Irrespective of the commons which link them together, the principal parks are the following. Beginning on the extreme north there is Golder's Hill, then to the east of Hampstead lies Waterlow, the next going eastwards is Finsbury, then Clissold and Springfield, and down towards the east Victoria. In South London, between Woolwich and Greenwich, lies Maryon Park; then, west of Greenwich, Deptford and Southwark; then a densely built-over district before Kennington, Vauxhall, and Battersea are reached; while away to the south lie Camberwell, Ruskin, Brockwell, and Dulwich; right away into the country, on the south-east, Avery Hill and Eltham; and back again west, across the river again, in Hammersmith, is Ravenscourt. These parks of varying sizes, and smaller recreation grounds between, make up the actual parks, although some of the commons, with playgrounds, artificial water, and band-stands, can hardly be distinguished from the true park.
The oldest of the parks now under the London County Council-Battersea, Kennington, and Victoria-were for many years under the Office of Works, and on the same footing as the Royal Parks. Government, and no muni- cipal authority, has the credit of their formation. Then came several formed by or transferred to the Metropolitan Board of Works. To all these, already over 2050 acres, the London County Council automatically succeeded. After the Bill reorganising the disposal of the funds of the London Parochial Charities in 1883, a part of their money was allotted to provide open spaces, and they helped to purchase many of the parks-Clissold, Vauxhall, Ravenscourt, Brockwell, and so on. The acquisition of parks has, in many cases, been due to private individuals, who helped to raise the necessary funds, and themselves contributed, and were generally assisted by the local vestries, and, later on, Borough Councils.
