The Park Visitor Centre (i) is between the Grove car park and the cafe in the Grove. Open Sundays and first Saturday of each month from 11am till 1pm. Maps, leaflets, quizzes and drawing materials for children.
Embedded Files
Add Headings and they will appear in your table of contents.
Alexandra Park is a delightful mixture of informal woodland, open grassland, formal gardens and attractions such as the boating lake, cafés and the pitch-and-putt course. It covers 196 acres around Alexandra Palace in North London.
The Friends of Alexandra Park is a voluntary group that promotes the use of the Park, encourages the conservation of its wildlife and protects the Park from unwanted development.
Become a Friend here - buy our book "A History Of Alexandra Park" in our shop
Our activities include:
Organising walks and talks about trees, bats, fungi, moths, insects, birds and the history of Alexandra Park, and conservation work.
Sending a newsletter every month to all our members.
Opening the Park Visitor Centre
Spring Litter Clear up
Saturday 14th February from 10am to Noon
Our annual deep litter clear up. The park contractors, John O'Conner, do a great job keeping on top of the litter on a daily basis.
Once a year before the vegetation starts growing, we have a big effort at clearing rubbish from "those hard to get places".
Meet below the BBC Tower.
Conservation Work in the Park
Thursday 19th February from 10:00am to 12:30pm
Orchard work - prune and mulch. Bring gardening gloves if you have them, although we have spares to lend. No special skills needed and refreshments provided.
Meet at the Park Visitor in the Grove
Winter Bird Walk
Sunday 22nd February from 8:30am to 10:00pm
A look around the park to find our residents and winter visitors like this redwing pictured.
Meet in the Grove Car Park.
Art in the Park
Thursday 26th February from 10:00am to 11:00am
Join other park lovers in a relaxed and friendly group to enjoy time spent outdoors, observing nature through drawing, painting or photography. Bring something to sit on and your own materials (though some basics are provided). The group is free and open to all, whatever your level. Watch out for an email to book in advance, or email [allyparkn10@gmail.com] to find out more.
Conservation Work in the Park
Tuesday 17th March from 10:00am to 12:30pm
Cutting back flower heads and bramble control in the Anthill Meadow. Bring gardening gloves if you have them, although we have spares to lend. No special skills needed and refreshments provided.
Meet in the Anthill Meadow, or if you're not sure where that is, please email us at AllyParkN10gmail.com
Spring Tree Walk
Saturday 21st March from 11:00am to 12:15pm
A spring walk to look at the trees that are flowering. Meeting place to be advised at the beginning of March.
Bat Walk
Monday 23rd March
A chance to look and listen to the bats in the park - details to follow at the beginning of March.
Art in the Park
Thursday 26th March from 10:00am to 11:30am
Join other park lovers in a relaxed and friendly group to enjoy time spent outdoors, observing nature through drawing, painting or photography. Bring something to sit on and your own materials (though some basics are provided). The group is free and open to all, whatever your level. Watch out for an email to book in advance, or email [allyparkn10@gmail.com] to find out more.
Family Art in the Park
Sunday 29th March from 10:30am to 11:30am
Children of all ages, their parents, grandparents and/or carers are very welcome to join us at our next fun-filled outdoor art session. The park is a fascinating place right now, as it’s bursting back into life. So for this month we will be identifying the wildflowers and leaves that are popping up around us. We’ll then make our own mini flower presses, work with pressed flowers to make suncatchers, make paintings of leaves, and more.
Email AllyParkN10.com to book place(s) saying how many children and adults.
Early Spring Wildflower Walk
Sunday 29th March from 2:30pm to 3:45pm
A seasonal look at the wildflowers in the park with Caroline.
What will be in flower at this time of year?
Email AllyParkN10@gmail.com to book. stating number of people .
RECENT EVENTS IN THE PARK
Members' Nature Walk: 8th February
Nearly a score of us met up for seasonal walk in the park.
We walked just below the terrace to look at the Cornelian cherries (five of them) just starting to flower - picture left. Walking further along to below the BBC Tower was the circle of purple leaved plums with first 5 or 6 flowers just opened (picture below). Soon these trees will covered with blossom.
Moving back towards the Grove, we stopped to admire the cork oak with its touchy feely bark and nearby was hazel with its long male catkins and minute red female flowers.
Walking down Alexandra Palace Way passing the dawn redwoods, we admired the crocuses in flower and the small red flowers of the Persian Ironwood.
We carried on to the giant redwoods and contrasted and compared their cones with those of the dawn redwood.
Arriving on the Lower Road, we saw a bright spot of yellowy orange of yellow brain fungus on the left followed the inappropriately name summer snowflake flowering maybe a little early.
We finished the walk by passing some hawthorn coming into leaf and then Turkish hazel trees with similar catkins (although longer) and female flowers to our native hazel.
Big Garden Birdwatch event run by RSPB local group: 25th January
An overcast and drizzly day for the meet up by the Boating Lake. Birds seen on the Boating included pochards, two older cygnets and up in a tree there was an Egyptian goose (pictured).
As usual for park visitors who come less often getting good sighting of two peregrines on the back of the Palace through scopes was a big attraction. Here follows a full report from Bob Husband of the RSPB NW London Group.
The annual NW LONDON RSPB GROUP Big Garden Birdwatch at Alexandra Palace Park took place on Sunday 25 January 2026.
Based once again at the Lakeside Cafe RSPB volunteers set up the Sales & Information Stall in preparation for the Noon Birdwatch.
At least fifteen folk gathered for the Birdwalk, including Cailin, aged 6, who delighted in feeding seeds to the wildfowl & splashing through the puddles.
With the rainy conditions local birder, Greg Smith, suggested we should scan the rear of the palace. As last year, a sheltering Peregrine, assumed female, was soon located giving everyone a chance to view it through the tripod mounted telescopes.
Keen to obtain closer views we set off around the lake, counting the wildfowl and other birds as we progressed. Arriving at The Avenue we located the male, characterised with a displaced left tail feather, perched nearby and confirmed the identity of the female (orange XHH, ringed as a fledgling at Worcester Cathedral in 2023) that first arrived here in early 2024.
As the rained stopped the female suddenly took flight and sped by disappearing around the west end of the palace, soon followed by the male.
Returning to the lake an Egyptian Goose alighted on the top of a truncated tree, while a little later Sue & Stephen sighted a Nuthatch.
Completing the circular walk around the lake we ventured down the slope, passed the Go Ape, adding a winter visiting Redwing & 3 Jays to our list.
Species Recorded: 2 immature Mute Swan, 9 Canada Goose, 15 Greylag Goose, 6 (3 pairs) Egyptian Goose, 3 (m & 2 f) Common Pochard, 14 Tufted Duck, 22 Mallard (including pale / khaki female) , 5 Wood Pigeon, c. 50 Feral Pigeon, 2 Moorhen, 3 Coot, Black-headed Gull, 2 Herring Gull, 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull, pair Peregrine Falcon, 4 Ring-necked Parakeet, 3 Jay, 2 Magpie, 1 Carrion Crow, 1 Coal Tit, 4 Blue Tit, 4 Great Tit, 1 Nuthatch, 1 Wren, 1 Redwing, 2 Starling, 3 Robin, 20 Goldfinch in flight. Total = 28
The Event was supported by the Alexandra Park Ornithological Group (Greg Smith of APOG), The Friends of Alexandra Park (Stephen Middleton) and the Alexandra Park & Palace Charitable Trust (Mark Evison & Jay Rathod). Many thanks to Sophie & her Lakeside Café staff for making space in the boathouse for our use.
A big thank you to Greg and Stephen and everyone who, despite the rain, helped make the event a success and our own RSPB stalwarts – Bob, Marian, Sue, Helen, Gill, & Barry (with granddaughter Cailin).
R. A. (Bob) Husband, RSPB Group Leader
Friends Conservation Work in the Anthill Meadow: 20th January
Twelve of us set to, hacking out bramble roots in the Anthill Meadow at the best time of year to do it: the ground is soft and the vegetation has died back. We also lowered shrubs and saplings on the hedge lines of the meadow. It was a fine morning, with a light breeze, which seemed to excite a flock of crows to play the wind, as well as gulls higher in the sky. A couple of woodpeckers flew across, and we heard small birds beginning their spring chorus. Mark Evison, the Head of Park, called by with his new deputy, Jay, to show him the conservation work we’re involved in. All in all, a good morning’s work in good company.
Art in the Park: 11th December
Despite the mud and cold we had eight brave souls come out to spend an hour enjoying taking notice of the muted and more subtle beauty of the park in winter. The formations of the clusters of bare winter trees on the South Slope was of particular interest, as were the sprinkling of lime-yellow catkins bobbing in the grey tangle of bare stems.
Friends Conservation Work in the Grove: 11th December
The Friends met up to cut back some holly above the Railway Orchard in the Grove in order to allow more light onto the fruit trees below.
The cut material was formed into a hedge.
Members' Walk and Social: 6th December
Our walk started in gloom, but with an orange peel fungus that looks just like its name popping up right by the entrance to the Park Visitor Centre (left). We walked up to the terrace with sky getting even darker with the crazy idea of looking at the view. We could just make out St Michael's and St Joseph's in Highgate before another Stephen (September: Flycatcher eating pyracantha berries on our calendar) pointed out that one of the peregrines was sitting on the Palace looking down on us.
Then suddenly it all changed, the bird of prey got easier to see as the skies got brighter and we spotted "The Orbit" in Stratford as well as the tall buildings by the Woodberry Wetlands site.
The sun even briefly came out as some people admired a north London stadium before we marched back to the PVC for our festive celebration (left).
Mince pies from Dunns and Gordon's home made mulled wine were enthusiastically enjoyed and a convivial time was passed by all. Special thanks to Jane for all her preparation.
Stall at the Farmers' Market: 30th November
What a difference a year makes.... Last year a storm coming through forced us to cancel our stall at the Farmers' Market. This year lovely sunshine and 50 calendars sold..... Thanks to all the enthusiastic volunteers.
Items which originally appeared on this Home page may have been moved to other pages, such as Previous Events in the Park.
Please explore our other pages - scroll up, and see the menu across the top of the page.
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse