at sunset when warm o’er the Lake 
I is splendor at parting a summer eve throws, 
Like a bride full of blushes, when ling'ring to take 
A last look of her mirror at night eie she goes.” 
Hie water is particularly pleasing to the vi-itors 
to these parks, and it is not often I should say that 
the photographer could have shown such a compara- 
tively clear sheet as he has done in this case. The 
English are fond of the water, anyway, and the 
goal of many an English boy’s ambition is to ‘get 
a berth on board the Victory.” 
As I mentioned in my previous letter, no boats 
are permitted to land on the island. It is thickly 
planted^ witlWtrees, evergreen and deciduous, and 
it has such a cool, enticing look of a hot summer’s 
day that the desire to land is great. One could^al- 
THE LAKE, FINSBURY PARK, LONDON. 
most select the beautiful spot and say with Byron: 
“Oh! that the desert were my dwelling place, 
With one fair spirit for my minister, 
That I might all forget the human race. 
And, hating no one, love but only her!” 
I find that I must bring my notes on Finsbury 
to a close, but I hope in the near future to give you 
some on Battersea, another London Park, in another 
part of London. 
Joseph Meehan. 
