Kyoto Garden

In spite of being the capital city of Britain, London isn’t solely a concrete jungle. There are many gardens and parks for locals and visitors alike to enjoy. One of the most beautiful is undoubtedly the Kyoto Garden in Holland Park. Featuring beautiful Japanese fauna and flora, pretty peacocks and delicate water features, it makes for a relaxing escape on a sunny day.

History of Kyoto Garden

Kyoto Garden is situated in Holland Park, a 22-hectare expanse in west London. It originally surrounded the mighty Holland House (originally known as Cope Castle), an early Jacobean country house which was built in 1605, which, over the course of its history, was host to a number of diplomats and prominent families from the British aristocracy. The house was severely bombed in 1940 during the Blitz and today only the east wing, some ruins of the ground floor and the south façade remain.

Along with the formal gardens and various outbuildings, the ruin was designated a grade I listed building and is now owned by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. The grounds were bought by London Country Council in 1952.

The Kyoto Garden was opened in 1991. It was a gift to Great Britain from the city of Kyoto, the cultural capital of Japan, to commemorate the long friendship between the two nations. It is one of two Japanese gardens in Holland Park: in July 2012, the Fukushima Memorial Garden was officially opened in gratitude to the British people for their support after the natural disasters which struck in March 2011.

Kyoto Garden today

Today, the Kyoto Garden is a popular site. It is home to koi fish and peacocks, tiered waterfalls, stone lanterns and Japanese maple trees.

The park more widely has additional gardens, an open-air theatre, café, restaurant and different sports facilities. It is free to enter from 7.30am and closes half an hour before dusk.