London's parks have been a source of escape and inspiration for centuries. Kensington Gardens has seen the likes of JM Barrie, Matthew Arnold and Ezra Pound scribbling lines in pads of paper as they sit on the park's black benches. Sarah Crown explores the city sanctuary with Nick Lane, the park's education and community engagement officer. They set off from the ornate Italian Gardens where the fountains play their own sort of music.
To test the old adage, "inspiration doesn't come by appointment", poet, and Costa Book of the Year winner Jo Shapcott takes a parallel journey on her own through the gardens – with notebook in hand – to get her creative juices flowing.
Sarah and Nick meander along the Serpentine towards the statue of Peter Pan, worn down over the decades by the hands of little children. JM Barrie erected the statue in the dead of night as a surprise for the park's young visitors, to remind them that Peter Pan was dreamt up here, under the bows of the huge plane trees.
Author William Boyd values the escape that London's parks offer and explains why parks are so important to urban writers like him. Ever since he was a child, and especially after his wife died, poet Dannie Abse has sought sanctuary in London's parks, and reads a poem that reminds him of his own park life.
The bridge over the Serpentine is a good spot to survey the Lido, where the Serpentine Swimming Club members plunge into the waters every morning of the year, even if they have to bash through the ice first.
Sarah stops by the Serpentine Gallery and then onto the Round Pond, where Paul Cavel, circle-walking meditation expert, takes us round and round the pond as a means of calming our minds, and healing our bodies. They finish in the shadow of Kensington Palace, where you can stop for a cup of tea in the Orangery.
You can enjoy this documentary at home by listening here or you can download it on to your phone or mp3 player and take it out as a walking tour. Click here to download.
And there is a map to go with the audio too.
Many thanks to:
Nick Lane, education and community engagement officer for the park
William Boyd
Dannie Abse
Jo Shapcott
The Serpentine Swimming Club
The Serpentine Gallery
Paul Cavel of Circle Walking
