LONDON'S PLEASANT PASTURES

From evidence of prehistoric life in Greenwich Park to Shire horses in Richmond Park, there’s more to London’s Royal Parks than meets the eye, says natural-history film maker Peter Collins

- Peter Collins

FOR the final few weeks of summer 2020, I was granted access to the Royal Parks to film behind the scenes for a new documentary series on More 4 (from tonight, March 2, at 9pm). The pandemic has made filming wildlife incredibly challenging, so, as a naturalhistory filmmaker, I was very grateful that things finally started to open up. We would miss the blockbuster summer-flowering plants, but if the RHS Chelsea Flower Show could make a good go of it, then so could we.

To be honest, I hadn’t given much thought to the Royal Parks before; great for a picnic or a jog, but beyond that they were simply lovely green spaces. How wrong I was. Research and conversations soon uncovered their fascinating history and extraordinary flora and fauna. Having been given the green light by the channel, we assembled our specialist wildlife kit, including night-vision cameras and drones, and started to film.

The Royal Parks cover 5,000 acres of London and are vital refuges for wildlife—more than 4,000 species of invertebrates and 100 species of birds have been recorded in them. A huge number of mammals also call these spaces home, including hedgehogs, pipistrelle bats and 1,000 free-roaming deer.

These glorious spaces also welcome more than 77 million human visitors each year, but things weren’t always so democratic. In the 16th century, Henry VIII snapped up huge swathes of the capital’s public land—starting with Bushy Park, St James’s Park and Hyde Park—and claimed it all as his private hunting ground. Richmond Park, Green Park, and Kensington Gardens became royal spaces in the 17th century and, in 1812, Regent’s Park became George IV’s very own playground.