victoria park


Keeping with the parks theme this past few days, another option for the park lover in east London is Victoria Park.  It is one of the larger parks in the capital with picturesque sceneries and interesting historical structures.

There are two grand monuments in the park that were of particular interest to me.  First is the drinking fountain erected by a wealthy philanthropist Angela Burdett-Coutts in 1862.  She did this to provide clean drinking water to the impoverished 'east enders'.  The structure itself is magnificent with beautiful christian insignia.

Second is a Chinese pagoda which was originally built at the Hyde Park in 1842, but was moved to Victoria park.  The original one that was moved sustained damage during the 2nd World War, but was very recently restored from old photographs and the memory of eye witnesses.

There is a very nice cafe, Pavilion, right by the Victoria Park lake, which itself is a calming sight while one sips on a hot cappuccino.  Or a green tea.  Or whatever.

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