Welcome to our tour of St. James's Park in London, England! St James's Park is the oldest Royal Park in the heart of ceremonial London but it wouldn't be what it is today without all of the animals that have influenced it.
In our St. James's Park tour, we'll take you through the famous monarchs, and their furry friends, who've shaped this park into what it is today. This iconic park in central London wasn't always a place for people to walk around and enjoy the scenery of the City of Westminster. Henry VIII first bought the land that is now St. James's Park in order to breed deer. Things just got more wild from there!
Believe it or not, St. James's Park used to be a zoo--literally! It was here that King James I would house his exotic menagerie. Remnants of the park's time as a zoo are still evident in various parts of the park, such as Birdcage Walk.
In fact, you can't go to St. James's Park without seeing any birds. From ducks to pelicans, there is no shortage of feathered friends here. In our St. James's Park travel vlog, we'll explain how pelicans ended up in central London. Ducks are so popular here that they have their own island! Duck Island has existed here as far back as the 16th century! The park even has its own Duck Island Cottage, which used to be presided over by a governor...
You can see tons of birds swimming around Duck Island, in the St. James's Park lake. The best view is from The Blue Bridge, which offers amazing views of landmarks such as Horse Guards, the London Eye, and Buckingham Palace. It's also a great spot to do some bird watching!
There's even a café at St. James's Park that exists because of birds! Storey's Gate Café is just blocks from Big Ben and the Palace of Westminster. But it began as housing for a man whose job was to care for all of the birds at the park. Naturally, this café is now bird-themed!
There's another key animal we haven't mentioned yet: horses! In this London travel vlog, we end at Horse Guards, which used to house the stables for horses. We were lucky enough to see a uniform inspection ceremony at Horse Guards, which we'll share with you!
The next time you're at London's famous park, we encourage you to take a second look at all of the wildlife around you and think about how different the park would be without them. The St. James's Park animals are adorable, historic, and legendary!
What animal did you enjoy learning about the most? Let us know in the comments!
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Vlog 67 | St. James's Park, London | Filmed: April 16th, 2023
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LEARN MORE
St. James's Park: www.royalparks.org.uk/parks/s...
Horse Guards Parade: www.royalparks.org.uk/parks/s...
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TIMESTAMPS ⏰
0:00 Introduction
0:08 Origins of the Park
0:43 St. James's as a Menagerie
1:02 Birdcage Walk
1:14 Pelicans at St. James's
1:32 Duck Island Cottage
2:25 Views from the Blue Bridge
2:46 Storey's Gate Café
3:20 Horse Guards
3:46 Ceremony at Horse Guards
4:15 Ceremony Debrief
4:30 Bloopers
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MUSIC 🎵
Dawn Adventures by Isobel O'Connor
Tim's Livelyhood by Howard Harper-Barnes
Barksdale Lane by Howard Harper-Barnes
What About the Trolls by Raymond Grouse
Botanical Garden by Power Druid
A Royal Entrance by Cercles Nouvelles
*All music is from Epidemic Sound: www.epidemicsound.com/
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FOLLOW US
Instagram: / the_traveling_stewarts
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ABOUT US 👫🏻
We’re The Stewarts-high school sweethearts from the DC Metropolitan Area. We’re full-time professionals and part-time explorers. We don’t use fancy equipment or snazzy editing but we strive to document our travels so we can remember the big moments and the small moments. We love exploring nature, discovering new places, touring historic sites, and sharing fun facts. We’ll show and tell you about our travels, so come join us!
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