AGM – come and hear about plans and achievements

Wednesday 9 April 7.30 pm in The Orangery, Holland Park 

Please put the date in your diary and do come along, with your comments and questions. The formal part (voting to approve the 2024 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 questions and suggestions. As always, there is a great deal going on in the park and real challenges continue as we play our part in influencing the management of this complex park, when RBKC budgets remain very tight.

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 there are still issues, as there will be with any park. We also need your votes at the meeting to ensure your committee remains in place to carry on the work. Come and challenge us with 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 Wednesday 9 April.

Jennie Kettlewell

[February 2025]

News Update as at 3 February 2025

Head Gardener

Owen Rogers has been Holland Park’s head gardener for the past six years. We are sad to tell you that he left idverde at the end of January to take up a new role. The search is on to find a new head gardener with the wide range of knowledge and skills that Owen demonstrated. Horticultural knowledge is of course important, but so is leading and motivating a team and all the financial and administrative skills the role entails. He had a flair for design, as can be seen in the Iris Garden and the floral displays in the Dutch Garden.

Meanwhile, idverde has an excellent team in Holland Park to keep the gardens up to scratch until a new head gardener arrives. We wish Owen well and thank him for all the imagination and hard work he has brought to the job.

Photo: © Channel 5

Teaching circles

The Ecology Service has commissioned building of teaching circles in the West Woodland and Wildlife Enclosures. They are now completed, are truly a work of art and look beautiful. The work was carried out  by Dominic Edge-Bovair of The Woven Fence Ltd, and the hazel came from a coppice that he is restoring in Hayley Wood, Cambridgeshire. idverde’s Gerry Kelsey and his team of volunteers have added bark chip and brought in seating logs and those school children who have already visited are absolutely delighted with their ‘outdoor classroom’. The Friends have agreed to fund the £7,000 cost of the three teaching circles and are pleased to note that their predicted life will be at least 10 years.

Photo: RBKC Ecology Service.

Park closures

Regular visitors to the park will have noticed that parts of the park have been closed on several occasions recently. This is for safety during storms and we seem to have had a few of those. The policy is to close the north of the park, the Adventure Playground and the Outdoor Gym when there is a Yellow Weather Warning, to avoid any danger from falling branches. At these times, access to the park is through the gates in the southern part of the park. Should there be an Amber Weather Warning, the whole park would have to close. RBKC Parks Management are aware of the inconvenience closures cause, but safety is a priority.  

Wildlife monitoring

The Holland Park butterfly transect recorded a 55% reduction in population numbers in 2024,  compared to 2023, but the same eight species were represented. This decline was reflected nationally, leading Butterfly Conservation to decare a Butterfly Emergency. This is thought to be due to a combination of habitat loss and poor weather. A borough-wide bat survey will be commissioned in 2025, as there has not been one since 2010. 

Photo: Andrew Wood

Second award for Allies and Morrison
Conservation architects, Allies and Morrison, won a second award for their excellent work on Holland House. This was a commendation in the Conservation category at the New London Awards, held in  November 2024. Commendations were not awarded in every category, but only where they were considered to be merited. Conservation attracted many entries and was highly competitive, so the award is all the more pleasing. 

[February 2025]

New discount offer for The Friends!

The Builders Arms

This friendly local pub, dating back to the 1800s, is one of the most established watering holes in the area and a cornerstone of the neighbourhood’s history. The building has been lovingly restored, retaining many of its original Georgian features. The main room is wood-paneled with an open fire in winter, and there is a pretty flowered terrace as well as a private function room. The menu offers delightful snacks and sharers, succulent chicken, meat-free treats, and classic pub dishes - something for everyone. 

Offer: 
10% discount on food and drink, with a maximum group of 6. 
Not valid on drink without food.

1 Kensington Court Place, London W8 5BJ 
www.thebuildersarmskensington.co.uk       t. 0207 937 6213.

 Photo: The Builders Arms from their website.

[February 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] 

Summer party in the park

Monday, 21 July 2025, 6-8pm in the marquee east of the Dutch Garden
Save the date in your diary and we will give more information 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 and gives shelter from the sun, if we are lucky, and the rain if we are not.

[February 2025]

Wildlife and nature events 

Once again the Ecology Service will run a full programme of wildlife walks in Holland Park, sponsored by The Friends. These events are very popular, and rightly so. Some dates are listed at the back of this newsletter, but watch out for the dawn chorus, bat walk, dragonfly walk and herbal medicine dates which will be advertised on Eventbrite. The Friends will continue with the bird walks led by expert ornithologist, Bill Haines, and the tree identification walks with Dr Alan Harrington. 

[February 2025]

Threads

Please note that the owner of Threads, who have been a participating member of the Friends & Neighbours programme for quite a while, has sold the business. The shop is currently closed for refurbishment and we will approach the new owners once they are up and running to see if they will continue to offer a discount to our members.

[February 2025]

Guided walks in Holland Park

Every Thursday we meet at 10.30 am in the Holland Park Café and embark on a short, but not strenuous walk around the park. The walk, which embraces the woodlands, flower walks and Kyoto Garden, is led by two volunteers and lasts around 45 minutes. Afterwards we have tea and coffee and wide-ranging conversation in the café which has been generous in accommodating us.

It is a group of around 15 or so, generally over 60s, all abilities and all friendly. Everyone is welcome and, barring drinks, participation is free and above all enjoyable and informative, as we observe the park's changing seasons in the course of each year.

At 3pm every Thursday there is a group meeting to do a Nordic walk around the park. This is instructor-led and Nordic walking poles are provided. Nordic walking is beneficial for heart, lungs and posture, without being too exhausting. In fact you should emerge refreshed and energised. It is excellent exercise for all ages and especially for over 60s, as it improves general fitness, and it has also proved beneficial as rehabilitation. 

Simon Grantham, Volunteer walk leader.  

[February2025]

Membership Discount Cards and Subscriptions 2025

Payment for 2025. If the order form included within your Spring newsletter is green, it means that on 15 March 2025 your membership discount card will expire, and you will no longer be able to enjoy the discounts that go with it. To enjoy this benefit, please renew your membership now. All subscriptions were due on 1 January, except for those who joined after 1 September 2024. 

There are several ways to renew your membership. You can send a cheque, payable to The Friends of Holland Park, to Margaret Rhodes, 25 Princedale Road, London W11 4NW. You can also pay online HERE.

Standing order for 2026 onwards. You need to pay the 2025 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 a very 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.

By 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]

News update as at 4 November 2024

Rare tree

In our autumn issue, we wrote about our rare Styphnolobium japonicum ‘violacea’, saying we had not been accorded Champion Tree status as that title was held by a tree in Cannizaro Park. An interested member of The Friends took the trouble to check and found that the Cannizaro tree is now a dead stump. David Alderman, the Hon Director of the Tree Register of Britain and Ireland, visited our tree and agrees it can now be considered a Champion.

Open-air gym

Refurbishment is well under way, but was temporarily delayed for a very good reason. When it was found that the concrete bases for the equipment would affect the roots of the big London Planes in the area, the layout was re-planned to avoid the problem. The trees were given a helping hand with aeration of the roots and surface mulching. A large beech tree was found to have fungus at its base and is now being checked out by RBKC tree officers. By the time you read this, the gym should be open again. If you haven’t tried the equipment yet, do visit the new gym and have a go. Photo by Jennie Kettlewell

Fukushima Garden

Following the celebration held to mark the friendship between Motomiya City and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, The Friends were delighted to receive a letter from the Mayor of Motomiya City, Mr Gigyo Takamatsu, thanking us for attending the event. This letter included the words:  ‘Please allow me to convey my utmost gratitude for your attendance at the Culture Exchange Event in the Fukushima Garden earlier this month. I was so very pleased to be able to celebrate our Friendship Declaration with the Friends of Holland Park at the Fukushima Garden – itself, a symbol of our city’s bond with the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.’  We have thanked the Mayor and said we feel honoured to have received his letter.
Photo by RBKC

A chequered spring

There have been many positive comments about the hard work done by the idverde team as they planted out some tens of thousands of spring bulbs and Forget-me-not plants in the Dutch Garden.

The four beds surrounding the Armillary Sphere look very green, being full of Festuca glauca and still more Forget-me-nots. But the design is clever. Look closely and you will see the beds have been divided into chequerboard squares. The bulbs planted in the squares alternate ‘black’ and white tulips, with 2,000 bulbs in each of the four beds. They will look a fine sight when they bloom in spring and will mirror the chessboard just over the hedge.

Photo by Jennie Kettlewell

Natural Flood Management
We had been given to understand that work would be done in winter 2024 and spring 2025 to reduce uncontrolled water runs in Holland Park during heavy rainfall. As yet we have no update on when this will start and which paths will be closed. We hope to be able to update you around the end of November in an email version of the News Update.

Jennie Kettlewell 

[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]

Bird ringing demonstration

Professional ornithologist, Bill Haines, ran a bird-ringing demonstration in the Wildlife Enclosure on Saturday 5 October. 33 birds of 11 species were captured, almost half being long tailed tits and wrens, but included blackcap, chiffchaff, robin, blue tit, great tit, magpie and song thrush. There were two welcome additions of glorious goldcrests and fire crests. Numbers were slightly down on 2023, but insect and butterfly numbers are down too.

The last time a magpie was captured

and ringed in the park was in September 2013 and may only be the second of this species ringed in the park. The last time a firecrest was captured was in 2016 and there have been five ringed or re-trapped since 2011. The only bird that already had a ring was a blue tit that had been ringed as a juvenile at last year’s demonstration. 

The demonstration involved erecting fine mist nets which do not harm the birds captured in them, and the ringing is carried out under licence. This annual event is organised by the RBKC Ecology Service and sponsored by The Friends of Holland Park.

Jennie Kettlewell

Photo by Bill Haines

[November 2024] 

Subscription renewals and membership cards

Thank you again for all your support and we hope you will want to continue to help through these troublesome times, when the park is more appreciated than ever, but also has had extra strains put upon it.  Your membership gives The Friends clout when negotiating with the Borough on the park’s future.

Large charities with offices and paid staff usually have members’ subscriptions running for a year from the anniversary of their joining.  The Friends’ admin is done by volunteers working from home in their own time and on their own machines.  There is a limit to what we can ask and therefore, like most similarly-sized charities, our membership year is the calendar year, 1 January to 31 December.  This makes it much easier to know who is up to date with their subscriptions.  It also saves money and work, by enabling general requests to be made in the newsletters.  To compensate those who join after 1 September, they get the rest of that year plus all the following year included. So some of you have already paid for 2025 and a healthy number (about 60%) pay by bank standing order on 1 January.  

New members, who have joined since 1 September 2024, or existing members who have renewed since that date, are already covered for 2025.

To the rest of you, i.e. those who last paid before 1 September 2024, now is the time to pay, using the order form enclosed with the Winter newsletter, or on our website, click HERE, or by contacting your bank. 

If in doubt, check with Graham Franklin 07802 761 548 or ggfranklin3@aol.com. We would like to emphasise that it is less trouble to both you and us if you pay by standing order. If you do not yet do so, the most reliable way is to contact your bank by your usual method, whether that is by telephone, letter, banking app or walk in.  (We can supply forms and send them to your bank for you but these are not always fulfilled.) Our bank details are Account No. 60636975, Sort Code 20-47-34 Barclays Bank, Kensington.  You will find the amount of your subscription online HERE.
 
You will know that your membership discount card, which entitles you to discounts under our Friends & Neighbours scheme, expires on 15 March 2025. Those who have paid their subscriptions for 2025 will receive a replacement card with their spring newsletter, which will reach them about 1 March. Please be careful opening your newsletter, as the cards can easily fall out and be lost.

Rhoddy Wood 

A big thank you! 

You will know from reading our newsletters, just how much our funding of projects in Holland Park has helped to enhance and improve the natural and historic assets we all enjoy. It is so important that these wonderful community benefits continue to be looked after and that we make sure our funds continue to be used appropriately.  

We are most grateful to all of you who have already made donations to The Friends, whether it is £1 from rounding up a subscription, or a larger sum donated because you love the park. We hope that this newsletter will encourage others of you to support our important work, and you can do so on our website where you can find a donations button.

Some generous members have left a legacy in their will, the most recent being Kathleen Hall, who died in early 2023, when she was only a month short of her 100th birthday. Many of you will remember her as a much-valued trustee and contributor to our newsletter. We had not known she planned a legacy for The Friends and are most grateful for the £10,000 she has left for us.

A very big ‘thank you’ to all of you for your support. 

[November 2024]

Discount at Holland Park Café

Daisy Green have been running the Holland Park Café since May. They are a community-focused business and are working hard to understand the quirks of Holland Park and its regulars.

Some of our members have expressed disappointment that they couldn’t just drop in for a coffee as they had been accustomed to do, but this was a misunderstanding. You can!  The misunderstanding was due to the rather formal look of the Café which had the tables set out with knives and forks for a meal. We notice that this is no longer the case for most tables and the Café looks more welcoming for it. Daisy Green will need the regulars when it comes to the quieter winter months. 

Table service inside the Café and on the terrace means tables are cleared and cleaned quickly and we notice that pigeons are much less in evidence. If you prefer, you can go to the counter and order a coffee and sandwich to go. The kiosk opens at 12 noon.  

Daisy Green have joined the Friends & Neighbours programme, so that paid-up members of The Friends are entitled to a 15% discount on all purchases in the Café, when you show your membership card on ordering. 

Some regular groups have been used to pushing tables together for easier socialising. If you wish to do that, just ask the on-duty Café staff, or ask the manager in advance.  

If you haven’t already been to the new Café, come and try it out, bring your friends and claim your members’ discount.

Text & photo by Jennie Kettlewell

[September 2024]

News update as at 31 August 2024

Treatment of sports field trees 

In November 2021, four Kentucky Coffee trees and four SouthernNettle trees were planted at the north end of the sports field, to replace the row of failed Red Horse Chestnut trees. Bartletts Tree Experts did the planting and have checked up on them several times since then. All are growing into handsome straight trees, but the Southern Nettles have looked a little peaky of late, with their leaves mottled with unhealthy yellow. Bartletts came to inspect these trees on 16 August, told us it looked like nutrient deficiency and treated them appropriately. They took samples of the leaves and the soil for analysis. Let’s hope that does the trick, but it was found that the surrounding soil was parched and the trees badly needed watering.  We’ve called on help from idverde.

Open-air gym
By the time you read this, work to refurbish the Holland Park open-air gym, at the extreme south west of the sports field, will be well under way. The facility has been extremely popular and the equipment was coming to the end of its life. The same applied to the golf practice area. The council held well-publicised on-site meetings in autumn 2023 to hear the views of those who use the gym and there was an on-line questionnaire. The improvements are expected to be completed in early October. If you haven’t tried the equipment yet, do visit the new gym and have a go.

Master classes from the Japanese gardeners

At the end of June, expert Japanese gardeners made a visit to Holland Park’s Kyoto Garden to work with Parks Management and idverde. The home team benefitted from master classes on pruning in the Japanese way. Not only must a tree or shrub be a beautiful shape, but it must leave a pleasing shadow on he ground. That is art!

History display in Café

For quite a few years, The Friends have offered to create an information panel describing the history of Holland House, designed to go on the long brick wall inside the café. There is virtually nothing to tell park visitors the significance of Holland House and its story. At last, Daisy Green agreed to the proposal and the panels are now in place. They are designed to whet the appetite with pictures, and offer a link to finding out further information. Permission had to be sought for each of the illustrations to be included and credits agreed. Designed by Column Communications, who created the Kyoto and Holland House signs and The Friends’ guides to the park, the panels are slightly smaller than expected, because a notice board will fill the space immediately to the right. We hope you enjoy the new information panels. 

Jennie Kettlewell

Photos by Jennie Kettlewell and RBKC

[September 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]_

Congratulations!

Two gardeners from the idverde team, Sheku Maringa and Canice Osuagwu, have succeeded in completing their City and Guilds level 2 Award in Horticulture. The course was delivered in-house at Holland Park by Gerry Kelsey, idverde’s  Community & Training Manager, and focused on plant identification and propagation, with emphasis on plants found in Holland Park. You will probably recognise both Canice and Sheku. Canice is one of the team who care for the Kyoto and Fukushima Gardens. Sheku works at weekends, undertaking many tasks and can often be seen in the Kyoto Garden, making sure visitors treat it with respect. 

Monica Castelino, RBKC Parks Manager, said: “It is really encouraging to see more of the team sign up to gain horticultural qualifications and, more importantly, enjoy and excel in their training. Well done Sheku and Canice , and well done Gerry.”   

The Friends send their congratulations and wish them a successful future with the new qualification.

Photos by RBKC

[September 2024]

Kew take cuttings from rare tree

The rarest tree in Holland Park is a Styphnolobium japonicum ‘violacea’, next to the West Lawn. S. japonicum is often seen in parks, but ours is different because it’s flowers have a mauve stain in each pea-like flower. This variety flowers later than the usual form. We had hoped this tree might be accorded Champion Tree status by The Tree Register, but there is evidently a better example in Wimbledon’s Cannizaro Park. However, it is rare and even Kew Botanic Gardens don’t have one, so they gladly agreed when we asked if they would be interested in taking cuttings. The head of Kew’s propagation unit, Sal Demain, visited in person to take cuttings and is now growing these on in Kew’s tree nursery. We hope to receive one or two very small trees from her in about three years’ time.

Jennie Kettlewell

[September 2024]

Green Flag Award

It's great news that Holland Park has won the award yet again after over 20 years of success. The judges looked attentively at everything, from hedges to habitats, and from litterbins to loos. They asked lots of questions and clearly understood the complexity of our park.     

All the hard work paid off and Holland Park has a Green Flag once again.

It’s tough to win this prestigious award as there are eight criteria for the judges to assess, so it is not only about stunning flower displays, but includes subjects like absence of litter, clear information displays, biodiversity, conservation of buildings and implementation of a management plan. That means there are a great many people in the RBKC Parks Management and idverde teams whose work in the park contributed to the award. RBKC Park Officers, Hassan Elkholy and Bulent Kazim were responsible for hosting the judges and putting together the visit programme. 

Thank you to Parks Management, the Ecology Service, the Parks Police, the idverde gardeners, maintenance team and the front-line staff in the park reception office. 

Photo by RBKC.

[September 2024]

Holland House conservation listed for award

The conservation work on Holland House was carried out over 2021/22 and involved Allies & Morrison, architects with special expertise in conservation, and Boras Construction who implemented the work. Allies & Morrison have already been accorded a Civic Trust Regional Finalist award for their work on Holland House and have now been shortlisted for a further recognition by New London Awards, under the conservation category. There is strong competition, but you can do your bit by voting for the People’s Choice Award. Go to the website: nla.london/awards/new-london-awards and cast your vote, but please do so under your own name and not as The Friends of Holland Park.

Photo by  Ståle Eriksen

[September 2024]

Phillip Fei Hou – new trustee

We are delighted that Phillip Fei Hou has agreed to become a trustee of The Friends.

He joined The Friends after spotting a plea for volunteers and soon became a regular at the pop-up events in the park. He readily engaged park visitors and got them interested in what we do. Every so often, the trustees have got stuck trying to do something, and Phillip said ‘Oh I can help with that’. And he did. Most were tech solutions where he could coax data into something useful.   

The reason he can do all this is that he holds a BSc in Physics and another in Software Engineering. He taught physics and enjoyed nurturing young minds with a passion for science, before transferring to work in the software industry. Next, he ventured into life as an entrepreneur, running his own business for over 30 years. So he has technical skills and business skills, gained from software development, tech consulting, the restaurant industry, digital publishing and property investment. That translates into a lot of very useful support for The Friends, and the trustees decided they would like him to join the committee.

Phillip and his wife live not far from the park and know it well. He is a team player and we enjoy his company, as we all do our best to run The Friends as successfully as we can. There’s one other thing: Phillip’s dog has been taught by him to be exceedingly polite and well-behaved, so he hasn’t forgotten his teaching skills!

Welcome Phillip. The trustees look forward to working with you. 

[May 2024]

News update as at 2 May 2024

Bolle’s poplar

Many of you will have noticed the loss of the very big tree just inside the Ilchester Gates, a Bolle’s poplar. Sadly, it was badly diseased and unsafe with so many people walking underneath it. Bartletts tree experts warned some years ago that it was one to keep an eye on. When the RBKC Arboricultural team checked it in 2020 they found fungus at the base. At that stage it was crown reduced to remove weight from the top so that it could be kept  a little longer. In March 2024 a further Picus test showed extensive decay at the base. It had to go. The decay was caused by Ganoderma bracket fungus which eats slowly but relentlessly into the tree.  Picus is a non-invasive way of determining the extent of decay inside a tree and it works by taking readings of soundwaves passing through the trunk and measuring the density. This can reveal damage in an otherwise healthy-looking tree.

Photo by RBKC

Water Management in Holland Park

For a long time, there has been discussion about managing torrential rain which causes small rivers running through the park, taking soil with it and gouging out troughs in the woodland paths. The water pools where we don’t want it, the north lawn becomes a quagmire and too much water channels out of the park and into the sewerage system. The new flood management officer in the town hall understands how to manage water in parks and is developing a proposal, with Parks Management, to absorb rainwater near where it falls and channelling surplus to where it can be used. The Friends have been consulted and support the concept. We will bring you further news when it is available.

Marouflages

The story continues. Alvar Mailan from Richard Rogers Conservation has painstakingly removed panels 1&2 of the paintings under the arcade by the Iris Garden. The panels are now back at RRC’s studios where the canvas backing is being repaired following discovery of mould. We await news of the next development and of when it will be possible for artist, Mao Wen Biao, to retouch the surfaces of these two panels. After nearly two years, we still await to hear when the Council will do the work to prevent water ingress from the walkway above.  

Jennie Kettlewell

Photo by Gilead Limor

[May 2024]

New café in Holland Park

By the time you read this, you may have had a chance to visit the Holland Park Café under its new ownership. Daisy Green Foods signed the lease in late April and has wasted no time in getting the café up and running, even if not with its full offering just yet. The new name is still to be decided.

Daisy Green is a family business, run by Prue Freeman and her husband Tom Onions. Founded in 2012, they have grown the business and now have a mix of cafés and restaurants across London, with each venue individually designed to fit its local environment and community. They live near Holland Park, which means they know the park well and can tailor our café to what park visitors really want.

The main point of a café is to offer really good coffee at a fair price and that is something on which the owners pride themselves. To go with the coffee there will be a choice of cakes and pastries. There are light dishes on the menu, made with responsibly-sourced fresh ingredients in a Mediterranean style, with accents of Asian flavours. That means plenty of choice, whether you want a quick coffee, a meal, or one of Daisy Green’s special breakfasts.

The long-awaited changes to the service area will be made, once agreed, so that the frustrating queues at busy periods are a thing of the past. No doubt the interior will be freshened up, while respecting the nature of the listed buildings in our park. Table service will be a new feature, which will be a benefit in that the tables will be clean, and it will also help reduce the queues. That doesn’t mean you can’t go to the counter and buy a coffee and sandwich to go.

Many of our members have asked if the café staff, under the management of Ade Phillips, will still greet us in the café. We are delighted to tell you that they will.

We understand the opening hours will be 7.30am to half an hour before dusk, when the park closes.  A limited number of appropriate evening events may take place, with the agreement of Parks Management. It is good news that Daisy Green is community-focused, both in terms of relationships and in terms of donating to local charities. They operate an environmentally friendly business, and encourage keep cups. 

At this point we would like to say a big thank you to Cooks and Partners, who have run the café for the past 17 years and who have co-operated, on so many occasions, with The Friends.

The Holland Park Café has always been a welcome meeting point for local residents and all park visitors, and Prue Freeman intends to keep it that way. So, drop in and sample the new coffee, snacks and meals, and bring your friends. We very much look forward to working with the new owners and to supporting their successful business.

Photo from Daisy Green

Jennie Kettlewell

[May 2024]

Thank you from the Parks Manager

I asked Jennie Kettlewell, your chairman, if I could have a small piece in this edition of the newsletter. This is my thank you to every member of The Friends for the support you provide. My role exists to care for the parks and make them as good as they can be for everyone. This is the core function of my job, but it takes a small army of people from all across the Council and community to truly make this happen.

I don’t take for granted the effort, commitment and support that you all give to the park and its visitors and how lucky we are to have such dedicated friends. 

With your help and support we are making this park more accessible, allowing members of our community who could previously never use the park to visit and feel safe and provided for. We are caring for our trees and giving them the best chance to thrive with a programme of proactive tree health works. And thanks to you the Ecology Centre are able to make their adult education programme free to all. 

So thank you all from me and the team.

Monica Castelino, RBKC Parks Manager

Response from Jennie Kettlewell

I was very pleased when Monica Castelino told me she wanted to write a piece for the newsletter. She is always so busy, yet remembered and found the time. 

We are fortunate to have a great team of Council officers to run our park – Parks Management, the Ecology Service, the Project Management team and the Parks Police. They all work closely together and with contractors idverde. Most visitors comment on how wonderful the park is, and it is wonderful, but they are rarely aware of the sheer quantity of very hard work that goes into making it so. The Friends appreciate being included in all matters related to the park and it is for that reason we can enjoy making a positive contribution.

[May 2024]

Report on the 2024 AGM 

A record number of members attended the AGM this year, with some 70 wanting an update on park matters and keen to participate with questions and comments. All votes were carried.

·  Minutes of the 2023 AGM were approved

·  Accounts for 2023 were approved and have since been filed with the        Charity Commission

·  All trustees standing 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). 

·  Roger Foreman was re-elected as independent examiner

Nicholas Hopkins reported on achievements in 2023: repairs to the damaged terra cotta bricks, retouching of the surface of the marouflage paintings under the Iris Garden arcade, border hedging for the woodland enclosures, installation of 50 bird boxes and continuation of the proactive tree health programme.

 Rhoddy Wood reported that 100 members had joined since the 2023 AGM but that members failing to renew in January meant the net increase was just 15. She encouraged members to pay by standing order if they did not already do so. 

Chairman, Jennie Kettlewell, explained the continuing challenges of high visitor numbers resulting in erosion of grass and compaction of ground, for which there is no simple solution. Action is being taken to improve the area round the Walking Man statue. Drought and torrential rain will be managed through a water-management plan. Current projects are conservation of the murals and the Old Dairy. JK informed members about the current licensing application for the Café, which was a concern due to proposed late opening. She said this may be misleading as the lease stipulated closure when the park closes, save for some 10 events p.a. Members asked JK to respond to the application by saying the condition for not objecting was the existence of the lease.

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, without which The Friends could not operate.

[May 2024]

Planting in Holland Park

Work continues to implement the Holland Park Woodland Management Plan and you can see where idverde’s Gerry Kelsey has led his teams of volunteers to plant hedging whips along the borders of the woodland enclosures. It is good to see planting in the park once again, and planting trees in carefully selected spaces will be next. The Woodland Trust says: “Trees are a powerful weapon in the fight against climate change, absorbing and locking up a staggering 213 million tonnes of carbon in UK woodlands. Yet the woods that we need so vitally are themselves impacted by climate change – spring now arrives on average 8.4 days earlier than the first part of the 20th century which means some wildlife is struggling to keep up. Woodland wildlife is already under immense pressure…” We must ensure that future generations can enjoy tranquil  green space in Holland Park.

[May 2024]

News Update as at 7 February 2024

Marouflages

Mao Wen Biao, the artist who painted these wonderful panels depicting a party in the grounds of Holland House, has worked on a surface retouch of the paintings. We are grateful to him for this and for his original work which all park visitors can enjoy. 

We have always called them The Murals, but they are ‘marouflages’ because they are painted on canvas and not directly onto the plaster wall. That is unusual for work in the open air and is part of the problem the council is trying to solve. Damp has got into the fabric of the building on which the canvases are fixed and it is necessary to examine the state of the two panels on the left, to see if damp has affected the canvas. Richard Rogers Conservation is carefully securing the paint surface with Japanese tissue paper and is exploring the possibility of removing both of these canvases for conservation. While that is happening, any damp in the wall can be dealt with and the spaces will be filled with same size photographs of the paintings, kindly donated by Gilead Limor.

The aim is to conserve these works so that all can enjoy them for a long time to come.

Bird boxes

Look carefully, and you will see bird boxes fixed to trees around the  park, especially in the woodland areas. These are safe places for wild birds to nest and they come with different size entry holes to suit different species of bird. They include boxes for Tree Creepers and Tawny Owls as well as the many small birds to be found in the park. Each box has a number for easy reference to what birds are nesting where.  The Friends funded the cost of £1,081. 

Mediterranean Bed

This is the long bed next to the old brick wall along the north edge of the Dutch Garden. When, in 2017, it was in need of refreshment, The Friends worked with the head gardener to choose appropriate plants. The agreement was ‘for a structure provided by sizeable anchor plants interspersed with plants of varying size, shape and texture. Predominance of evergreen species meant the bed would look good in winter as well as summer. Bulbs and perennials were to add colour, but not so much that it clashed with the main attraction, the formal beds in the centre of the Dutch Garden.’ The chosen species were bought and planted, but not maintained, and it became quite out of line with the agreed concept. You will have noticed recently that many plants have been removed and the bed has been cleaned out ready for new planting in line with the original plan. 

The late Andrew Whiteley left money to The Friends, and the donation of over £11,000 covered the original plants and a soak hose. In Andrew’s memory, we would like to see this Mediterranean-themed bed looking resplendent and as originally intended.

Old Dairy

It’s early days yet, but The Friends are intent on conservation of Holland Park’s Old Dairy. It had been used as a store for the café, but another site was found for that purpose and the little building is now locked while work is scoped and costed. Part of the planning process is to research the history of the Holland estate’s farm, which was rented out for pasture to a commercial dairy company in the early 19th century. This dairy company, Tisdell & Tunks, may have sold milk to the Fox family and later to the Earls of Ilchester for use in the big house. It may be that the estate dairy was used for making butter and cream.

Text & photos Jennie Kettlewell

[February 2024]

Please don’t feed the wildlife!

By Dr Alice Laughton, Ecology Service Manager

We need your help to protect the wildlife in Kensington and Chelsea. We understand that, for many people, feeding the animals is an important part of your visit, and something that children particularly enjoy. Unfortunately, with so many visitors to our parks, the overall result of thousands of visitors feeding wildlife is causing more harm than good.

Our parks are managed to provide enough food to sustain the wildlife that lives here, whether through planting of nectar-rich flowers, hedges and trees that bear berries for birds, or well-managed soils that maintain a wealth of worms and other invertebrates that birds and small mammals feed on. It’s vital that we maintain this balance to support biodiversity in our parks and green spaces.

Here are some of the reasons why it’s important to stop feeding the animals:
• The parks contain enough food to support the wildlife that lives here. When opportunities come up, our teams plant trees, hedges and shrubs that provide the berries, nuts and seeds that animals love. 
• Feeding encourages overcrowding of bird populations. Large numbers of crows and magpies that arrive bully the smaller song birds in the park, reducing the numbers that successfully breed here. 
• Processed ‘human’ food is not good for wildlife. They haven’t evolved to eat the same foods as us, and so these foods can cause harm. Bread doesn’t contain much nutritional value but fills up the birds’ stomachs so that they don’t forage for foods they would normally eat, which can lead to malnutrition.
• Animals that are used to being fed by humans now behave unnaturally around people, putting themselves and visitors at risk. For example, squirrels that have become too confident are more at risk of attack by a dog.
• Food such as bread or rice left on the ground attracts rats and other vermin, which is not good for other wildlife, or local residents and businesses.
• Uneaten food thrown into ponds or on banks which has been left to rot leads to a decline in water quality. This in turn results in more algae growing on the water, more disease and pests, and causes animals and plants to become sick and die.
• Encouraging large groups of birds to gather creates an excessive amount of bird droppings, which is detrimental to the health of the soil, and increases the need to clean park benches and other features.
• The high numbers of squirrels encouraged by feeding damage and kill trees.
• Throwing food for birds encourages them to group together, which can increase the spread of diseases, like bird flu.

[February 2024]

Award for Holland House Conservation

The Friends are delighted, but not surprised, that Allies & Morrison have been accorded a Civic Trust Regional Finalist award for their conservation work on Holland House. The work was carried out over 2021/22, and the award will appear in the Civic Trust 2024 Commemorative Brochure of Winners. 

[February 2024]

Butterfly Volunteers Needed

By Dr Alice Laughton, head of the RBKC Ecology Service

The Ecology Service started regularly recording butterflies in Holland Park in 2023 to help inform future habitat works and contribute to the local and national species data records. This is done by walking a set route through the park each week from April through to September and noting what species can be seen.

The Ecology team are looking for more volunteers to help monitor the butterflies in 2024. You don’t have to commit to recording every week (unless you want to!) and it’s a lovely way to bring new focus to a familiar walk around the park. 

If you think this is something you would like to do, please email ecology.centre@rbkc.gov.uk, mentioning Butterfly Survey in the subject box. The Ecology Service will be providing training on species identification and recording in the spring (more will follow on the park notice boards).

[February 2024]

NEW!  Butterfly leaflet

We are fortunate to have thriving pollinator habitats in Holland Park and that means we have lots of butterflies. The Friends have produced a fold-out leaflet with photos of all 16 species, explaining where and when you can find them in the park. There’s useful information, such as the life cycle of a butterfly, behaviours, what makes an appropriate habitat, as well as some useful contacts to find out more. We are grateful to professional photographer Jed Corbett, Butterfly Conservation’s Steve Bolton and Andrew Wood, a moth and butterfly recorder for Hertfordshire Natural History, for letting us use their stunning photos. Technical advice was given by Andrew Wood, who leads the butterfly and moth walks in Holland Park. Phil Lyndon of Column Communications created the design and artwork, as he does for other Friends’ brochures. 

The leaflet costs a modest £3 if you buy it from the Holland Park Reception, or online for £3.90 (postage and packaging costs apply).

Butterflies are beautiful, so find out more by buying this leaflet. Then go and find them in the park.

Order online HERE

[February 2024]

The Friends pop-up in the park 

The Friends like to get out and meet people in the park and so hold a pop-up desk several times a year. It allows us to engage with park visitors, tell them a about the park and The Friends and of course encourage those who are not already a Friend to join. We also sell plants grown in the plant nursery by Holland Park gardeners from idverde. Many who know us well also take the opportunity to drop by and say hello. 

Keep an eye on The Friends Café Yard notice board for future pop-up dates. Plants won’t be on sale during the winter, but we will have Christmas cards for sale at our October pop-up and we will organise a special Festive Pop-up event on Sat. 2 December. 

Text and photo by Jennie Kettlewell

[September 2023]

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.