Pleasures And Treasures Of Regent's Park

A triangular cast-iron milestone in my neighbourhood has got '5 miles to Regent's Park from Parish of Finchley' written on it. A section of this road between Ballards Lane and Finchley Road is named as Regent's Park Road. There are two roads in London which have been given this name — the other one being the road that connects Haverstock Hill with Regent's Park. Finchley Road runs along a winding path until it reaches Swiss Cottage and then follows a double bend towards St John's Wood. This is Avenue Road, which leads directly to Regents Park if you are approaching it from the north side. 

The unbroken rows of houses and shops in Finchley Road give way to detached homes in Avenue Road and some of these homes are used as diplomatic residences. This elegant road joins the Outer Circle of Regent's Park at the other end after crossing an arched bridge over the Grand Union Canal that once connected London with Birmingham. For many years, I couldn't figure out how the boats passed through the lock in Camden on this canal until I took a boat cruise in Strasbourg in France and saw the opening and closing of the locks on a similar canal with my own eyes. 

When I cycle to Central London via Regents Park, I usually find a lot of keen runners and cyclists in spandex shorts doing laps around the Outer Circle of the park. A solitary policeman guards Winfield House, the residence of the American Ambassador to the UK, holding an automatic weapon close to his chest with one finger on the trigger. Sometimes when I pass him on my bike, I feel like greeting him but then it occurs to me that perhaps it could frighten him and he might pull the trigger. One early evening, a few years ago, I saw the road blocked and a policewoman advised me to take an alternative route to the other side of the park. I didn't know the reason for the closure until I saw men in tuxedos getting out of chauffeured cars with women in cocktail dresses on their arms heading towards Winfield House and I realised the American ambassador was hosting a party at his home. 

The minaret and copper dome of the London Central Mosque overlook Winfield House. On Fridays, one finds cars belonging to various embassies in London waiting outside for plenipotentiaries who come here to attend the midday prayer and it seems like East and West can coexist side by side on a patch of Regent's Park. 

A white stucco building with cupolas houses the London Business School. It is designed by John Nash like other terraced houses and villas along the periphery of Regents Park. No, not John Nash the twentieth century mathematician but the nineteenth century architect, who acted as the master planner of Regent's Park. Sometimes I see a group of international students from the nearby University of Westminster led by a guide on a tour of Regency London around this park. My guidebook says that we have Henry VIII to thank for Regent's Park, which he confiscated from the Church for hunting grounds, and my London compendium states that King Henry's Road to the north of Primrose Hill takes its name from Henry VI who gave land to Eton College. However, it was during the time of Queen Victoria's reign that Primrose Hill was obtained for the Crown in exchange for the property that Eton College received at Eton. 

Primrose Hill is today considered a part of Regent's Park and offers a panoramic view of London. When visitors gather on top of the hill, they find an inscription in York stone which reads 'I have conversed with the spiritual Sun. I saw him on Primrose Hill', attributed to William Blake who worked as an engraver and remained obscure as a poet in his life. 

London Zoo lies at the foot of this hill. There is a lion's den and butterfly paradise inside the zoo. Before leaving the zoo, visitors are allowed to trade places for a moment and stand behind a wire fence to have a picture taken in front of a sign above stating 'The most destructive animal in the world'. 

Regent's Park is tucked away from the hordes that descend on Hyde Park during the summer months because the Outer Circle of the park isn't used as a bus route, unlike Park Lane. I hear there are plans to close the gates of the park to traffic during peak hours so that cyclists can use it as a highway to travel in and out of London. There are also two new events taking place in Regent's Park since the last decade. The Frieze Art Fair and Taste of London bring an affluent crowd to the park. The former is a gathering of gallery owners showcasing and selling their wares and the latter features restaurateurs who offer a sample tasting of their food for a fee.

Queen Mary's rose garden in the Inner Circle of Regent's Park is usually in bloom in May every year. Also located in the sanctum of the park is an Open Air Theatre presenting plays from May until September; and this year it's playing Henry V from mid-June until the second week of July. In this production, the title role of Henry is played by an actress. 

I took a leisurely walk through the centre of the park one summer's afternoon and when I reached a secluded garden, I found a group of women lying bare-bosomed in the sun. It was like a re-enactment of the scene in Édouard Manet's Le déjeuner sur l'herbe in which two men in full attire are sitting in the company of two naked beauties. Like those men, I looked away and walked hurriedly towards the gates of the park.