Saint James Park in London

Saint James Park is the oldest royal park in London. In the east the park borders on Whitehall Street and in the west it borders on St. James`s Palace and Buckingham Palace. Its area is only 23 hectares, but it is always full of tourists.

In the 13th century, there was a hospital for lepers named after St. James in this swampy area. King Henry VIII bought these lands and turned them into hunting grounds. He also ordered to build St. James` Palace in the north of the park. It is the oldest palace in London. 

Under King Charles II, the park was modelled as a French garden and opened for visitors. A canal was dug along the whole park, but later it was converted into a landscape lake. Over time the park itself became a landscape one and a great number of trees were planted there. Also, there are a lot of squirrels and various birds, both water birds and simply rare birds, at St. James`s Park.