Heritage Trails

The Palace Playground

Welcome to Bushy Park and our heritage trail, Palace Playground. This trail takes you on a journey through the history of Bushy Park.

Details

Start and Finish: Disabled Gate into Pheasantry Garden.
Length: 2 miles or nearly 3km.
Duration: 1 ½ hour.
Accessibility of route: Grass and gravel paths, some slopes and uneven ground.
Hazards: Busy road to cross, unfenced edge of pond, a few short steep slopes.
Number of stops: 10.

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Stops are marked on the map with their number. Print the map to go with your Podcast.

Directions

To find the start - Stop 1: This is at the gate into the Pheasantry Gardens, near the small car park for disabled visitors. Make sure you are inside the gardens and you can see the trees and lawns in front of you. If you’re in the right place, there will be one path in front of you and another one that goes off to your left.

Audio guide for Stop 1

To find Stop 2: Follow the path on your left round the garden for 3 or 4 minutes until you come to a bridge over a stream. Cross the bridge and take the short path on your left to a gate in the fence. Go through the gate and head for a tall dead tree also on your left. From here, look for a wide road ahead of you. This is Chestnut Avenue. Walk through the trees and stop on the open grass beside Chestnut Avenue.

Audio guide for Stop 2

To find Stop 3: Cross Chestnut Avenue. Take care because it can be busy and watch your footing on the slopes. When you’ve crossed the avenue, look through the trees for an old black water pump on a brick base. From the pump, look straight ahead for a white railing. The railing is Stop 3.

Audio guide for Stop 3

To find Stop 4: From the white railing, walk along the Longford River with the water on your right. Continue until you come to a wooden bridge. Don’t cross the bridge but follow the edge of the pond, keeping the water on your right until you reach a narrow channel of water. This joins the pond on your right to a second larger pond on your left. The channel is Stop 4.

Audio guide for Stop 4

To find Stop 5: Turn round and return to the wooden bridge. Cross the bridge and walk along the path with the water on your left towards a second bridge and the car park. Here, turn left and walk round the edge of the car park.

You’ll eventually come to a refreshment van near the car park entrance. From the van, face the entrance of the car park. Follow the edge of the road out of the car park until you see a stone plinth ahead of you with a statue on top. Walk towards the statue, across the grass until you come to a circular road. Cross the road (taking care of the traffic) and walk down to a pond with the statue in the middle.

Audio guide for Stop 5

To find Stop 6: Walk round the circular pond until you can see the face of the statue. This is Stop 6.

Audio guide for Stop 6

To find Stop 7: Turn round so that you have your back to the statue and the car park. Walk across the grass to the circular road. Cross the road, taking care of the traffic. You’ll now be able to see a road leading out of the park, towards Hampton Court Palace. Make sure you are on the right hand side of this road. Walk alongside the road until you reach the park gate. Stay inside the park and turn right. You are now walking alongside the backs of houses. Keep the houses on your left and walk until you are clear of the trees. This is Stop 7.

Audio guide for Stop 7

To find Stop 8: Return to the line of trees along the bottom part of Chestnut Avenue. Now turn so that Chestnut Avenue is on your right and the walls of the houses and the park gate are behind you. You can count the trees to help you find the next stop. Walk away from the houses, along the line of trees, until you reach the 10th tree. This point is Stop 8.

Audio guide for Stop 8

To find Stop 9: If you’re standing by the 10th tree furthest from the houses, look for a path that starts here and heads left across the park, away from the avenue. Follow this path until you reach a narrow tarmac drive. You should now be level with the fountain on your right. Cross the drive and walk onto the grass. You should now be able to see White Lodge in the distance on your left.

Continue walking in the same direction until you see a low stone bridge in the grass, where a river goes underground. From the low stone bridge, continue walking in the same direction. You’ll come to a surfaced path. Join this and continue walking towards a wooden fence. You’ll eventually see a large dead tree stump near the fence. Just to the right of this is a white railing. The railing is Stop 9.

Audio guide for Stop 9

To find Stop 10: Stand next to the white railing and turn so that you have your back to Chestnut Avenue. Walk over to the large dead tree and look beyond it to the wooden fence around the Pheasantry Garden. Go through the gate in the fence and walk onto the wooden bridge in front of you. This is Stop 10.

Audio guide for Stop 10

To return to the start: Cross the wooden bridge and take the path on the opposite side of the stream. Follow this path round the garden for about five minutes until you come to a gate in a fence on your right hand side.