Clissold Park is one of London's cleverest. It manages to appear small when actually it's rather big. It has us thinking there's little to do there, but scratch the surface and you quickly realise there's enough within its curvaceous border to keep you busy until your next birthday and well beyond.
Clissold Park has you believe you're in the middle of the English countryside when actually you're in the middle of one of the busiest cities on the planet.
How does it do it? A trick of the light? Fast hands? Well, as if we didn't already know it, parks don't have hands. And the light that falls on
Clissold Park is the very same light that falls on all the London parks (which are not so clever), so one has to assume it has some in-built magic, something mysterious upon which we cannot place our finger, and neither do we need to try.
It's a park to simply be enjoyed and explored at one's leisure, to be strolled around, to be skipped upon, jogged in, to be sprawled out on; to be, if you dare, gently caressed, although this final action may be taking things a little far, and could even bring you to the attention of the authorities. And we wouldn't want that.
Situated in Stoke Newington, in London's north, Clissold Park is a fascinating affair. Enter from Green Lanes on the west side of the park and you are immediately faced with a choice – you can walk straight ahead, take the path leading off to the left or the one going ever so slightly uphill to your right.
If you prefer a park without choices, Clissold may not be the one for you. But if you like your parks to demand something of you, to challenge you to some degree, then step right this way.
As you enter from Green Lanes, you could easily be fooled into thinking that Clissold Park holds little more than grass, some trees, and a few pathways. If you
do think that, best not to vocalise it, as it will only cause later embarrassment (if you're with others).
The truth that this parks tries to conceal is that it reveals its delights the deeper you step inside, the further you walk from its perimeter.
Lakes, a river, tennis courts, a playground, a bowling green, a dog-free area, a paddling pool, an aviary, a butterfly tunnel, a large animal enclosure for which "large" can be safely applied to both the size of the animals and the size of the enclosure (deer, goats etc), and, most importantly of all (for some) – a cafe.
The park is also home to Clissold Mansion, a Grade II listed building that dates back to the 18th century. Football, rugby and cricket are also played in Clissold Park.
There really is only one way to discover just how clever this 54-acre park is, and that's to seek it out for yourself and step inside. You'll be glad you did.
