Finsbury Park, Stoke Newington, near Alexandra Park, was opened in August, 1869.
Southwark Park was opened about the same time. Though small, they are great boons to the working classes.
Zoological Gardens.—At the northern extremity of the Regent’s Park are the Zoological Gardens, the property of the Zoological Society, and established in 1826. These gardens are very extensive; and being removed from the dingy atmosphere, noise, and bustle of London, present an agreeable and country-like aspect. The grounds have been disposed in picturesque style—here a clump of shrubby trees and border of flowers, indigenous and exotic; there a pretty miniature lake; and at intervals a neat rustic cottage, with straw-thatched roof and honeysuckled porch. Much of the ground, also, is occupied as green meadows, either subdivided into small paddocks for deer and other quadrupeds, or dotted with movable trellis-houses, the abodes of different kinds of birds which require the refreshing exercise of walking on the green turf. Throughout the whole, neat gravel-walks wind their serpentine course, and conduct the visitor to the carnivora-house, reptile-house, bear-pit, monkey-house, aviaries, aquaria, and other departments of the establishment. The collection of animals is unquestionably the finest in England. The gardens are open every week-day, from 9 till sunset, for the admission of visitors, who pay 1s. each at the gate, or 6d. on Mondays. On Saturday afternoon, in summer, one of the Guards’ bands generally plays for an hour or two. On Sunday Fellows are admitted, and non-Fellows by a Fellow’s order.
Botanical Gardens.—These are also situated in the Regent’s Park, occupying the chief portion of the space within the inner circle. They belong to the Botanical Society, and contain a very choice collection of trees, shrubs, flowers, and plants generally. Admission by strangers can only be obtained through the medium of the members, or occasionally on the payment of rather a high fee. On the days of the principal flower and plant shows, these gardens are especially distinguished by the display of aristocratic fashion and beauty.
Horticultural Gardens.—These beautiful new grounds are objects of attraction on many accounts—their merit in connection with garden architecture, the interest attending the flower-shows there held, and the special relation existing between the grounds and the Exhibitions at Brompton. You can enter them by the gates in Exhibition Road and Prince Albert Road, South Kensington. A few years ago, besides an office in London, the society had only facilities at Chiswick for holding the great flower-shows. The present arrangement is in all respects a superior one. Twenty acres of land were purchased or rented from the Commissioners of the Great Exhibition of 1851, between the Kensington and Brompton Roads; the subscribers of the purchase-money being admitted to membership on favourable conditions. The ground is laid out in three terraces, rising successively in elevation, and surrounded by Italian arcades open to the gardens. There are also cascades and waterworks. The highest terrace has a spacious conservatory, to form a winter-garden. Mr. Sidney Smith is the architect. The last Great Exhibition building was so planned as to form a vast southern background to the gardens; and the latter were spread out in all their beauty, as seen from certain points in the former. During the summer months the gardens are open on certain occasions to the public by paying, the days and terms being duly advertised in the newspapers and journals. Near these gardens is the towering Royal Albert Hall of Science and Art, which was formally opened by Queen Victoria, on the 29th of March, 1871. The fact of 8,000 people attending within one building to witness the opening of it, will shew its vast size. The sum of £200,000, up to that date, had been expended on it. The Hall, in some sense, has been erected in memory of the late Prince Consort, whose aspirations, during his honourable life here, were always towards whatever tended to the moral and intellectual culture of the people of this country. The management of the undertaking is entrusted to the energetic attention of the scientific men to whom we owe the South Kensington Museum.
OMNIBUSES; TRAMWAYS; CABS; RAILWAYS; STEAMERS.
Omnibuses.—Very few indeed of the regular old-fashioned coaches are now to be seen in London. Most of the places within twenty miles of the metropolis, on every side, are supplied with omnibuses instead. The first omnibus was started by Mr. Shillibeer, from Paddington to the Bank, July 4, 1829. From a return with which, by the courtesy of Colonel Henderson, C.B., Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, Scotland Yard, we were kindly favoured, we gathered, that up to date of the communication in question,—viz., 28th June, 1870,—the number of such vehicles licensed in the Metropolitan district was 1,218. Every omnibus and hackney carriage within the Metropolitan district and the City of London, and the liberties thereof, has to take out a yearly license, in full force for one year, unless revoked or suspended; and all such licenses are to be granted by the Commissioners of Police, whose officers are constantly inspecting these public vehicles. Generally speaking, each omnibus travels over the same route, and exactly the same number of times, day after day, with the exception of some few of the omnibuses which go longer journeys than the rest, and run not quite so often in winter as in summer. Hence the former class of omnibus comes to be associated with a particular route. It is known to the passengers by its colour, the name of its owner, the name given to the omnibus itself, or the places to and from which it runs, according to circumstances. The designations given to the omnibuses, whether meaning or unmeaning in themselves, are found to be very convenient, because they are generally written in large conspicuous characters. This being an important matter to strangers, we shall give a condensed list of some of the chief omnibus routes in London in the Appendix.
Large omnibuses, to work on street tramways, after having been tried within the last few years, having evoked angry discussion between opponents and defenders, and having been entirely withdrawn, have now been revived, from Brixton Church to Kennington Gate, on the Mile End and Whitechapel Roads, City Road, Kingsland, &c., &c., and are rapidly extending.