Parks and open spaces in Tower Hamlets

Mile End Park, south of the Mile End Road

The London Borough of Tower Hamlets, in spite of being close to the centre of London and perhaps retaining the idea of it being the docklands area, has over 100 areas of parks and open spaces within its boundaries. These range from the huge (Victoria Park) to small gardens and squares. In common with all the London boroughs, these green spaces provide "lungs" for the leisure pursuits of the inhabitants.

Principal parks and open spaces

The principal parks in Tower Hamlets are:

• Victoria Park: 86.18 hectares (213.0 acres),^[1] created 1884
• Mile End Park: 32 hectares (79 acres),^[2] (stretches from Limehouse to Victoria Park along the Regent's Canal; international athletics stadium
• Mudchute Park: 13 hectares (32 acres),^[3] which includes the largest urban farm in Europe
• The Olympic Park is partly in the borough

Smaller parks within the borough include:

• St Mary's Park in Aldgate
• Bartlett Park in Poplar
• Island Gardens: small 1.12 hectares (2.8 acres).^[4] Thames Riverside Park
• King Edward Memorial Park: 3.3 hectares (8.2 acres)^[5] in Shadwell
• Grove Hall Park, off Fairfield Road, Bow
• St George's Gardens around the Nicholas Hawksmoor church of St George in the East
• Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park and Ackroyd Drive Local Nature Reserve

Water

Tower Hamlets is a riverside borough, and one of the largest open spaces is the Thames itself. A sign posted riverside trail exists from Tower Bridge, in the west, around the Isle of Dogs, and leaving the borough at the crossing of the River Lee. Although planning procedures have tried to open and protect access to the river, often private developers have locked gates and otherwise prevented access to what should be public areas. There are otherwise, public stairs providing access to the foreshore.

• The River Lea forms the eastern boundary of the borough. The towpath is suitable for walking and cyclists. It can be readily accessed from Three Mills (near Bow) and provides access to Hackney Marshes and the Lee Valley Park.
• Limehouse Cut is a canal running through the borough from the River Thames at Limehouse Basin, joining the River Lee Navigation, at Bromley-by-Bow.
• The Regent's Canal enters Tower Hamlets from the London Borough of Hackney, and meets the Thames at Limehouse Basin.
• The Hertford Union Canal links the Regent's Canal to the River Lee Navigation at Old Ford Lock. It forms the southern boundary to Victoria Park.

City farms

• Mudchute farm
• Stepney City Farm (Formerly Stepping Stones farm, established 1979)

External links

• Parks in Tower Hamlets
• Mudchute Park and Farm
• Stepney City Farm

References

1. ↑ Victoria Park, Tower Hamlets Council
2. ↑ "Park It! London" (PDF). green-space.org.uk. www.park-it.org.uk. Retrieved 15 September 2013. 
3. ↑ "Mudchute Park and Farm". London Borough of Tower Hamlets. Retrieved 25 September 2013. 
4. ↑ "Tower Hamlets Council Isaln gardens". Tower Hamlets Council. Retrieved 25 September 2013. 
5. ↑ "King Edward Memorial Park Management Plan 2007-2017 Revised January 2008". Tower Hamlets Council. 2008. Retrieved 27 September 2013. 

London Borough of Tower Hamlets
Districts	Bethnal Green Blackwall Bow Bow Common Bromley-by-Bow Cambridge Heath Canary Wharf Coldharbour Cubitt Town Globe Town East Smithfield Fish Island Hackney Wick Isle of Dogs Leamouth Limehouse Mile End Millwall Old Ford Poplar Ratcliff St Katharine Docks Shadwell Spitalfields Stepney Tower Hill Wapping Whitechapel
Attractions	Brick Lane Christ Church, Spitalfields Fournier Street Museum of Childhood Museum in Docklands Ragged School Museum St Katharine Docks Tower Bridge Tower of London Traitors' Gate Whitechapel Art Gallery London Olympic Park
Street markets	Petticoat Lane Brick Lane Columbia Road Old Spitalfields Roman Road
Parks and open spaces	Altab Ali Park Bartlett Park Island Gardens Langdon Park Mile End Park Mudchute Tower Hamlets Cemetery Victoria Park
Governance	London borough council Directly elected mayor Civic mayor/speaker of council Constituencies: Bethnal Green and Bow Poplar and Limehouse
Bridges and tunnels	Blackwall Tunnel Greenwich foot tunnel Rotherhithe Tunnel Tower Bridge
Tube and rail stations	Aldgate East All Saints Bethnal Green Bethnal Green Blackwall Bow Church Bow Road Bromley-by-Bow Cambridge Heath Canary Wharf (DLR) Canary Wharf (tube) Crossharbour Devons Road East India Heron Quays Island Gardens Langdon Park Limehouse Mile End Mudchute Poplar Shadwell Shadwell South Quay Stepney Green Tower Gateway Tower Hill Wapping railway station West India Quay Westferry Whitechapel
Other topics	Council Grade I and II* listed buildings People Public art Schools
Category Commons

Parks and open spaces in London
Royal parks	Bushy Green Greenwich Hyde Kensington Regent's Richmond St James's
Large urban parks	Alexandra Arnos Barking Barra Hall Battersea Blackheath Brockwell Burgess Clissold Crystal Palace Dulwich Enfield Town Finsbury Forster Memorial Hampstead Heath Hanworth Holland Mayesbrook Mountsfield Old Deer Parsloes Primrose Hill Pymmes Queen's Park Ravenscourt Ruskin Southwark Valentines Victoria Wandsworth Wanstead West Ham Wimbledon
Country parks	Bayhurst Wood Bedfont Lakes Belhus Woods Eastbrookend Fairlop Waters Fryent Hainault Forest Havering High Elms Hornchurch Lee Valley South Norwood Stanmore Stockley Trent
Commons	Barnes Blackheath Bostall Heath Clapham Ealing East Sheen Hackney Marsh Hainault Forest Ham Hampstead Heath Hayes Keston Mitcham Monken Hadley Peckham Rye Plumstead Stanmore Streatham Tooting Tylers Wandsworth Wimbledon and Putney Winn's Woolwich Wormwood Scrubs
Marshes & Wetlands	Aveley Crayford Erith Hackney Hornchurch Ickenham Ingrebourne Leyton Rainham Tottenham Walthamstow Wennington Woodberry Wetlands WWT London Wetland Centre
Woodland	Bostall Coldfall Copse Dulwich Epping Forest Grangewood Park Highgate Lesnes Abbey Mad Bess Old Park Oxleas Park Petts Queen's Russia Dock Sydenham Hill
House gardens	Belair Park Boston Manor Park Broomfield House Cannizaro Park Chiswick House Danson Park Grovelands Park Grove Park Gunnersbury Park Hampton Court Park Hillingdon Court Kenwood House Langtons Manor House Gardens Marble Hill Park Morden Hall Park Morden Park Osterley Park Syon House Valence House Museum Walpole Park
Entry-fee charging	Kew Gardens London Wetland Centre
Community gardens	Phoenix Garden Calthorpe Project