On Friday 23rd September, members of the Society went for a leisurely walk through the royal parks, led by Blue Badge Tourist Guide Caroline Piper. The walking tour was particularly poignant as it overlapped with part of the processional route taken by HM The Queen’s funeral procession just 5 days earlier. Beautiful floral tributes were also still on display in Green Park and Hyde Park, so we took time to read some of the touching messages and cards.
The walking tour took in beautiful Green Park, the views down Constitution Hill and the Bomber Command Memorial with its message of reconciliation and celebration of survival. We then proceeded through the triumphal Wellington Arch, and discovered how the area was linked to the “Iron Duke”, before heading into the huge Hyde Park. The photos of the group were taken in the pretty and secluded Rose Garden, in the south east corner of Hyde Park. As we reached The Serpentine we were rewarded by an exquisite pink sunset reflecting on the water of the lake. A wander around the Serpentine took in the lido, the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain and Zaha Hadid architecture, before the autumn nights drew in and Caroline realised dusk was earlier than she had planned for!! Views of Kensington Palace no longer being viable, the tour finished at the elegant Renaissance-style Italian Gardens, designed as a token of love by Prince Albert for Queen Victoria.
The group retired to the Swan on Bayswater, a very aptly named pub, to imbibe a drink or two and get to know fellow members of the Society.
Organised by Caroline Piper