IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
Sandy Lane, KINGSTON UPON THAMES, KT1 4BB

Bushy Park has quite a network of ornamental ponds and streams, based on water from the Longford River, itself a man made canal built to supply Hampton Court Palace. The path here is Cobblers Walk, a cycleway providing an alternative route through the park if you fancy a change from the London Loop.

Timothy Bennet [1679 - 1756] was an elderly shoemaker who in threatened to take Lord Halifax to court when Lord Halifax closed the path to Kingston through Bushy Park. The threat was enough, and the path was re-opened. It is still a public footpath today, called Cobbler's Walk. The monument was erected in 1900.

Bushy Park is a deer park, with a brick wall like this running around most of it. These steel cage type deer proof gates are at intervals. Look at the chimneys on that block behind. Imagine them all smoking at once. No wonder they used to have smog so often.

A branch of the Longford River in Bushy Park as seen from Cobbler's Walk Bridge.

Bushy was one of the three parks enclosed by Cardinal Wolsey in the early 16th century as part of his Hampton Court estate which was built from 1515 and given to Henry VIII along with the palace in 1525. In 1638-9 Charles I had a tributary of the River Colne diverted through Bushy Park to form the Longford River, bringing water right into the grounds of Hampton Court Palace. This provided a water supply for the various water features in Bushy Park as well. Numerous smaller ponds and other water features in Bushy Park have been added at various times since the 16th century. This is the outflow from Leg of Mutton Pond looking towards Sandy Lane at Hampton Wick.

Not a natural watercourse.

Fungus growing at the base of a tree trunk.

I expect most people coming here think Shaef is someone's name, but once I was told otherwise I found it meant Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force, which the road opposite and gate are named after, including a plaque in memory of the troops who fought on the beaches in Normandy.

Looking quite open - just one large willow tree is visible at the far end of the Leg of Mutton Pond close to where the watercourse (a part of the Longford River) enters the lake. This view is from below the outflow of this lake.