As the government is gradually lifting the lockdown restrictions, it becomes possible to avoid overcrowded local parks and explore beautiful places a little further away. Within an hour drive from London, Langley Park is the perfect getaway (especially at this time of year!) for those dreaming of colourful plants, bucolic sceneries and countryside walks.
Today, DOYOUSPEAKLONDON invits you to explore Langley Park and make the most of the summer!
Langley Park
Located 20 miles west of London, Langley Park is easily accessible from the A40/M40 (Take the exit at ‘Denham Roundabout’ onto Denham Road / A412 in the direction of Slough).
Langley Park has a long history:
In 1738 the 3rd Duke of Marlborough bought Langley Park and built both the Temple (1743) and the Palladian Mansion House (1756).
Then, in 1788 the Harvey family bought the Langley Park estate and reside there for more than 150 years, adding some features to the park including the renowned Rhododendron Gardens.
During WWI and WWII, the estate was requisitioned by the government and finally in 1945 Buckinghamshire County Council acquired Langley Park and restored it progressively.
Nowadays the park has many assets to put forward: from the stunning Temple Gardens, the Arboretum, to the beautiful Lake and Palladian Mansion House, the visitors will enjoy different sceneries.
A rhododendrons paradise
The area called Temple Gardens hosts an extraordinary collection of rhododendrons in full bloom from April to June.
During the early 20th century rhododendrons were quite popular and the owner of Langley Park at the time, Sir Robert Grenville Harvey, bought a wide variety of those flowering plants to add to the Victorian flowers already present in the garden.
This is quite impressive to walk through this colourful garden and see the wide variety of existing colours and shapes…
When we explored the park, some flowers had already fallen down and coloured the ground with vibrant colours. The atmosphere was quite idyllic and the perfect setting for my pictures…
Here and there you will find a bench to either rest or contemplate the surrounding beauty. I love the impression that the time has stopped in the middle of this garden…
It is always better of course to visit the Park during off-peak hours if you want to enjoy silence as well as beauty. We chose to go on weekday, but as the opening times are from 8:15am to 7:30pm in summer it gives you the opportunity to go either in early morning or late afternoon.
We did not really decided on our route inside the garden, we rather followed the paths focussing on the rhododendrons’ colours..
Sometimes rhododendrons would create arches in which children love to go to explore new horizons…
This is in my opinion the best part of Langley Park as quite surprising, but there are other lovely areas to discover too …
Langley Lake and Arboretum
Heading to the south of the Park, you will find the lake and take in the quiet beauty of the place. I am very fond of the bucolic atmosphere there…
On the opposite side of the lake stands the luxury hotel The Langley, which obviously adds even more charm and character to the area!
The Arboretum shows a collection of specimen trees and a walled garden, which originally was used as a kitchen garden for the residents of Langley Mansion where they grew their own fruit and vegetables.
The western part of the Arboretum is called the ‘Queens Walk’ because Queen Victoria used to pass through the Arboretum when visiting Sir Robert Bateson Harvey.
A view of Windsor Castle
To the West part of the Park you will find traces of a banqueting pavilion, known as ‘The Temple’ (in memory of the one that was demolished in 1860 and replaced by the Harvey Memorial Tower, also inexistent today).
From there (when weather is nice) visitors can see all the way to Windsor Castle. It’s a good spot to stop for a while, and admire the view or even enjoy a picnic.
We finished off this visit with a well-deserved ice cream at the Café and came back home with colourful memories of Langley Park!
I hope you’ve enjoyed this post and found inspiration here. If you are soon going to explore Langley Park, please share your experience and opinion on DOYOUSPEAKLONDON’s blog!
To go further:
Langley Park: The Countryside Centre, Black Park Country Park, Black Park Road, Wexham, Bucks SL3 6DS
Website
thank you “déconfinement”! nous pouvons à nouveau admirer la merveilleuse symphonie des parcs anglais et apprécier les si belles photos des somptueux rhododendrons
Merci pour cette charmante promenade , cette symphonie de formes , de couleurs et…de parfums . J’adore cette image si romantique des pétales jonchant le sol .
@myriam Thank you for these kind words!
@elialand Thanks a lot!