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 changing on the 29th March to 2pm to 4pm. 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
Moss and Liverwort Walk
Sunday 8th March from 10:30am to Noon
Professor Jeff Duckett will lead us on another of his popular bryophyte walks. Pictured here is hedgehog moss (Grimmia pulvata).
Places are limited so please email AllyParkN10@gmail.com with the number of places requested and we will send you the meeting place.
Conservation Work in the Park
Tuesday 17th March from 9:30am to 1:00pm
We will pruning the orchard trees in the Grove with the help of the arborist, Russell Miller. Come for the whole session or just part of the time.
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 Centre. If you're not sure where that is or want more information, please email us at AllyParkN10gmail.com
Art in the Park
Thursday 19th 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.
Spring Tree Walk
Saturday 21st March from 11:00am to 12:15pm
Some trees will be leafing and others will still be in their winter guise, so Adrian will lead a walk to help us appreciate the changes taking place.
Meet at the Gas Hut by the Bedford Road entrance.
Family Art in the Park
Sunday 29th March from 10:30am to 11:30am
Join Katy Fattuhi for some spring-themed creative fun for all the family. One of the most delightful signs of spring is birdsong, so we will be making our own binoculars to see if we can spot any birds, and we’ll also make some nests (in which some chocolate eggs may appear!). Sessions take place in the park (or inside the Park Visitor Centre if it’s rainy).
We’re asking for a donation to the Friends of £5 per child, payable in advance, to contribute towards the cost of these sessions. Places are limited.
Email AllyParkN10.com to book place(s) saying how many children, their ages 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
Early Spring Bird Walk: 21st February
Though the weather was gloomy, we fortunately escaped any significant rain. Starting in the Grove, with Markus’s help we saw redwings, a male blackcap, singing song thrush, nuthatch and, most excitingly, one of the park’s wintering firecrests.
Deciding to avoid the very damp south-east of the park, we crossed the slopes in front of the palace and got nice views of the male peregrine on the mast, later seeing the female in flight.
We finished up at the Boating Lake, where amongst the various waterfowl were two pochards and seven shovelers. Altogether, in two hours we recorded 25 bird species.
Conservation Work in the Grove: 17th February
Care of the fruit trees in the Grove, in the Springfield and Railway orchards, was the main task. There were 12 of us in the merry band this month. We weeded around the base of each fruit tree and then mulched them with on-site mulch provided by the John O’Conner team.
The task was speedily done, despite the muddy conditions, so after our break, we tackled the bramble tangle around the lovely liquidambar tree where the old bandstand used to be. We’ll return to finish the job and then seed the revealed soil with a wildflower mix. A very satisfying morning’s work.
Litter Pick: 14th February
At this time of year, the Friends’ volunteers aim to clear the park of the litter that has built up in the difficult-to-reach places such as the bramble patches. So on an amazingly sunny morning, 18 of us assembled outside the BBC Tower and set out, armed with bags, bag hoops and litter pickers, one group to the Boating Lake and the other to the South Slope.
Bags were soon filled with cans, bottles, crisp packets, take-away cartons and a football from the South Slope; and vapes, lighters, plastic drinking straws, bottle caps, fishing oddments and plastic toy pieces from around the lake. And, of course, countless bits of plastic.
After a couple of hours, more than 30 bags were filled and the volunteers had the satisfaction of knowing they had done their bit.
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.
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