Parks

In London there are several parks. One of them deserves special attention - it is Hyde Park, a famous natural park in the West End. Originally there was open country here: but Henry VIII, in order to preserve it for his own hunting and hawking, fenced in a large tract. A century later Charles 1 opened it to the public, and it has ever since been a "people's" park.

To meet the wishes of the wife of George II the western portion of the park was cut off and reserved for the private use of the royal family. It was Kensington Gardens. However, now it is open to the public; and one of its most popular features is The Round Pond, where children (and on Sundays - men) delight to sail model yachts and steamers.

There is an artificial lake of irregular shape, nearly a mile long, called Serpentine. In one corner of Hyde Park there are football grounds and bowling-greens; and in a corner of Kensington Gardens a children's playground with swings.

Horse riding is rather popular in Hyde Park. Every morning there are riders who use the riding-track round the park. At the northeast corner near the Marble Arch, is a small area where "stump-orators" address meeting.

This place of the park is known as Orators' Corner.

Every town-dweller derives pleasure from the sight of trees, green grass of the park.

Quite close by, near Buckingham Palace, there is St. James' Park, much smaller but very beautiful with its graceful trees and attractive flower-beds. Here you can find a lake which is famous for the many rare waterbirds that nest there.

There is also Regent's Park. In one corner of the park there is the open-air theatre where, every summer, Shakespeare's comedies are performed in a lovely natural setting; in another corner you can find the Zoological Garden - one of the most famous zoos in the world because of the number and variety of its species.

England is blessed by several institutions now of international fame.

Many of these institutions are in some way connected with nature, date from 18th century. Such is Kew Gardens, there people come to wander among orchids, children are brought by their parents to greet the first daffodils of the year, schoolchildren examine the remarkable collection of walking-sticks in the Botanical museum, and broody poets sit for hours by the lakes.

Since 1787 Kew has initiated and coordinated the work of the thousands of keen English botanies, housed the collections of rare plants brought in by English travellers from all corners of the world. Experiments in developing new kinds of food and other economic crops are always in progress in Kew.

Е. Р. Ліндер, "Чи знаєте ви?"