Parks, churches, and lakes all feature in London’s most tranquil places.
I know wellness and self-care are especially in vogue come January, but tranquillity never goes out of style. That’s good news for these lovely London locations, who’ve been voted the most tranquil places in London by Tranquil City, a new startup which helps advocate for cleaner, greener, and healthier cities. By working with academics and members of the public, they’ve formulated an index of tranquil places around town that’ll help you escape the pressure cooker of daily life.
Woodberry Wetlands up in Stoke Newington was crowned Tranquil City’s champion of chill, in a top ten that was revealed in the Evening Standard. The wetlands – not to be confused with the nearby (and also lovely) Walthamstow Wetlands – opened to the public in 2016 for the first time in 180 years, and feature eleven hectares of ponds, reeds, grassland, and meadows, all of which makes it a worthy winner of the tranquillity index.
Coming in second is an old Secret London favourite: the gorgeous ruined church of St Dunstan-in-the-East, now overgrown with trees and shrubs. Out in Bow Creek, creative industries and community gardens mix at Cody Dock, which scooped the number three slot, whilst fourth place went to Beckenham Place Park, blessed with a brand new swimming lake this past summer. Rounding out the top five is Postman’s Park, the London park which memorialises those who’ve lost their lives trying to save others.
Also in the top ten are London Bridge’s Red Cross Garden (originally designed by National Trust co-founder Octavia Hill), Myatt’s Fields Park in Camberwell, South Mere in Thamesmead, the Japanese Garden at Hammersmith Park, and finally the Paddington stretch of the Grand Union Canal, which is home to this adorable floating park.
Despite the vicissitudes of house prices, the smog, and the Central line, tranquillity can be found in our fair city, so why not check these tranquil spots out and find a little zen?
Featured image: @iamcyanblue, taken in Beckenham Place Park