The City of London Corporation owns and maintains open space in and around Greater London.
They have mainly been acquired since 1878, when two Acts of Parliament entrusted the management of Epping Forest and several other areas within a 25-mile (40 km) radius to the corporation: these areas laid the foundation for the Green Belt in the 20th century. On dedicating the opening of Epping Forest on 6 May 1882, Queen Victoria said "It gives me the greatest satisfaction to dedicate this beautiful forest to the use and enjoyment of my people for all time."[1]
The city has no sizeable parks within its boundary, but does have a network of a large number of gardens and small open spaces, many of them maintained by the corporation. These range from formal gardens such as the one in Finsbury Circus, containing a bowling green and bandstand, to churchyards such as St Olave Hart Street, to water features and artwork in courtyards and pedestrianised lanes.[2] There are 150 smaller areas within the square mile of the City of London, including:
The total managed area is 4,200 hectares (42 km2 (16 sq mi)). Included in the open spaces are:
It also has an interest in the Downlands Countryside Management Project in South-east London.
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