We welcome the Royal Baby and hope London's Greenway Network will have a King Queen Champion


What are kings and queens for in the 21st century? I don’t know, but opening hospitals and attending state funerals does not seem ALL THAT useful. Gardenvisit.com is therefore putting in a pre-natal plea for the Royal Baby to become a patron of London’s Greenway Network. Princess Di used to run incognito in Kensington Gardens and I wished at the time that she had laid the foundation for a Scandinavian-style Cycling Monarchy. It would be wonderful if her first grandchild could lead London, as Henry VIII and Charles II did, in the creation of a London Greenway Network. It should provide for green transport and green recreation throughout London. Though welcome, Boris Johnson’s  cycleways are not places of pleasure. London needs greenways fit for kings and queens and royal babes.

20 thoughts on “We welcome the Royal Baby and hope London's Greenway Network will have a King Queen Champion

    1. Tom Turner Post author

      Thank you: I have not visited the riverside in Windsor now want to promenade (or cycle) it. Great idea for Wills and Kate and Babes to do likewise. It is sad that the royal family, like prisoners, can look out on St James’s Park (arguably the world’s best urban park) from the windows of Buckingham Palace but can never visit the park.

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  1. Christine

    Hmmm. The Royal Family seems to be suffering from the same public/private dilemma as much urban public space.

    They definitely need their own private space – but also a suitable semi-private space – where they can walk a pram and maybe even cycle in a protected public space (this was probably once the function of the Court, as a collective of people) without being totally exposed to the public with all the security and other implications this implies.

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    1. Tom Turner Post author

      Maybe they already do it, but if I was unluckly enough to be a member of the Royal Family I would employ a good disguise artist and then walk the streets. Prince Charles could do very well as a bag lady – in fact I think this may be him checking out a public open space as a place to grow organic vegetables http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9a/Homeless_woman_in_Toronto.jpg That mention of Toronto is just to throw the paparazzi of his ‘scent’.

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    1. Tom Turner Post author

      It is tempting to make fun of Prince Charles, because everyone does it, but I am an admirer of much that he does: his criticism of ‘brutalist’ architecture, his support for organic farming and his exceptionally interesting design for the garden at Highgrove. It has a justifiable claim to being post-Postmodern – especially when compared to Charles Jencks’ Postmodern design for Portrack. In fact I wish his Mum would follow the examples set by other European royals (Belgium and Holland) this year and abdicate in favour of her son. Her country needs him!

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  2. Christine

    I am wondering why it is not possible for them to both have a high public profile. In Australia the Queen is very well regarded. I am not sure that Prince Charles is as well thought of after the death of Diana. He doesn’t seem to have done as much touring abroad since then?

    Yes, he was famous for his advocacy for classical architectural styles in the post-modern era. [ http://www.counter-currents.com/2013/04/when-two-worlds-collide-prince-charles-modern-architecture/ ]

    It would seem that the best princely approach would be the classical one of commissioning architecture and leading by the example of patronage!

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    1. Tom Turner Post author

      Britain could do with more de-traditionalising and Charles is better suited to this role than his Mum. But, yes, he blotted his copybook over Princess Di – the trouble may have been that his ancestors could have has many partners as they wanted – as can many of his contemporaries.
      I like the idea of Charles hectoring David Cameron about green policy on a weekly basis and I like Charles’ idea of de-prioritising the Church of England – which does not seem to have any views on anything, except, or course, sex.
      Re Prince Charles and the architects, I do not think the question is whether ‘modernism’ is right or wrong. If it is a style then it is right in some places and wrong in other places. But I think it can be argued that Charles’ advocacy of a green approach is always right. Even a space rocket should be a green as possible. In the debate re Chelsea Barracks I think Charles was 100% right and Richard Rogers 100% wrong. I can’t say the revised scheme looks better but what the team has said about it sounds better! How does one judge?
      http://www.chelseabarracks.net/media/yyyysq.jpg

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  3. Christine

    It is strange how guys see multiple sexual partners as a good thing – ie having as many partners as you want. From a girl’s perspective you want the guy that you love to have as many partners as he want – and to want to have only you! Perhaps this is how Lady Diana felt about the matter and why she was so sad that he did not love her like this?

    I am not sure about what the Church of England advocates for. But isn’t one of Charles’ primary roles to be a Defender of the Faith and the Head of the Church of England? I am not sure what would happen to the Catholic Church if Pope Francis the first decided to de-prioritise it. But I am imagining it would not have good consequences.

    Modernism is a paradigm shift firstly, with radical stylistic consequences. But yes it is not always appropriate in all places and should be adopted as a stylistic approach judiciously. (Although it is impossible to avoid being modern in doing so!)

    Yes, Charles advocacy of the green approach is always right. It is just a matter of him getting a fair hearing. This is why being a patron and commissioning an architect rather than criticising one might win him a better hearing and more understanding.

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    1. Tom Turner Post author

      Daniel Bergman’s research, obviously obstructed by his gender, reaches a contrary conclusion: http://www.amazon.co.uk/What-Do-Women-Want-Adventures/dp/1782112561/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1374347172&sr=1-1&keywords=female+desire. Diana may well have been content if Charlie had been faithful but once she knew the score she seems to have acted in accordance with Bergman’s research findings.
      Charles’ predecessors have been Defenders of THE Faith but he says he would rather be the Defender of FAITHS – and I think this is a much better role for him. The days of burning heretics are long past and it is time to defend Quakers, Buddhists, Daoists, Shamans etc.
      Charles was client for a very well-executed visitor centre and music pavilion at Highgrove. The architectural profession was not kindly in its comments and I could not find a photograph of it. The style might be called Steiner-esque.

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  4. Christine

    ps. One the face of it, it would seem that the revised Chelsea Barracks scheme is a better outcome. It certainly delivers more green space and a better built form and that is good. However, from a cursory viewing the architecture itself is inferior to Rogers initial scheme.

    This however, is only a first impression, and the scheme would need to be looked at much more closely to fully understand the dynamics.

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  5. Christine

    Wonderful news about the arrival of the Royal Baby! Here’s hoping this little Prince gets his fairytale!

    It is strange that people believe women didn’t have affairs in the past. Who were all the men having affairs with then? I am sure female infidelity isn’t new. It is very sad that Diana had to look for love elsewhere. I am not sure if she found it.

    I am not sure that Defending the Faith really has a whole lot to do with burning heretics. The step sisters Elizabeth and Mary certainly got involved in a lot of activity of this sort in Tudor times – but it was over succession to the crown principally.

    What is the status of the Act of Toleration?
    [ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Act_of_Toleration_1689 ]

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    1. Tom Turner Post author

      It has sometime been the case that many men have some affairs and a few women have a very very large number of ‘affairs’.
      The Act of ‘Toleration’ was just that: it tolerated other faiths but gave the Church of England primacy.

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  6. jerry

    The most important is you have nothing.

    back to a professional topic about greenway, London has enough greenway compare with China. So, my hoping for this baby is to learn Chinese from childhood and maybe do a PhD in landscape in China in the future.

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    1. Tom Turner Post author

      London has a few brilliant greenways and rather a lot of greenways, like the South London Green Chain, which have very little use and very little beauty.
      China as a brilliant and comprehensive greenway system with a great deal of use but not very much beauty.
      ps What do you mean by ‘The most important is you have nothing.’?

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    1. Tom Turner Post author

      Yes, YES, yes China does have greenways – except they call them cycle roads. If you do not agree with this, please give me your definition of a ‘greenway’.

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  7. Christine

    Aah! Since the baby is a little young for his first tricylce [ http://www.thinktrikes.com.au/image/data/Thinktrikes/Italtrike/supertourred.jpg ] or bicycle [ http://ep.yimg.com/ty/cdn/radioflyer/37.jpg ]and probably even for enjoying the scenery with his parents [ http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RsAsUTyRBOI/T1r1HAyd-5I/AAAAAAAABF0/dhUJ0Fngorg/s320/Public+with+Baby+Seat.jpg ] my thoughts were for a pram-friendly route. [ http://www.tamucyber.com/images/productShots/large/10.jpg ]

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    1. Tom Turner Post author

      My Mum had the equivalents of these pieces of equipment for me – and I think they had even more charm than their modern equivalents.
      So, Kate, thank you for continuing to read the Gardenvisit blog and I recommend taking Christine’s advice and purchasing these items as soon as possible. The Broad Walk outside your London home is a traditional place for prams
      http://www.chrisbeetlesfinephotographs.com/sites/default/files/stock-images/NANNIES-WITH-BABY-CARRIAGES-IN-KENSINGTON-GARDENS-LONDON-1960-2-C30636.jpg
      You only need to do this with Wee Georgie once and the masses will follow. Take our word for it.

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