LONDON | 27th December 2011

Pomp, Circumstance & Pelicans

A Parade Around Magnificent St James's Park

One of my regular weekly perambulations sees me taking in the delights of St James's Park. If any part of London can deliver an air of pomp and circumstance year round, then it has to be the Royal Park of St James. Here a bowler hat and tightly furled umbrella would never seem out of place.

On the famous Blue Bridge, walking north looking left, Buckingham Palace dominates the skyline, and to the right, the Whitehall rooftops, the London Eye and the parade ground of the famous Horseguards. Here red-jacketed Guardsmen practice their ‘Beating Retreat’, performing manoeuvres to the stroke of a drum.

Guardsmen are not the only colourful spectacle to be found in St James's. Flora and fauna are in abundance and a worthwhile diversion around the park would take you to Duck Island, where ducks, geese and pelicans can be found. Originally a gift to the monarch from Russia in the 1600s, pelicans have become a traditional gift to the Crown from visiting foreign dignitaries.

Onto The Mall, a royal welcome awaits everyone with the magnificent view of Buckingham Palace fronted by the splendour of the Queen Victoria Memorial; the red tarmac a permanent red carpet setting out the route of ceremonial processions up to Admiralty Arch. Tourists come and go seeking out the parades of shops that line Piccadilly, however for me, it is St James's Park that provides the finest parade of all.

This lovely thing to do in London was kindly shared by Dickie Wilkinson - gentleman about town and designer of mens accessories.

Photo courtesy of fmpgoh on Flickr

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