London’s Holland Park: A Hidden Treasure with a Posing Peacock

A Long-Awaited Discovery

Since my first trip to London in 1997, a humble but well-placed hotel in the Holland Park neighborhood has been my home base more times than I can count. I know the leafy residential streets with their elegant stucco crescent-shaped row houses, the tube stops, even the butcher shop (hello, C. Lidgate’s), but I had never explored the park itself. I didn’t even realize it was there.

What an oversight.

And what a gift to discover it—finally—on the perfect occasion: my 15th anniversary with The Grill-Meister, in June of 2023.

That celebratory trip was magical from start to finish. We began in Scotland, wandered through castles and coasts, then made our way to London, closing out the journey in this neighborhood I know so well. It was during one of those quiet, unplanned mornings that we strolled into Holland Park—and it captured my heart.

Blooms and Bees: Nature in Layers

We wandered past formal flowerbeds, where perfect lines of color stretched like painted quilts, and into more relaxed meadows, where wildflowers ruled.

Gigantic hydrangeas spilled over pathways like they were showing off.

And in the quieter corners, I spotted a bee hovering over Blue Eryngo—a moment I caught in a photo that makes me smile every time I see it.

Everywhere we turned, something else delighted: fountains, families picnicking, artists sketching in solitude. And then we stumbled upon a waterfall, and beyond it, the Kyoto Garden.

A Peaceful Japanese Garden

The Kyoto Garden, nestled in the middle of Holland Park, is a gift from the city of Kyoto to London, established in 1991. A peaceful haven with koi-filled ponds, cascading water, Japanese maples, and stone lanterns, it’s a serene surprise after the buzz of West London. It felt otherworldly—like we’d traveled much farther than our short walk from the hotel.

Sculpture, Stillness and a Posing Peacock

As we wandered deeper into the park, sculptures emerged among the greenery, tucked beside footpaths or framed by roses. One stood out: a man walking, in everyday garb, so different from those statues of famous figures, sitting on their thrones and looking nobly forward like they know they’ll be remembered for hundreds of years. This working man captured my imagination: in mid-stride, hands in pockets, his gaze cast downward like he was deep in thought. There was something about him—quiet, grounded, human. I couldn’t walk past without wondering: Who is he? What’s his story?

A little research once I returned home to Texas revealed that he’s “Walking Man” (1998) by British sculptor Sean Henry, permanently installed in Holland Park near the Kyoto garden. I learned that the artist’s work often honors ordinary people in extraordinary stillness; anonymous figures frozen in time that feel almost real, slightly larger than life, intriguing because they are both present and unknowable. This one struck a chord with me. It felt like he belonged in the park, and in my story of it. I wonder if Sean Henry was inspired by James Taylor’s song, Walking Man:

“Walking man
The walking man walks
Well, any other man stops and talks
But the walking man walks“

You never know, right? There’s a restless energy vibrating in Walking Man’s statuesque stillness, like he’s seeking something and doesn’t have time to stop, just like the walking man in Taylor’s 1970 song.

After we left the Walking Man behind, we made another discovery: a majestic peacock.

It wasn’t shy. It posed for me and I captured it in profile, in repose, and finally, caught my favorite photo: the glorious peacockiness framed by a humble dove in the foreground. Side by side: flamboyance and humility, peacefully coexisting. We could learn some lessons from these birds.

The peacock wasn’t just a highlight—it felt like a symbol. A perfect metaphor for the surprise and wonder of finally stepping into a place that had been waiting for me all along.

A Little History

Holland Park is set within the grounds of what was once Cope Castle, a Jacobean mansion built in the early 1600s. Later renamed Holland House, it was a center for political and literary salons in the 19th century that attracted political and literary elites like Lord Byron, Charles Dickens, and Benjamin Disraeli. Bombed during the blitz in WWII, some of the buildings remained, and the property was purchased by London’s City Council to become a public park and culture center. Wikipedia says:

Today, the remains of Holland House form a backdrop for the open air Holland Park Theatre, home of Opera Holland Park. The Orangery is now an exhibition and function space, with the adjoining former Summer Ballroom now a restaurant, The Belvedere. The former ice house is now a gallery space. The grounds provide sporting facilities, including a cricket pitch, football pitch, and six tennis courts.

More images will help complete the picture for you, with the beautiful brick repurposed ruins providing a sense of that history even amid today’s activities.

Reflections from a Perfect Morning

We didn’t set out to be wowed by a park we’d missed for years. But it turned into a highlight. It’s funny how travel does that—how an unplanned discovery can suddenly bloom into a moment you’ll never forget.

Our 15th anniversary trip was filled with joy and good food (looking at you, Borough Market, and you, Skibo Castle), laughter and celebration. But this peaceful morning walk—this late-in-life discovery of Holland Park—was its own kind of celebration. A reminder that even when you think you know a place, it can still surprise you.

Have you ever overlooked something in a place you thought you knew well? Let me know in the comments—and if you’re headed to London, put Holland Park on your list. Don’t wait as long as I did.

© Glover Gardens, 2025