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You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/davehillblog/2012/sep/21/royal-parks-half-marathon-st-james-park-unicef
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| St James's Park: filth, thuggery and royals | St James's Park: filth, thuggery and royals |
| (4 months later) | |
| I used to think of St James's Park only as the queen's back garden, but I've now learned that there is more to it than that. Royalty, of course, is a big part of its story but so are leprosy, degeneracy and crocodiles. Suddenly, it seems a lot more interesting. | I used to think of St James's Park only as the queen's back garden, but I've now learned that there is more to it than that. Royalty, of course, is a big part of its story but so are leprosy, degeneracy and crocodiles. Suddenly, it seems a lot more interesting. |
| St James's is one of the four central London parks I'll be running through on 7 October when I take part in the annual Royal Parks Foundation Half Marathon on behalf of Unicef UK. The other three are Hyde, Kensington Gardens and Green, the last of which I'll be writing about next week. | St James's is one of the four central London parks I'll be running through on 7 October when I take part in the annual Royal Parks Foundation Half Marathon on behalf of Unicef UK. The other three are Hyde, Kensington Gardens and Green, the last of which I'll be writing about next week. |
| The magnificent London Encyclopedia tells me that St James's takes its name from a hospital for leper women which was later rebuilt into St James's Palace. Horse Guards Road, which forms the park's eastern boundary, was once a marshy field where the hospital's inmates fed their hogs. Henry VIII had it drained and kept his deer there. James I stocked it with crocodiles and camels and birds in an aviary, which explains the name Birdcage Walk. Charles I traversed it en route to his execution. The Russian ambassador provided it with two pelicans - the breed is an attraction in the park to this day. | The magnificent London Encyclopedia tells me that St James's takes its name from a hospital for leper women which was later rebuilt into St James's Palace. Horse Guards Road, which forms the park's eastern boundary, was once a marshy field where the hospital's inmates fed their hogs. Henry VIII had it drained and kept his deer there. James I stocked it with crocodiles and camels and birds in an aviary, which explains the name Birdcage Walk. Charles I traversed it en route to his execution. The Russian ambassador provided it with two pelicans - the breed is an attraction in the park to this day. |
| By the end of the 17th century, though, the place was becoming less hospitable to most. It tuned into a hang out for prostitutes and a gang of posh street thugs called Mohocks. The waters of the lake became stagnant. But in 1822 the installation of gas lights confirmed a reputational recovery. Today, St James's is as venerable as venerable gets - the oldest London park of them all. | By the end of the 17th century, though, the place was becoming less hospitable to most. It tuned into a hang out for prostitutes and a gang of posh street thugs called Mohocks. The waters of the lake became stagnant. But in 1822 the installation of gas lights confirmed a reputational recovery. Today, St James's is as venerable as venerable gets - the oldest London park of them all. |
| I'm looking forward to the half marathon even more now that autumn, a season I enjoy, is well and truly in the air. I'm also pleased to report that I've exceeded my fund-raising target of £550, with the help of the following kind donors: @IainDale; @Semakaleng; @MaddyMouse; @emmadentcoad; @kingstonnewsed; @Kate_in_E8 ; @JennetteArnold; @MrMustard; @macdermott; @MarkBraund; Professor Anne Power; @Tony_McNulty; @jood88; @AliceBhand; @tds153; @Row13; @writehandmedia; @shfitz; @SteveHilditch; @KarenBuckMP; a man called Bob Larkins with whom I have a mutual friend; a man called Mark, who I think is the one who lives down the road; and someone called Anon. | I'm looking forward to the half marathon even more now that autumn, a season I enjoy, is well and truly in the air. I'm also pleased to report that I've exceeded my fund-raising target of £550, with the help of the following kind donors: @IainDale; @Semakaleng; @MaddyMouse; @emmadentcoad; @kingstonnewsed; @Kate_in_E8 ; @JennetteArnold; @MrMustard; @macdermott; @MarkBraund; Professor Anne Power; @Tony_McNulty; @jood88; @AliceBhand; @tds153; @Row13; @writehandmedia; @shfitz; @SteveHilditch; @KarenBuckMP; a man called Bob Larkins with whom I have a mutual friend; a man called Mark, who I think is the one who lives down the road; and someone called Anon. |
| Thank you, one and all. And now, to £600 and beyond... | Thank you, one and all. And now, to £600 and beyond... |
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