Space to Visit

Bushy Park is the second largest of the Royal Parks and covers an area of 450 hectares (1,099 acres). Lying north of Hampton Court Palace, the history of the park is inextricably linked to the palace, yet it has always had its own distinct rural character. The famous Arethusa ‘Diana’ Fountain forms the centrepiece to the equally famous Chestnut Avenue. The flat site of Bushy Park has been settled for at least 4,000 years. A Bronze Age barrow and burial mound was excavated near Sandy Lane and the contents are now housed in the British Museum. There are clear remains of medieval settlements, with the finest example found south of Waterhouse Woodland Gardens. Here there are traces of the largest and most complex field system to be found in Middlesex.