AGM – come and hear about achievements and plans

 Wed 15 April 7.30 pm in The Orangery, Holland Park 

Please put the date in your diary and do come and join us. The formal part (voting to approve the 2025 accounts and voting for your trustees) is usually over quickly, and then we will have time to talk about future projects and to hear your comments, questions  and suggestions. The park continues to look impressive, in spite of significant challenges due to cuts in the Council’s budgets and process restrictions because of the major Cyber-attack on the Council’s website in December. As always, there is a great deal going on in the park and we are working closely with the parks teams to get projects agreed, paid for and implemented.

Our president, Eric Ellul, will chair the meeting and keep it all on track and on time.

Often, when it seems things are going well, people don’t feel they need to come to the AGM.  But please do come as these are challenging times and we would like you to be part of the discussion. We also need your votes at the meeting to ensure your committee remains in place to carry on the work. Come with your thoughtful questions and share your ideas. The trustees need your support and want to know that we are representing you.   

Members should please register to attend by contacting your chairman on jennie.kettlewell@thefriendsofhollandpark.org or calling 020 7243 0804.

We look forward to seeing lots of you on Wed 15 April.

Photo by Jennie Kettlewell.

[February 2026]

Holland Park’s original Japanese Garden

If you stand by the Ecology Centre and look east, you will see the ground cover has been cleared to reveal some old stones descending from the higher ground down towards where you are standing. What you are looking at is the original Japanese Garden. The water started from a spring near the current Holland Park Pond, and burbled through Sir Walter Cope’s Water Garden and rockery until it reached a pond roughly where today’s Kyoto Pond is sited. The Japanese Garden was created around 1900, starting at the bottom of the Water Garden, with a watercourse linking a series of small ponds and terminating at the entrance to the Adventure Playground. These gardens were a collaboration between the 5th Earl of Ilchester and his head gardener, Charles Dixon. 

Some eight years ago, then head gardener, Rob May, planted drifts of snowdrops to emulate the water flowing down through the Japanese Garden. Look carefully, and you can see those lovely flowers heralding the spring once again. It is now the plan to keep this area cleared so we can enjoy the historic garden.

Illustration by Mike Thrift.

[February 2026]

Changes in the Parks Teams

We are fortunate to have council officers who not only run Holland Park very ably, but they work well together as a team and they involve The Friends in much of the strategy and many day-to-day decisions. Two of the team will take voluntary redundancy from the start of April, with compensating promotions.

Ullash Karia

We have known Ullash since he took on the role of Head of Leisure and Parks for RBKC 16 years ago. He presided over the building of the large and popular Leisure Centre in the north of the borough in 2016, which was fitting as he is a real sports enthusiast. He has chosen voluntary redundancy from his role managing parks, open spaces, cemeteries, capital projects, sports development, the Ecology Service, community gardens team and leisure centres. He has always given his teams credit for good work and was particularly proud of his team collecting the top award for demonstrating core Council values of respect, integrity and working together. His real passion is cricket and he is a qualified coach as well as being an avid sports and wellness coach. Ullash has always been open with The Friends about successes and challenges, so that we could work together to make positive changes. We will certainly miss him.

Sergeant Helen Tilbury

We will miss Helen too when she takes voluntary redundancy after nearly 20 years with the Parks Police Service. You will know her from her patrols around the park, giving help to those who needed it and keeping her eye on everything. The Parks Police keep us all safe but often do so by preventing trouble and we have often seen Helen sit down with someone to understand the underlying problem. She has known the park since childhood and we will all miss her significant experience as well as her regular contact with The Friends, keeping us in touch with what’s happening in the park and often helping us set up our events. It is likely there will be some restructuring of the Parks Police so that they can continue to operate with two teams to give daily cover and keep us all safe.   

Parks Management

Current Parks Manager, Monica Castelino, will be promoted to take on the post left vacant by Ullash Karia – Leisure and Parks Manager. This means she will add the remit for managing the sports and leisure portfolio. We are delighted to see Monica promoted and feel it is well-deserved, based on her impressive record.  She has worked in the parks team since 2007, displaying a calm and can-do attitude and being decisive, which saves so much time. As a friend of The Friends, she has worked closely with us from topline strategy to daily detail, willing to talk things through when opinions have differed. Parks Projects Manager, Sarah Brion, will move to Monica’s team to take responsibility for cemeteries, the idverde contract and parks projects. The Friends have worked with Sarah on several projects and currently on conservation of the Old Dairy. 

The above news means changes to who we work with in the park, but we are reassured that we know all those stepping up to take on different roles.  We wish Ullash and Helen well in what they choose to do now and we won’t lose touch with them. We wish Monica every success in her new role and wish Sarah and the rest of the parks team enjoyment in what they do. The Friends feel fortunate to know you all.

Jennie Kettlewell: Photos by RBKC

[February 2026]

Sandra French

This is very hard to write. Sandra French, a very loyal and active trustee for The Friends, died on 19 December.  We had known she was very ill, but it still comes as a shock when someone close to us is no longer there.

Sandra was a true one-off.  She warned me when she became a trustee that she would ask awkward questions and come up with lots of ideas which we would then have to implement. She did all of that. Her ideas were relevant and well thought through so we did implement them.  One was the pop-event which we now hold regularly in the park. Another was the installation of a display cabinet for our merchandise in the park office.  The most recent was a colouring book, based on Holland Park, which is now being produced. Even when she was seriously ill in hospital, she emailed me with an idea for the park. And I can remember her asking challenging questions that showed she really thought about what we were discussing. She told us: “I’m Australian, so I’ll say it straight.” 

Beyond her great usefulness as a trustee was the fact she was a hugely positive person and she was such FUN to work with. When everything was going on at our annual art exhibition - the card machine wasn’t working, an artist had parked his car in the rose garden, we couldn’t borrow the park’s step ladder for hanging works and the green dots had gone missing – she just said “Okaaaaaaaay” and got on with sorting everything out.  

Sandra, together with husband Gordon and daughter Alex, was instrumental in delivering The Friends’ annual art exhibition. We are managing, with a small support team, to get this year’s exhibition organised to the usual high standard but we do miss her. She did far more than our art exhibition, cheerfully manning our pop-up stall having brought a big bunch of balloons with her, welcoming visitors at the reception desk at all of our events, helping organise food for our events. She played a big part in what The Friends do and in raising our profile in the local community and we will never forget that.

By Jennie Kettlewell

[February 2026]

Membership Discount Cards and Subscriptions 2026

Payment for 2026. If the order form included with your newsletter is green, it means that your members’ discount card will expire on 15 March and you will no longer be able to enjoy the discounts, or our informative newsletters. To continue to enjoy this benefit, please renew your membership now. All subscriptions were due on 1 January, except for those who paid after 1 September 2025. 

There are several ways to renew your membership. You can pay on our website www.thefriendsofhollandpark. Or you can send a cheque, payable to The Friends of Holland Park, to Margaret Rhodes, 25 Princedale Road, London W11 4NW. 

Standing order for 2027 onwards. You need to pay the 2026 membership subscription now, but it helps us if you complete a bank Standing Order form, as it means your membership payment will be paid by your bank each year, and you will not have to remember to do it. You cannot complete a Standing Order form on our website, but you can use the one on the back of the green order form with this newsletter. 

Donations. Some members choose to add a donation, which is appreciated. If you pay through our website, you can donate by clicking on an obvious yellow button on the home page.

Membership rates. Membership is £12 a year, or £9 for the over 65s. Joint subscriptions, for two people at the same address, cost £20, or £15 where both are over 65.  

Our records are not infallible, so do contact Graham Franklin on 07802 761 548 or ggfranklin3@aol.com if you have a query.

However you pay, we are most grateful for your support, as the more members we have the more influence we can bring to bear in achieving our priorities for this wonderful park.

Rhoddy Wood

[February 2026]

Summer party in the park

Monday, 13 July 2026, 6-8pm in the marquee east of the Dutch Garden

Save the date in your diary and we will tell you more about it in our summer newsletter, on our park noticeboards and on our website, saying when and how you can book. The party is for members of The Friends only, though members are welcome to buy a ticket for a guest. It is the perfect place for a summer party, as the marquee offers a fine view of the seasonal planting in the formal garden. In past years we’ve had both heavy rain and hot sun on the occasions of our party – the marquee provides shelter from both! This venue is kindly loaned to us for the evening by Opera Holland Park. 

[February 2026]

Collapse of much-loved tree

The Eleagnus angustifolia (Russian Olive) has inevitably collapsed. The Friends have been asking for some ten years for it to be fenced off to deter the builders who loved to sit on the bottom branch and children who loved to climb it. The record is seven children at one time. The tree never got protected and is now on its way out. What a shame. We hope another of the same species can be planted in its place.

Photo by Jennie Kettlewell

[February 2026]

Holland House in the Second World War

On 7th July 1939, as war clouds gathered over Europe, Holland House enjoyed its final celebration as a party house. Its owner, the 6th Earl of Ilchester, lent the house to The Hon. Ronald and Mrs Cubitt for a party to celebrate the eighteenth birthday of their daughter, Rosalind (later the mother of Queen Camilla).  There were over one thousand guests, including Noel Coward, the Maharajah of Jaipur and Joseph Kennedy, the US Ambassador; and the King and Queen dined in the House beforehand.  Music was provided by Ambrose and his Orchestra.  It was one of the great debutante balls of the 1939 Season.

Less than two months later, Germany invaded Poland and the country went to war.  Lord Ilchester and his family spent the War in their main residence, Melbury House in Dorset, and Holland House was closed up for the duration. The most valuable pictures, books and furniture (and Canova’s bust of Napoleon) were removed to Melbury, as was Toby, the pony who pulled the lawn mower. The Steward and a small staff remained, living in the Stable Block, to look after the House and its grounds. The Steward became an ARP Warden, and the staff were all trained in fire-fighting.

At the same time the golf club, which had leased the land to the south of the House, closed and its place was taken by barrage balloons (and their concrete bases); later, the field was used for training by the Home Guard.

Three weeks after the start of the Blitz, three high explosive bombs fell in the grounds, doing minor damage to the House.  A few days later, in the night of 27/28 September 1940, a container of incendiary bombs and an oil bomb fell in the centre of the House. A subsequent report that the fire watchers had been distracted by a fire in the estate was indignantly denied by Lord Ilchester in a letter to the Times; his Steward, the ARP Warden, saw the bombs fall and, with his staff, immediately tackled the fire, assisted by the Fire Brigade which arrived within ten minutes of his first report. However, the water pressure failed and the entire centre of the House was gutted before the fire could be brought under control. 

Lord Ilchester’s staff tidied up the debris, salvaging the books from the library (later sold at auction in 1947 for a total of £5,280), but nothing was done to protect the ruins from the weather. A member of the Society for the Preservation of Ancient Buildings (SPAB) wrote in 1942 that: “Lord Ilchester has been so stunned by his loss that he inclines to the view that it is irreparable.  The spectacle of his beloved home in ruins has induced a kind of fatalistic – even apathetic – state of mind …” Indeed, for the next ten years the ruin was simply allowed to decay.

Most of the external walls of the House remained standing, and the famous photograph of the library shortly after the bombing seemed to show that, apart from the destroyed roof, the structure was in good condition.  The organisations with an interest in the House – the SPAB, the War Damage Commission, the Ministry of Works and, from 1947, the Ministry of Town and Country Planning – all started with the view that the building could somehow be saved.  But the near total loss of the original Jacobean features in the centre of the House, and the defective state of such Jacobean brickwork as survived, even before the lack of protective works enabled further damage, convinced each organisation in turn that any full reconstruction was not feasible.

In the meantime, Lord Ilchester had been discussing a possible sale to the London County Council. By late 1945, there was tentative agreement on the sum of £715,000.  The negotiations stalled, however, over the impact of war damage compensation - whether the amount of such compensation should be the value of the House before the bombing, or the cost of reconstructing it; and whether Lord Ilchester or the LCC should claim it (and therefore take the risk as to how much it would be).

The Town & Country Planning Act 1947, introducing compulsory purchase for the value of the land as it was, introduced a further complication. Backsliding by the LCC, an arbitration and some hard talking behind the scenes resulted in a Private Act of Parliament confirming the sale for £250,000; the Earl was entitled to receive in addition any war damage compensation, although if that took the payment to him above £715,000, the balance would go to the LCC.  The sale took effect on 22 May 1952.

Like its predecessors, the LCC first contemplated preserving the structure; the time that it took for this optimism to be displaced, and the slow progress of the difficult and dangerous demolition, gave time for the proposal for a Youth Hostel to take root.  This enabled the preservation of the East Wing and the construction of the Youth Hostel was completed in 1957 and is still in use today.

Rowan Freeland

Photos courtesy of National Archives

Rowan is one of the Blue Badge Guides who leads tours covering the history of Holland House and its pleasure grounds. Regular tours will run throughout 2026, led by Rowan or Leila Sukiur. Tour dates are listed  under Dates for your Diary, together with booking instructions. The first tour is on Sat. 7 March, which will be the last chance to see the conserved exterior of grade 1 listed Holland House before the terrace closes for the opera season. On 25 April, Rowan will lead a tour on how Holland House survived two world wars.

[February 2026]

Egyptian geese

It is not unusual to see a pair of Egyptian geese in Holland Park and our pair seem to have taken up residence by the Iris Garden pond. Not actually a goose, this species is related to the Shelduck but is bigger. They favour sites by fresh water, rest on land and tend to nest in trees. It would be interesting if our pair build their nest inside the top of the tower. The bird in our photo was noticed by a young birdwatching enthusiast on The Friends’ 7 February bird walk, led by ornithologist, Bill Haines.

Text & photo by Jennie Kettlewell

[February 2026]

Tea bush

Holland Park is rightly famous for its Camellias. Following a talk to our members by Jonathan Jones of the Tregothnan Tea Estate in Cornwall, we bought a tea bush (Camellia sinensis) from him for £250 and it was planted in the Camellia bed north of the Dutch Garden. It flowered prolifically, but the gardener who had looked after it left and the little bush languished. It was taken into the nursery yard to recover and has hidden there for the past six years. Head Gardener, Martin Moore, has rescued it and it is once again in the Camellia Bed where it belongs. Thank you, Martin.

Photo by idverde.

[February 2026]

News update as at 3 November

Conservation of Holland Park’s Old Dairy 

In early October The Friends heard that we were successful in our application for NCIL (Neighbourhood Community Infrastructure Levy) funding. This much-needed award helps us fund the work to conserve the ornate Old Dairy. This will allow all users of the park, and future generations, to have a chance to see it via a new viewing window. We would like to thank all those at RBKC that helped us with their advice and support of the application to enable this achievement.

Quietly in parallel, Sarah Brion, Senior Project Manager in the Parks team placed the heritage conservation and maintenance work out for tender. With help from our Heritage architects, a list of suitable contractors and suppliers was complied. The tender is due back in mid-November.  After which we will firm up on when the work will start.

A purchase order has also been raised for the specialist conservator who will work on the Old Dairy. He is currently preparing method statements for the conservation work.

Photo Penny Robbins

Drinking Water fountain near the Stable Yard

The drinking water fountain, originally donated by The Friends, will be refreshed in November. The masonry pillar will be cleaned, and the two existing fountains will be replaced with a new stainless steel water bottle filler on one side, and a new replacement drinking fountain on the other side. This fountain is much used and we are sure that the improvements will be appreciated.

Photo Jennie Kettlewell

Holland Park Toilets

In our Autumn newsletter we wrote that there had been some dissatisfaction with aspects of the recently relocated toilets on the East face of the Stable Yard building. Old buildings are always complicated to work with, but the RBKC Parks team have found a way to make an improvement by rehanging the door on the female toilets, so that it opens inwards. This will hopefully ameliorate congestion that sometimes occurs in the ‘lobby area’ within the entrance doors to the toilets. Feedback, positive and negative, is always appreciated and can be registered on the RBKC website.

Planting, caring then thriving

In November 2022 four Kentucky Coffee trees and four Southern Nettle trees were planted along the northern flank of the sports field. All were bought as large trees. Large trees need large tree pits and these were dug by the RBKC grave digger! The trees were well planted by Bartletts with pc Nicholas Henry of the Parks Police lending a hand. What is imortant is that the eight trees have been looked after since that time by the idverde team who have watered them when needed, cleared the weeds from round the trunk and kept chestnut fencing in place to protect the trees. All the trees are well established and have thrived, so the chestnut fencing can now be removed. This is the principle behind the park’s tree planting:
• Plant a limited number of trees every two years. The idverde team have been trained on tree planting by one of the RBKC tree officers.
• It starts with the space and the right tree is chosen to fill it from a tree ‘wish list’.
• The trees are watered for the first two years.
• The newly planted trees are monitored by idverde to check if any treatment is needed and that the trees are growing straight.  

Cracked pillar on the upper walkway

A brick pillar on the upper walkway on the west side of the café yard has separated from its base and the result is that a structural survey is being carried out so that the necessary repairs can be implemented to the pillar as well as the long-awaited work to prevent water ingress above the marouflage paintings. We hope this will happen quickly and the two canvases, which have been repaired and are in storage, can be re-installed in their rightful place. 

Photo Jennie Kettlewell

[November 2025]

Celebrating Success with completion of the Horticulture Course 

We are delighted to celebrate Pete Page’s successful completion of the Introduction to Horticulture Course, held in the inspiring setting of Holland Park. Pete is one of Holland Park’s hardworking gardeners.

Led by Gerry Kelsey, idverde’s Community and Training Manager,  whose strong theoretical knowledge and practical expertise shaped the programme, the course offered participants a comprehensive foundation in essential horticultural skills. From plant identification and pruning techniques to the care and maintenance of flower beds, each session was designed to build confidence and hands-on experience.

Importantly, the course also equips students with the right theoretical tools to support their future careers in horticulture — blending practical know-how with a solid understanding of plant science, design principles, and environmental awareness.

Pete was joined by other candidates from across the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC), all contributing to a collaborative and inspiring learning environment.

Congratulations to Pete and all participants — we look forward to seeing how their green journeys continue to flourish! Congratulations are also due to Gerry for his dedication to helping others learn.

Photo idverde

[November 2025]

Festive event in Holland Park

On Saturday 29 November The Friends will celebrate the festive season with an event in Holland Park’s Café Yard. We will have a free activity for children to enjoy. There will be a festive fir tree, supplied by Rassells, which will become our ‘wishing tree’.  Some people are less fortunate and do not have a friend or relative to wish them well over the festive season. Any visitor to our event can write a ‘best wishes’ message on one of the coloured labels provided and tie it onto the tree. Once it is decorated with best wishes labels, the tree will be donated to a local charity. 

Best of all, we will be visited by The Worshipful the Mayor and Mayoress of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, Cllr. Tom Bennett and his wife Mrs Beatrice Bennett. They will arrive in their official car at around 11.30am and join in the festivities.If their duties allow, two of the Met police horse division will visit us on horseback. There will be carrots available for children to feed to the horses, provided adults check first with the police riders. There will also be Polo mints to feed to the horses, not to the police, who prefer coffee! 

Our stall will have Christmas cards and small Christmas gifts for sale, such as flowered Holland Park tea towels and a Holland Park themed Snakes & Ladders game.  And there will be a whole table of tempting cakes for sale from Holland Park Café.

Come and say ‘hello’. Join in the fun and it’s an opportunity to ask any questions you have about Holland Park or The Friends. We will be at the stall from 10am to 3.00pm.

[November 2025]

Stunningly Red

This autumn we have seen unusually vibrant colours, as the leaves of Holland Park’s trees turned spectacularly red and gold. Photosynthesis slows in autumn and the green from chlorophyl starts to disappear, leaving underlying oranges and yellow pigments called carotenoids. Some trees create new red and purple pigments in autumn, with a chemical called anthocyanin. This year has been dry and sunny and the more sunlight a leaf is exposed to the more sugar is produced. The more sugars there are in a leaf, the redder the leaf becomes.          

Photo Jennie Kettlewell                                                                                                             

[November 2025]                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

New Friends & Neighbours

It has been a particularly successful year for businesses wanting to join our Friends & Neighbours scheme to offer a discount to our members.

Our most recent partner is The Belvedere Restaurant, in Holland Park itself, who offer 10% discount on food and drink on Tuesday to Friday evenings. The Belvedere is sited in the historic building that used to be the Summer Ballroom for Holland House. In 2022 it was painstakingly redecorated to echo the original splendour of the building, and is now a warm and welcoming space with seating on the ground floor, mezzanine and terrace overlooking the Iris Garden. 

16 more partners provide discounts for The Friends of Holland Park. Please consider these businesses when you are buying your Christmas presents, want a treat for yourself, or are looking for somewhere to book for a Christmas meal or children’s party. Further details can be found on our website under Downloads heading.

Photo Belvedere Restaurant

[November 2025]

Horse chestnut trees

So many park visitors have asked this year if the Aesculus Hippocastanum (Horse Chestnut) trees are dying, because their leaves were brown and crispy long before autumn. 

Fortunately, the leaves that are brown and dead before their time are not a sign that the trees are on their way out, but are a result of drought. RBKC Tree Officer, Jessica Stocks, tells us: “Horse chestnuts go into dormancy earlier than other species for a few reasons. Firstly, they are non-native and are therefore less evolved to our weather patterns. They prefer a drier climate and the increasingly drier conditions in the UK seem to have resulted in far fewer instances of bacterial canker. But drought places great stress on a tree's vascular system so there is a limit to how dry it can get. Secondly, the leaves are constantly affected by leaf miner which limits the trees’ ability to photosynthesise as effectively. Therefore, the trees get relatively less energy and a low-energy/stressed tree will go into dormancy earlier to conserve stores.  So, the trees are not dying, but the signs are reflective of natural adaptations to the growing conditions.”

Jessica fulfils the important role of monitoring the park’s many trees. Nothing is felled without good reason and, for preference, she will keep checking on trees if she thinks disease may be taking a hold and preserve them as long as it is safe to do so. We agree that trees are one of the delights that make Holland Park so special and we need to ensure that continues for future generations.  

The Friends do what we can to boost the health of Horse Chestnuts in Holland Park. Twice each year, we fund tree specialists, Bartletts, to carry out a soil drench of the four big trees on the margin of the car park, with a view to reducing the effect of the leaf miner. They also spray the bark of the whole row of trees in Chestnut Avenue to encourage the tree to put out its own natural defences against canker, so it is interesting to hear that canker has been less prevalent this year.

Photo Jennie Kettlewell 

[November 2025]

Bird-ringing demonstration

Professional ornithologist, Bill Haines, was delighted to find a group of 30 enthusiasts waiting for him when he arrived to set up the mist nets for the bird-ringing demonstration in Holland Park at 7.30am on Saturday 25 October. He was kept busy for the whole event, both by a steady supply of birds for ringing and an equally steady supply of visitors. It was good to see children showing so much interest in the netting, weighing, sexing, health-checking and finally ringing of a range of species including blackbird, goldcrest, long tailed tits, blackcaps, coal tit and a wren. The goldcrest, Britain’s smallest bird, was so tiny and delicate that one can scarcely believe the species braves migration across the North Sea. 

The comment was made that Holland Park has a particularly rich bird population. This is due to our very well managed habitats, courtesy of the RBKC Ecology Service.

Photos RBKC Ecology Service

[November 2025]

Subscription renewals and membership cards

We hope you have enjoyed the benefits of membership over the past year and we thank you for your support, which helps us have a strong voice when we are negotiating work to ensure our fragile park stays as beautiful as it is. 

Membership is due for renewal on 1 January each year. Some of you (around 60% of members) make doing this easier for you and for us by arranging a standing order with your bank. Others must remember to renew, or it takes the time of our volunteer trustees to send out reminders. 

For those of you who last paid before 1 September 2025 and do not have a standing order, now is the time to pay for your membership in 2026, using the order form enclosed with this newsletter, or on our website, www.thefriendsofhollandpark.org, or by contacting your bank. 

If in doubt about when you last paid, check with Graham Franklin 07802 761 548, or ggfranklin3@aol.com. 

If you would like to set up a standing order, we can help by supplying a form and sending it to your bank for you. Our bank details are Account No. 60636975 Sort Code 20-47-34. The banks can’t always be relied upon to activate the standing order and it is more reliable if you tell them yourself by your preferred method – telephone, banking app, on-line or by visiting your bank. You will find the amount of your subscription on the enclosed order form. Many of you generously add a donation to your annual subscription e.g. add £3 to make a £9 subscription up to £12 and some do more. That helps us fund more improvements in the park and we thank those that already make donations in this way.  
 
You will notice that your membership discount card, which entitles you to discounts under our Friends & Neighbours scheme, expires on 15 March 2026. Those who have paid their subscriptions for 2026 will receive a replacement card with their spring newsletter, which will reach them about 1 March

Rhoddy Wood 

[November 2025]

Stop Press!  Gold Awards

News has just come through that Kensington and Chelsea has done exceptionally well in this year’s London in Bloom awards. At the presentation ceremony on 27 October, it was announced that Holland Park had again won a Gold and the borough, as a whole, achieved Gold standard. Gold is for an outstanding result, with 85% or more of the possible marks, covering horticultural gardening achievement, environmental responsibility and community participation. Eight of the borough’s parks achieved Gold, with another park receiving Silver Gilt.

Lisa Wilkinson, one of three Council community kitchen gardeners who help residents grow food in their own neighbourhoods, was given the Outstanding Contribution Award for her services to community gardening in London.

This is a truly terrific result though not entirely a surprise as we are aware of the very hard work put in by all those involved. Thank you to Parks Management, the Ecology Service, the community gardeners, the Parks Police, the idverde gardeners, maintenance team and the front-line staff in the park reception office. You all played a part in achieving Gold standard and what you do is much appreciated by those who enjoy Holland Park. 

[November 2025]

Christmas cards and Christmas gifts

Last minute gifts are often a challenge when you visit friends and family over the festive season. So why not have a look at what The Friends have to offer. There are two designs of cotton tea towel; one showing paintings of some of the flowers growing wild in Holland Park and the other with paintings of autumn fruits in the park. The packs of ‘Holland House through the trees’ greetings cards makes an excellent gift, as does the handy jute shopper decorated with a tree motif. There is a new pack of post cards of each of the 11 marouflage paintings. And how about treating someone to a gift of our Holland Park Snakes and Ladders game.

This year we have again picked two designs of Christmas card ‘Arcade and Sundial’, with its golden sky, shows the small pine trees beyond the steps which were transplanted from the park’s display at Chelsea Flower Show around the time of the Millennium. We are repeating The Stable Yard, which was so popular last year. Both cards are by Terry McKivragan, who painted many of the earlier Holland Park cards. 

The standard greeting on all Christmas cards is ‘With best wishes for Christmas and the New Year’, but you can choose to ask for them blank. We hold a supply of our chosen two card designs, with greetings, in two sizes. We also have the option of a mixed pack:

• Standard, 152 mm x 197 mm format at £7.25 for five. 
• Smaller, 118 mm x 168 mm at £12.50 for ten.   
• Mixed packs of ten designs of Holland Park from past years, at £6.50. These will be mostly the larger size and in three or four different designs.  

If your newsletter is hand delivered (no stamp), our delivery of Christmas cards is free. If your newsletter is delivered by post, we have to charge an additional £2.10 per ten cards, or a single pack of five large. Please note that sending the order to The Friends, instead of direct to Mountbatten, gets The Friends an extra discount, unless overprinting is required.  If you do order direct, please remember to say which charity you would like Mountbatten to donate to. Naturally we would hope it was The Friends, but you are free to choose any charity.

Please order cards as soon as possible so that the publisher can estimate in advance how many to print.  We will keep some in stock, but delivery gets slower when we have to print more, especially towards the end of the season.

• You can order Christmas cards and merchandise on the website.  Click HERE for cards, then see merchandise under the heading of 'Other'.
• Snakes & Ladders is not available on-line or via the order form, but can be bought from the Park Reception Office. 

All cards and merchandise ar e available to buy from the Park Reception Office in the Stable Yard. 

[November 2025]

Financial challenges for Holland Park

By Councillor Emma Will, Lead Member for Property, Parks and Leisure

You may have seen in the news that the Council is facing significant financial challenges over the next few years as a result of changes to the way the Government funds local government. This means we are having to look at alternative ways of delivering services, what we can scale back, and new ways of generating income. We have been looking at options for income generation in Holland Park that are appropriate and sensitive to the location and have the lowest impact on everyday park users while also generating sufficient income. One of the options being explored is an after-hours winter event such as a light trail and winter market. We will be tendering for an operator this autumn with events likely to begin in winter 2026 and will provide more detail once a plan has been drawn up. Alongside this we are also looking at other high-income, low-impact opportunities to support the service. I understand that events in the park may not be welcome news but I would like to reassure you that we are taking the time to plan this carefully and will work with the Friends of Holland Park throughout to make sure we get this right.

[September 2025]

Holland Ward Councillor appointed Deputy Mayor 

The RBKC ‘mayor-making’ ceremony was held in a full Council meeting at the Town Hall on 21 May. Cllr. Tom Bennett was elected as the Mayor of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea for the Council Year 2025/26. He made and signed the statutory declaration of acceptance and was invested with the Chain and Badge of Office. The new Mayor then appointed our own Holland ward Councillor, Aarien Areti, as Deputy Mayor. Aarien proceeded to address Full Council. The Large Hall was full, as Councillors gave speeches and guests from the wards watched the spectacle.

Photo by RBKC.

[September 2025]

News update  

As at 14 August 2025

Drinking fountain in the Café Yard

The Friends donated this fountain in 1990 and the plumbing and structure have been carefully maintained in recent years by the Parks Small Works Team aka Scott and Louis.The glazing on the ceramic bowls is now worn and the units badly need replacing. Trustee, Isabelle Beaumont, has been working with Parks Management, Scott and Louis to find the best solution. It is likely that one ceramic bowl will be replaced like for like and the other will be replaced by a stainless-steel spout suitable for filling water bottles. The stone pillar will be cleaned as part of this upgrade. The cost will be funded by The Friends.   

Arcade west of the Café Yard 

Some years ago, work was carried out to the walls and ceiling of the arcade that runs in front of the Café and continues along the west side of the Café Yard. The electric wiring was tidied up and the lighting repaired. The work was excellent but, for some reason, the plaster under the west arcade was troublesome and needed more attention. While waiting for the plaster to dry, the wall suffered minor vandalism and the replacement plaster has taken a long time to dry out again. It is unsightly and we understand it will now be painted and brought up to the standard of the rest of the Café Yard arcade. Pigeons are a problem round any outdoor café and, despite deterrent spikes being placed where the pigeons chose to nest and on places where they perched, the birds have persisted wherever there is a minute space. We hope that the additional work done to fill those spaces will finally clear pigeons, and their messy guano, from around the seating in that area.  

Holland Park toilets

Quite a few of our members have mentioned their dissatisfaction with elements of the recently relocated and upgraded toilets on the east side of the Stable Yard. Mainly this relates to the infelicitous siting of the doors into the Ladies and Gents. The view has been expressed that the interiors need a deep clean. This was one of the subjects most often raised by members at our April 2025 AGM and we recommended that those with comments should fill in the RBKC Customer Comment Card available in the Stable Yard park office. It seems that none of the people who feel strongly about the need for improvement filled in the form, so the council will be unaware of the problems. If you have a comment about the toilets, please fill in a hard copy of the comment form, or comment on the RBKC website. 

Sun Trap wall

In the summer newsletter we mentioned that the eastern part of the SunTrap Garden had been fenced off for safety reasons. Options for strengthening the wall have been discussed, the most interesting proposal being to create a supportive terraced wall. The steps of the terrace will provide seats for park visitors to relax and enjoy a view of the Sun Trap Garden. The cost is little different to a straightforward wall replacement, but has the advantage of additional seating and of not having to remove any trees for the work to  be done.

We await the result of the Section 106 funding application.

Text & photos Jennie Kettlewell

[September 2025]

Joy Puritz has stepped down as a trustee

Joy has the right name as she is joyful by nature. 

Most of you know her as she has been a member since the 1980s and a trustee for over 30 years.

Her official role was ‘editor’, which meant she edited the newsletter and wrote committee meeting minutes. She did much more than that and her contributions included collating the annual Art Exhibition catalogue, stewarding at the exhibition, filling the bird feeders in the park and sometimes led the nature walks run by The Friends. She was particularly interested in the park’s birds and she often surprised us by chirping up with an imitation of a bird’s call. She comes from a family immersed in serious music and played a big role until a couple of years ago in working with the Tallis Chamber Choir to plan our Christmas Concert. On most occasions she took part with a joyous chuckle as she read a particularly amusing piece. 

She has always been, and still is, a busy person with lots of friends and hobbies and somehow found time to write, or co-write three biographies, still on sale via Amazon. This fitted into her career working for an independent bookshop specialising in foreign language books, where her fluency in German came in handy. She has a lovely voice, put to good use in the church choir. 

This May, Joy decided that she had done her bit and thought it time to retire as a trustee, particularly as she had recently broken her foot and was unable to charge about on her trusty bicycle as she was accustomed to doing. That didn’t stop her hobbling into the AGM this April with a look of determination on her face. Fortunately, she is now fit enough to re-join her friends on rambles in the country.

We owe Joy heartfelt thanks for her many, many years of loyal service to The Friends and I am sure you would want to join the trustees in thanking her for her impressive contribution. 

She is of course still a member and is a regular at our events, which she joins with her customary enthusiasm and mischievous sense of humour. When you see her, please remember to say how much we all appreciate the ways she has helped The Friends over three decades.  

Jennie Kettlewell

[September 2025]

Snakes and Ladders game now only £12

Snakes and Ladders is a traditional game, but this version is based on Holland Park, with illustrations of familiar places, such as the Ilchester Gate, Sibirica Fountain and the Tonda sculpture.

The roll-up ‘board’ is wipeable and comes in a handy sleeve for storage. Inside the pack is a pouch containing four counters in different colours, a dice and instructions how to play. Suitable for two to four players.

This would make a great Christmas present for a family and it has been reduced to £12, due to a generous donation from Daisy Green towards the production cost. It is available from the Holland Park Office in the Stable Yard. Order online HERE.

Photo by Jennie Kettlewell

[September 2025]

NEW! Sets of post cards showing the garden party paintings

The beautiful marouflages paintings depict a garden party in Holland Park in the 1890s and are to be found under the arcade that links the Café Yard to the Orangery. The Friends commissioned artist, Mao Wen Biao, to paint the 11 scenes, which were installed in 1994/95.  The paintings are oil on canvas and fixed to the walls, which means they are marouflages and not murals, which are paintings direct onto a wall.

Mao has recently retouched the surface of the paintings but more was needed for the two most easterly canvases to survive. Alvar Mailan from Richard Rogers Conservation meticulously peeled those two paintings off the wall and has carried out conservation on the back before mounting the canvas on a slim frame awaiting re-installation. They are currently in storage, where they will remain, until the Council repairs the roof of the arcade to prevent water ingress. We have been waiting a long time for that.

To celebrate these paintings, we have produced sets of 11 post cards, each showing one of the marouflage subjects. 

We are grateful to Gilead Limor, designer of our newsletter, who took the photos and then ‘improved’ them so they look stunning on the cards.  He donated his work without charge. We are also grateful to The Wheeler Hill Foundation who kindly agreed that their generous donation of £1,000 could be used towards the cost of artwork and print. These donations allow us to offer each pack of 11 cards for only £6. You can buy on our website HERE and from the park office in the Stable Yard.  

[September 2025]    

Andrew Lee studying to become a doctor

In 2020, during the Covid pandemic, a 17-year-old pupil of Westminster School spent his summer holiday litter-picking in Holland Park. Andrew Lee planned to study medicine and was scheduled to do a placement with St. Thomas’ Hospital, but that couldn’t happen because of the pandemic. Instead, he chose to raise money for St Thomas’ by visiting the park for 30 days to help clear the litter left by increased crowds of people who visited the park while working from home. He exceeded his target, largely because of his well-written letters to councillors, council officers, The Friends and others, but also because he was organised and diligent. He took an interest in the park’s trees, talked to visitors and wrote a blog about the park. The Friends were asked to support his application to medical school with a letter describing what he had achieved.  

We were delighted when he got back in touch with The Friends this summer and told us that he was awarded the first stage of his medical degree after three years of non-clinical study at Cambridge. He has finished the first of his three years of clinical study to complete his degree. He is enthusiastic and rightly proud of his chosen career and we look forward to hearing from him again when we can address him as Dr Lee. 

[September 2025]

Blue Badge Guided Tour for Open Age 

On the 25th of June, a group from Open Age enjoyed a step-free tour in Holland Park to hear Blue Badge tour leader, Rowan Freeland, share stories of Holland House and its estate during World War ll and how it survived. One of the group fascinated us as she could remember the times and events covered. Feedback from the group showed appreciation and included:

“Interesting hearing of Lord Ilchester’s time at the House during and end of the war and of the association with Rosalin Cubitt, the mother of Queen Camilla.”
“The measured pace, with regular stops for us to sit down.”
“Great tour, very well presented and very interesting and informative.”
“Regular ‘seating stops’ made the talk even more enjoyable in the warmth of the afternoon sun.” 
“An interesting and humorous tour through the old life style and more recent events within the grand house and grounds.” 

‘Holland House – The Great Survivor’ was a new subject and may become one of the tours open to the public in 2026. 

[September 2025]

Dutch Garden bedding

The summer bedding in the Dutch Garden has, quite rightly, received many compliments. Not only were the plants well chosen, but head gardener, Martin Moore, made sure the tips of all plants were pinched out. The result is robust and bushy plants with great flowers.

Winter bedding will be planted in October. By its very nature, winter planting looks less colourful than the summer equivalent, but that doesn’t mean it is less interesting. 

Way back in our Winter 2023 issue, we wrote that the Dutch Garden box hedges that border the beds had been ravaged by the box tree caterpillar and were to be removed in favour of trials of a number of different species. The trial has gone well and most species have flourished. All except for the Ilex crenata (Japanese Holly), which likes a lot of water. The result is that the Ilex crenata will be dug up and replaced with species that have proved more resilient.

Text & photo Jennie Kettlewell

[September 2025] 

Green guide to Holland Park updated 

We have reprinted the small green guide to Holland Park, both because we had sold out and because various facts and telephone numbers needed to be updated, as did the map and the photos.

We decided to keep the price low, at £2, because we wanted everyone who visits the park to have a copy and to have the correct information. You can get your copy from the park office in the Stable Yard and from the website HERE.  

Many of you have told us that you give this guide to visitors when they come to stay with you. Make sure you have a copy!

[September 2025]

New discount offers for The Friends!  

Pizza Express, Notting Hill.

This bright and airy branch of Pizza Express serves updated Italian classics, with an impressive choice of pizzas made specially for you in the open kitchen. There are salads, a children’s menu, deserts, or you can just drop in for a coffee.  

Experience proves that the food is consistently good, but the best thing about this restaurant is the friendly and welcoming staff, who have worked together as a team for many years. They greet customers with a smile and remember where regulars prefer to sit and what they like to eat.

Open all day, the restaurant is a great place for families of all ages and there are tables outside on the pavement. In the evening, soft music and low lighting change the atmosphere. On the walls are old photos of Notting Hill.  There is a small room for private parties.

Offer:   20% discount on all meals and drink in the restaurant. Not valid with any other offer. Groups of 6 or more should contact the restaurant to make arrangements, with one membership card valid for up to 10 people.

137 Notting Hill Gate, London W11 3LB

www.pizzaexpress.com/London-Notting-Hill-Gate

tel. 020 7229 6000.

The Belvedere Restaurant

The Belvedere is sited in the historic building that used to be the Summer Ballroom for Holland House. In 2022 it was painstakingly redecorated to echo the original splendour of the building, and is now a warm and welcoming space with seating on the ground floor, mezzanine and terrace overlooking the Iris Garden.

Head Chef, Lello Favuzzi, brings a wealth of experience and the vibrant cuisine of his hometown in Sicily, introducing a touch of Italy to the green surrounds of Holland Park.

The restaurant and bar are open for dinner daily and for lunch on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. A description doesn’t tell the full story, so you need to come and see for yourself.

Offer: 
10% discount on food and drink, on Tuesday to Friday evenings.

Holland Park London, W8 6LU
Tel: 020 8191 1407 

reservations@belvedererestaurant.co.uk

[October 2025]

Bursting Buds flowers

A great local florist, where you can treat yourself to a beautiful bunch of flowers, or order flowers to be delivered for a special occasion or last-minute gift. Same-day hand delivery ensures that arrangements arrive fresh and the choice of flowers includes blooms that are seen less often.
They offer a floral design service for weddings and special events, whether personal or corporate. Have a look at their website, or drop into the shop to discuss options.

 Offer: 
10% discount on floral arrangements and plants bought on-line or in the shop, using code BB-TFOHP. Show your membership card in person or as a scan if buying on-line. Not valid on non floral items or in conjunction with any other promotional offer. As a special for your first on-line order of £50+, delivery is free and the 10% discount will only apply to subsequent orders. 

8 Clarendon Road, London W11 3AA
www.burstingbuds.com
tel.+44 7383 625003

[September 2025]

News update.  As at 8 May 2025

The clock in the Stable Yard tower

The Friends have received a number of emails saying that the Stable Yard clock had stopped, which it does every so often.  Parks Management had been contacting specialists and getting quotes to do a repair when the park’s Small Works Team, aka Scott and Louis, said they might be able to help. They delved into the mechanism and got it working in no time. Then they let on that they had looked after it for a couple of decades and knew it pretty well. 

Geranium maderensis in the Mediterranean Bed.

Some years ago, idverde’s plant nursery technician, John Becker, was heard to say that he would like to see a Geranium maderensis in the Mediterranean Bed. Well he’s achieved that and it’s no mean feat. It’s a tender plant from Madeira and might be expected to survive in the gentle climate of the glass house, but it’s quite another thing for it to survive outside. Survive it has and it has surpassed itself this spring with a gorgeous floral display.  Well done John.

Bug hunt success

Some children taking part in bug hunting in the Wildlife Enclosure of the park one April morning found a Scarce Fungus Weevil. It is relatively uncommon in London, so a great record for the park! It’s a pretty odd looking creature and hard to spot because it does look a bit like a bird dropping. The children were excited and proud and so was the Ecology team. 

The Dipelta’s departed
The Dipelta Enclosure was so named because within it there was a Dipelta yunnanensis shrub, which is a relatively uncommon plant. The species was introduced to the UK from China by George Forrester in 1920. Our Dipelta used to flower lustily in May and June, its flowers being creamy white with orange and purple markings. It was one of those plants which are not looked after as part of the formal gardens, nor was it under the care of our tree officers. So it declined over recent years and was strangled by nettles and other rampant growth around its base. We have lost too many of our uncommon plants because they are on no-one’s to do list. We would like to see another Dipelta yunnanensis bought and cared for.  

Sun Trap wall
The eastern part of the Sun Trap Garden is still fenced off for safety reasons. Work is due shortly to strengthen the wall, possibly by terracing. At the same time, improvements will be carried out to the sloping path that runs down past the Sun Trap lawn to the park gate. This is needed to correct the water flow during heavy rainfall which doesn’t work well at present.

Outdoor gym
The outdoor gym has been completely refurbished. You can find this facility at the far south west of the sports field. This gym has a range of fitness equipment, based on what respondents to the consultation said they would like, all set in the leafy greenery of the park. It is proving popular, with one user even claiming to have given up his gym membership because the outdoor gym provided what he wants – and it’s free. 

Text & photos Jennie Kettlewell

[June 2025]

Isabelle Beaumont – new trustee

We are delighted that Isabelle Beaumont has agreed to become a trustee of The Friends.

I first met Isabelle some years ago when we were both taking part in the RBKC Tuesday walk. She must have sensed my interest in her involvement with The Friends because she told me that her time was committed to her work projects but that would not always be the case. After many enjoyable conversations Isabelle was co-opted as a trustee on 4 March 2025 and was voted as a trustee by members at the AGM on 9 April. 

Isabelle’s role with The Friends is ‘Projects’.  We have been working together on the conservation of the Old Dairy for the past year, and her experience of the architecture of historic buildings has been of great benefit, as has her ability to manage complex projects. She was a chartered architect who ran her own business which specialised in a multi-disciplinary approach to work. This included projects for both private and public sector clients, one of which was English Heritage. Having ‘retired’ from her consultancy business, she had been looking for an organisation she could enjoy working with and which shared her values. It is good news for us that she felt The Friends fitted what she wanted.

She is leading the Old Dairy project for The Friends, working with RBKC’s head of parks projects, Sarah Brion. She has also taken on responsibility for managing promotion and bookings for our Blue Badge tours.

Welcome Isabelle and we look forward to working with you as a trustee.

Jennie Kettlewell
Photo from Isabelle Beaumont

(June 2025)

Report on the 2025 AGM 

More than 65 loyal members turned up for the 2025 AGM in The Orangery, to hear an update on park matters and keen to ask questions.

All votes were carried:
• Minutes of the 2024 AGM were approved.
• Accounts for 2024 were approved and have since been filed with the Charity Commission.
• All trustees were re-elected: Jennie Kettlewell (Chairman), Silvi Spassov (Treasurer), Rhoddy Wood (Secretary), Nigel Brockmann (governance), Graham Franklin (member database), Sandra French (art exhibition), Nicholas Hopkins (website), Joy Puritz (editor). Two new trustees, Phillip Hou and Isabelle Beaumont were elected.
• Roger Foreman was re-elected as independent examiner.

Nicholas Hopkins reported on achievements in 2024: scoping for the Old Dairy conservation, funding of hedging whips for woodland enclosures, continuation of the proactive tree healthcare programme and funding of wildlife talks organised by the Ecology Service. Some 25 events were carried out by The Friends during 2024, the largest being the Art Exhibition.

Rhoddy Wood reported that 140 members had joined in 2024, compared to 120 in 2023, but the net gain was only 20, due to members moving or failing to renew. Rhoddy thanked Margaret Rhodes and her team of newsletter deliverers, who save around £5,000 each year in postage. She also thanked members who helped by telling us when they changed their address, filled in forms correctly and on time.

Chairman, Jennie Kettlewell, explained the progress made so far this year and plans for improvement in the park: low fence with two openings to be erected around the Walking Man area in April 2026, Natural Flood Management work to start shortly to control excess water during torrential rainfall, peafowl will return to Holland Park this spring with their survival dependent on not being fed by the public. Planning and Listed Building consent had been obtained for the Old Dairy conservation. Isabelle Beaumont is leading the project for The Friends working with Senior Parks Project Manager, Sarah Brion.

A busy calendar of events for 2025 includes Blue Badge tours, pop-up events in the Café Yard, bird walks, tree identification walks, the summer party and Christmas Concert.

Thanks were given to the French family for another highly successful art exhibition, to the trustees for their dedication to running the charity, to president Eric Ellul for his support, and to the members for their loyalty.

Photo by Jennie Kettlewell

(June 2025)

Spotted in the park

Water-damaged roof over paintings.

We are very disappointed to see that, after many years of asking, the Council has still not made the roof over our wonderful ‘marouflages’ paintings secure from water ingress. Repairing these canvases is costly and we do not want to risk further damp. 

Scarred tree east of the sports field. 

It is hard to know who or what had an argument with this tree. Generally, park visitors enjoy our glorious trees and are respectful towards them. Most of the tree damage in the park is caused by grey squirrels, but it would be one great big squirrel to cause this amount of damage. They strip the bark, and missing bark patches result in a tree being more susceptible to infection, which can result in tree loss.

Photos by Jennie Kettlewell

[June 2025]

New! Snakes and Ladders game

Ask a helpful gardener for directions and zip up a ladder. Get fascinated by the Kyoto Garden which makes you late, so you slide down a snake. The Friends have produced a classic Snakes & Ladders game with a twist. It’s based on Holland Park, with illustrations of familiar places, such as the Ilchester Gate, Sibirica Fountain and the Tonda sculpture. 

The roll-up ‘board’ is wipeable and comes in a handy sleeve for storage. Inside the pack is a pouch containing four counters in different colours, a dice and instructions how to play. Suitable for two to four players.

Buy this for yourself or as a gift. It’s Available at a cost of £15, from the Holland Park Office in the Stable Yard or from The Friends’ popup desk in the Café Yard on 27 May and 24 June.

This is our very own game, but Snakes & Ladders originated in ancient India and was brought to the UK in the 1890s. The historic version had its roots in morality lessons, on which a player’s progression up the board represented a life journey complicated by virtues (ladders) and vices (snakes). But you can play this one just for fun!

Text & photo by Jennie Kettlewell

[June 2025]

Holland House Old Dairy

Within Holland Park is a hidden gem. The Friends are helping to bring it into public view.
Holland House had its own dairy, a beautifully ornate and unique small space amongst the working outbuildings that supported the house, and the extensive entertaining that took place in the house.

Over the past 18 months The Friends of Holland Park have funded and assembled a dream team of professionals to work on the conservation (not restoration) of the dairy.  Given the ownership of the asset and the complexity of working with multiple heritage building trades, the project is being led by RBKC’s Parks Team, specifically Sarah Brion, their Senior Project Manager. Sarah is supported by Allies and Morrison (conservation architecture), BDP (heritage lighting) Richard Rogers Conservation (conservation of decorative works), and us, The Friends.

Little work has been done to stabilise the dairy since it was built circa 1852. Years of being unused, its location, and more recently being used as a café store, have contributed to its damaged and dilapidated condition. Once conserved, it will bring the sumptuous decorations back to life and help reduce further deterioration. 

The unique thing about this project is that, for the first time in its history, the dairy will be visible to the public. A viewing window is being created to see into the small and fragile space, with lighting to enhance the rich tilework within. 

The project has gone from an idea in 2020 to receiving Planning and Listed Building consent in March 2025. Construction tender drawings are ready. Once the last of the funding is in place it is anticipated the on-site works will commence in the autumn and be concluded by January 2026.

The Friends funded £20,000 towards the project in 2024. The trustees have approved another £20,000 towards the project in 2025. Other funds, in the range of £40,000-£55,000, are being sought to cover the cost of the project. The Friends have put in a NCIL (Neighbourhood Community Infrastructure Levy) fund application, as it seems a fitting grant to apply for. At the time of writing, we await the outcome.

More research is being undertaken by The Friends to gain an understanding of how the dairy might have been used, what it contained: cool milk, butter and cheese?  Being adjacent to the Ice House, I like to imagine elaborate ice creams and sorbets too!

Text & photos by Isabelle Beaumont

[June 2025]

New head gardener

We welcome Martin Moore as Holland Park’s head gardener. He started his horticultural career as an apprentice with Royal Parks at Regent’s Park and stayed there for many years because he loved it. Over that time, he gained his qualifications, but learned as much from practical experience where he enjoyed experimenting with different approaches and designs.

On occasions his employers (for part of the time his employer was idverde) loaned him to other sites where his experience could help solve problems. One of those visits just happened to be to Holland Park and he told me he thought at the time ‘This is a nice place. I wouldn’t mind being head gardener here one day’.  But he wasn’t looking to move and it was only recently, when he noticed the Holland Park head gardener’s role was vacant, that he decided this was what he wanted to do.

It is encouraging that Martin wants to take his time to get to know the park, its history, its quirks and of course to get to know his team before coming up with ideas. He does look forward to designing planting schemes, though the summer bedding plants for the formal gardens were chosen some time ago, and his turn won’t come until winter bedding. He is interested to know the horticultural history of each of the areas so he can be true to the concept while adding his own ideas. We hope he will start with the Mediterranean Bed which is long overdue for completion.

He has discovered a few large plants languishing in the Nursery Yard and he feels they should be liberated and planted out in the park for all to see.  We look forward to seeing the Camellia sinensis (tea bush) back in the Camellia Bed where it was planted some years ago, after The Friends bought the shrub from the Tregothnan tea estate in Cornwall. 

He is quite clearly enthusiastic about plants and he is just the person to ensure Holland Park remains a very special place. 

Text & photo by Jennie Kettlewell

[June 2025]

New trees.  At last!

After a very long time planning, at last trees are being planted in Holland Park.

We agree with the approach taken and that is to start with identifying spaces where there is appropriate room for a tree. Only when there is a specific space in mind do we start to think about what tree might thrive there. The Friends have long had a ‘wish list’ of trees, so some species get chosen from that, but not all the trees we would like to have are available to buy. 

Buying uncommon trees is very frustrating. Being uncommon, not many people buy them and, because there is little demand, nurseries don’t grow them. So those who do want to buy them, can’t and are caught in a vicious circle. Monica Castelino, RBKC Parks Manager, has developed a spreadsheet system of tree spaces, trees we want for those spaces, trees available to buy and trees not yet available but we will continue searching for.

The good news is that four trees have been planted so far. Two Exochorda serratifolia ‘Snow White’ have been planted in the grass margin of the D Garden in place of two failed silver birches. This small tree is free-flowering with pure white petals. 

A Chitalpa tashkentensis ‘Summer Bells’ has been planted just west of the Tots’ Playground in place of a failed mulberry. We will be able to enjoy its pale pink flowers from summer to autumn. And a Juglens nigra (Black Walnut0 has been planted in place of the huge Bolle’s poplar just inside the Ilchester Gate.

Not such good news is that tree pests and diseases continue to be rampant throughout the UK, and Holland Park is not immune. The large lime next to the Mimosa at the back of The Belvedere Restaurant had a fatal fungal growth and has just been felled. The remaining tree in the grass margin to the west of the Kyoto Garden is marked for felling. A beautiful beech by the outdoor gym also had a fungal growth and is no more. But then, over the long life of the Holland House grounds, trees have come and gone. When we lose trees, that does provide an opportunity for planting new, and possibly less usual species from our wish list. The outlook is now promising and we hope the next tree to be planted will be an Aralia elata (Japanese Angelica tree) in place of the miserable Cork Oak which was never the right tree for the Daffodil Lawn.

Jennie Kettlewell

[June 2025]

We need your help to protect our wildlife

We have written in several recent issues of this magazine about helping to care for the wildlife in Holland Park by not feeding birds, animals or fish. It is not good for them, nor is it good for the park.

People often say that they are using food that is appropriate and not harmful, but that is not the real problem. The problem is that it is not wise to let wild birds and animals interact closely with humans. The danger is that peafowl, for example, get used to being fed by humans and, on several occasions, have approached a person with a dog. Even if the dog is on a lead, that dog is going to react as a dog does. Peafowl that get over confident about being on the ground can get taken by a fox. Both the peafowl and the foxes are wild. Many of our members ask about the dwindling peafowl in the park. We are glad to report that we will get new peacocks and peahens in late spring, but they will only survive if people stop feeding them.

Squirrels may be cute, but they can find plenty of food in the park and should not be fed. There have been quite a few incidents recently of squirrels biting park visitors who try to feed them. And the high numbers of squirrels encouraged by feeding, damage and kill trees.

Many London parks have signs saying Don’t Feed the Wildlife and the posters shown here will shortly be displayed in all RBKC’s parks. People who continue to disregard the posters will be fined. 

Jennie Kettlewell

[February 2025]

Those we miss

Barrie Maclaurin

Barrie joined RBKC as Parks Manager in 2004 and his role doubled overnight when RBKC merged services with Hammersmith and Fulham. He retired in March 2014, and moved to Wales with his partner, Jeff. He is remembered for many good reasons, not least his sense of humour and clever way of getting round bureaucracy. The sculpture Tonda was easily approved as ‘a replacement garden ornament’ rather than an art installation! 

A passionate interest in Japanese gardens worked to our advantage. Barrie visited some of the great gardens of Japan and learned from master gardener Yasuo Kitayama.  This resulted in great care and attention to accuracy in our own Kyoto Garden when it was refurbished in 2011. When the Emperor and Empress of Japan visited in 2012, it was Barrie who showed them round the Kyoto and Fukushima Gardens.

When he retired, he joined The Friends as a member and kept in close touch, making his final visit to Holland Park with Jeff in March 2024. I last saw them in October 2024 in their Cardiff home, a happy occasion although Barrie was evidently not well. Sadly, he died on 2 December. 

It is hard to sum up the very great contribution Barrie made to Holland Park. In a tribute to Barrie’s skill and diplomacy, he was voted the most Inspirational Leader of the Year in the 2013 RBKC staff awards. And, in 2017, he received the prestigious Japanese Sato Award, which is presented to individuals and organisations for outstanding achievement in fostering exchange between Japan and other countries on the subject of parks and green spaces. 

We miss Barrie’s friendship and helpful advice on Japanese gardens, though that has been given from a distance for over 10 years. 

Jennie Kettlewell

Mary Spain 

We regret to report the death of Mary Spain on 17 November 2024. Mary joined The Friends in the early 1980s, but I first became fully aware of her in 1996. She then offered to join the team of newsletter deliverers which I was forming. Unlike others, she would not come to my flat to collect newsletters. Instead she said that, if I would bring them to her, she would stuff the envelopes and deliver and give me tea. She did this for every newsletter except two from then to Covid. Once was when she cracked her skull (leaving her with permanent tinnitus), and once was to recover from a breast cancer operation.

Mary was involved with many other local organisations and was willing to share news about The Friends with them. Whenever the Campden Hill Society produced a newsletter she asked me what she should say about the Friends’ doings. She also gleaned news about us from her membership over some years on the Holland Park Liaison Committee.  She was a real help in spreading the word about The Friends.

During Covid our regular meetings had to stop, but Mary went on delivering newsletters brought to her door, and this continued when Margaret Rhodes took over managing the deliverers.  When in June of last year, Mary announced her retirement, it must have been part of her final settlement of her affairs. She worked for the Friends for 28 years, one of the longest of any.  Rest in peace, a good and faithful servant. 

Rhoddy Wood

[February 2025] 

We need a volunteer to run events

As you will know, The Friends run many events in the park each year and we are looking for someone to help organize some of these events. If you enjoy working as part of a team, have an eye for detail and would like to volunteer to run events, please get in touch with Jennie Kettlewell on 020 7243 0804, or jennie.kettlewell@thefriendsofhollandpark.org

[November 2024]

Please don’t feed the wildlife!

Visitors to the park have been asked not to feed the wildlife.  It is not good for the wildlife and not good for the park either. Many people feed squirrels and birds because they think it is kind, but it is not. Thousands of visitors offering food does more harm than good, so we need your help to protect the wonderful wildlife we enjoy in our park. 

Children, in particular, love to feed squirrels, so this is an opportunity to teach them that these charming little mammals have plenty of natural food to support them. Be kind, and let them stay wild. And remember that squirrels can bite!

The council has a page on its website, explaining the important reasons not to feed the animals, birds, or fish. You can find the information on: www.rbkc.gov.uk/parks-leisure-and-culture.
 
We notice that some park visitors arrive with large bags of peanuts to feed the squirrels. Please remember that some people are allergic to nuts and could suffer a serious reaction if they come into contact with nuts left on the ground in the park.

Many of London’s parks have signs saying Don’t Feed the Wildlife, so why haven’t we? Royal Parks are running a campaign: ‘Help us keep wildlife wild’ and encouraging all to help nature thrive by appreciating and observing wildlife in its natural habitat rather than seeking an up-close, personal experience. That includes choosing not to feed wildlife, because it causes harm to them and the environment. An information campaign in Holland Park is long overdue, but still expected, with posters advising people to help nature and not to feed the wildlife.

You may wonder why we have two bird feeders in the park when we are asking for your help with not feeding wildlife. The feeders are managed by the Ecology Service and are targeted at smaller songbirds whilst (hopefully) excluding squirrels. Being situated up in a tree, there is no encouragement for birds to come into direct human contact. The birds visit the feeders just like they would go to feed from berries on a tree.

Photo by Jennie Kettlewell

[November 2024]

Managing floods from torrential rain

The Council is currently working on a project to introduce Natural Flood Management (NFM) interventions within the northern woodland area of Holland Park to reduce the rate and volume of runoff leaving the park. 

Natural Flood Management means working with natural processes to reduce the risk of flooding. This includes diverting water to where it is needed or can drain naturally, and this can help increase habitat diversity and provide wider climate resilience. While there are existing hard interventions within the park through Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS), which help capture surface water and filter it back into the ground rather than the sewers, these are not able to deal with the fast flow of water from increasingly frequent heavy rainfall down the woodland paths and rainwater still ends up in places where we do not want or need it. 

The hard solutions used on the formal pathways in the park (soakaway drains and bound paths) are not appropriate for the woodland areas and a more natural solution is being sought. The challenges being looked at are: 
• Surface water runoff frequently leaves the woodland area
• Woodland footpaths frequently become preferential flow paths during heavy rainfall, bypassing the absorption of the woodland floor and eroding the tracks.  
• The existing pond within the Wildlife Enclosure receives very little water due to bypassing down the footpaths and therefore requires supplementary top-ups during summer months.  

Solutions are currently going through a design process, and these designs will be ready to share shortly but the interventions may include:
• Earth banks and scraped channels along the woodland paths, with wood or natural stone, to direct surface water flow into the woodland margins and the Wildlife Enclosure pond
• Renewed leaky barriers within the drainage ditch
• Some narrowing of the path on Chestnut and Lime Tree Walks.
• Enhanced woodland margins with additional woodland plants to reduce the footpath catchment and provide additional water infiltration

The woodland paths will remain as an unbound surface. Any earth banks introduced will be staggered and direct water to woodland margins where it can discharge into the soil. 
This project is being supported through funding from the Council and the Environment Agency. It is expected that the work will be carried out in winter 2024 and be complete in Spring 2025. Some pathways may be closed during works for safety reasons, but the interventions proposed work with the natural landscape so any disruption should be minimal. 

Monica Castelino, RBKC Parks Manager

Photos by Jennie Kettlewell

Chairman, of The Friends, Jennie Kettlewell adds that The Friends have been involved in this initiative from the start and wrote to support the bid for external funding (which was successful). While we agree this work is very necessary to retain rainwater in the park, where it is needed, and not let it run off to where it can’t be used, we emphasized that the solution must look natural and retain the integrity of the woodlands. We also asked that it improve the marginal water-dependent habitats. It is pleasing to see the proposed use of earth banks and scraped channels, rather than concrete gulleys. We have asked to be kept informed as the project progresses. 

[September 2024]

Our Parks Police

The work of the Parks Police team is much appreciated and their familiar faces reassure us as they patrol the paths, fields, enclosures and buildings of Holland Park. Two of the most well-known police constables retired this August and we shall miss them. Pc Phil Crowther spent 15 years with the force and pc Dave Pullan worked in the team for 12 years. The Friends have wished them well in their retirement.

Fortunately, three new police constables have joined the team. Pc Warren Cummings arrived in April this year, while pc David Lane and pc Jeff Cresswell are more recent arrivals. The Parks Police work in two teams, one headed up by Sergeant Helen Tilbury and the other by Sergeant Arron Haynes. One or other of the two teams is on duty during daylight hours, with some late evening patrols, 365 days of the year. In a three-shift day, they enforce bye-laws, Dog Control Orders, deal with traffic issues, respond to accidents in the park, find missing people and deal with more cases of anti-social behaviour than you might imagine. 

Though based in Holland Park, the Parks Police cover around 40 parks and four cemeteries in the Borough, so they are obviously extremely busy. The reason you might not be aware of all this activity is that they take a preventative approach and aim to solve each problem before it escalates. They strongly believe that a problem-solving approach is the most effective way of reducing crime and anti-social behaviour, so they work with local communities and park users to identify concerns and find solutions. In addition, they can be called to help out with events such as the Notting Hill Carnival, cycle coding, Remembrance parades and to provide assistance to the emergency services during major incidents. 

The Parks Police are dedicated to ensuring that the Borough’s parks are safe and welcoming places for everyone, but they cannot be everywhere in the park at once, so they urge that we call the Parks Police number (see below) when their assistance is needed. In my experience, they are quick to act and do so firmly but with tact. They can only help us if we help them to do so.

Jennie Kettlewell

Photo: RBKC

Parks Police 
Holland Park is generally a safe place, but we should never be complacent. If you see any antisocial behaviour, such as vandalism, please contact the Parks Police on:
 0300 3655 101
 Remember three key points:
 • Keep yourself out of danger
 • Take a description of the person, location and exactly what         they are doing
 • Contact the Parks Police and report the facts.

[September 2024]_

Defibrillators in Holland Park

We have been asked to let our members know about the availability of defibrillators in Holland Park. All Parks Police vehicles are equipped with a defibrillator and there is also one in the Holland Park Police Office in the Stable Yard. If you find someone in Holland Park in need of a defibrillator (not breathing or appears to be suffering a heart attack), please call 999. This will alert the London Ambulance Service. Any call made to the London Ambulance Service concerning someone in our parks and open spaces, is automatically forwarded to the Parks Police duty phone. This is to ensure the fastest possible response until an ambulance arrives.

[June 2023]

Parks Police

The Friends would like to express our heartfelt thanks to the Parks Police for working even harder than usual to help keep park visitors safe during the challenge of the pandemic. You are appreciated.

Should you need or wish to contact the Parks Police for any reason concerning Holland Park, please call them on 0300 365 5101.