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.
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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
Thank You for Making Our 20th Anniversary Fete So Special
Thank You for Making Our 20th Anniversary Fete So Special
It was fantastic to see so many members of the Friends, local residents and families join us to celebrate our 20th Anniversary. We were treated to music from the Palace Band, the SwingBusters, the London Metropolitan Brass Community Band and the London Metropolitan Brass Senior Band. The grand finale was provided by combined members of both Community and Senior Bands.
We were very fortunate to welcome the new Mayor of Haringey, Cllr Dawn Barnes who officially opened our Fete. We were also joined by Emma Dagnes, Chief Executive of Alexandra Palace and Mark Evison, Head of Parks and Sustainability, who gave a special tribute to Gordon and Jane Hutchinson who have been so instrumental to the success of the Friends.
Our little nature lovers were kept thoroughly entertained with Family Art In The Park, Crown Making, and a thrilling Nature Scavenger hunt! Meanwhile, our older visitors grappled with the test your knowledge of the park quiz and our tricky bird sound challenge. A huge well done to Jane Hutchinson for scoring a perfect 20/20 in the Park Quiz! High fives also go to Liz Edwards in second place, who finished just slightly ahead of Beatrice Murray and Alfie Waked. The winners of the birding challenge will be announced in our next newsletter.
Visitors also had the chance to learn more about our ongoing conservation work, alongside updates on our boardwalk and wetlands projects.
Did you catch our young talent? All entries—including the winning shot—from our Children’s April Photography Competition were proudly on display in the Park Visitor Centre. If you missed them, don’t worry! They will remain on display until 31st August 2026.
It truly was a fabulous day, and we couldn’t have done it without our wonderful volunteers. A massive thank you to everyone who supported us! We would also like to extend our gratitude to Patricia Pearl, our official photographer, for capturing the day so beautifully.
Here’s to many more fruitful years for the Friends of the Park!
Boardwalk Crowfunder Update
We cannot thank you and the wider community enough for the incredible support shown to our boardwalk fundraising. Thanks to your generosity, the final total was more than £24,000! So what’s next?
Planning application: a formal planning application to build the boardwalk will be submitted, with the exciting ambition to begin construction this autumn.
Wetlands funding: a separate bid has also been submitted for funding to complete additional conservation and improvement works across the whole wetlands area. We expect to hear whether the bid has been success in August. Fingers crossed!
Closures and diversions for the Outdoor Summer Season
Due to the concerts on various dates between 9th and 17th July, sections of the park and Alexandra Palace Way will be closed, and car parking and bus routes will alter. All details (including a map) on the Alexandra Palace website.
Art in the Park
Thursday 16th July from 10am to Noon
An opportunity for park lovers to join others 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 AllyPallyN10@gmail.com to find out more.
Family Bat Walk
Monday 20th July from 8pm to 9pm
As it falls in the summer holidays, give the children a late-night treat watching bats zipping around in the park. It’s also a treat for adults who aren’t familiar with these flying mammals. Email AllyParkN10@gmail.com to book your place(s).
Conservation Work in the Anthill Meadow
Tuesday 21st July from 10am to 12:30pm
We’ll be mostly doing some bramble root removal. The picture is of a common blue butterfly which are out and about at the moment.
Meet in the Anthill Meadow or email AllyparkN10@gmail.com for more details.
RECENT EVENTS IN THE PARK
Butterfly Walk: 27th June
A group of 10 joined Dee in very warm and bright conditions. The main meadow and the Anthill Meadow were the primary focus. All the midsummer species were flying: marbled white, meadow brown and small, large and Essex skippers. Painted lady, red admiral and brimstone also made an appearance, along with small coppers and several small and large whites, and we were lucky to see the first of the newly emerged gatekeepers. Cinnabar moth caterpillars were spotted on ragwort, and Stephen pointed out a burnet moth cocoon on a grass stem.
A smaller group continued into the Old Racecourse and the Nature Conservation Area, where Dee pointed out a silver Y moth, and green-veined whites and speckled woods sheltering in the shade.
Art in the Park: 18th June
On a very pleasant, slightly overcast morning, perched in the top north-west corner of the South Slope, we sat together sketching the clusters of oaks and brambles and the view to the palace.
It was a delight to be joined by a new visitor this time, a little robin that seemed to take a great interest in our presence, flitting back and forth between us and the branches of the trees. In fact, the more time we spent the more birds we noticed in this clearly popular avian spot. No one managed to draw one these fast-moving creatures though – that is maybe a little too much of challenge en plein air!
Members' Nature Walk: 13th June
Starting at the Gas Hut, we looked at one of the park's rarer plants, the ivy broomrape. This plant has no chlorophyll so gains its energy by parasitising on the plentiful ivy nearby. Next we looked at one of our rarer native trees, the wild service trees with its maple like leaves, but related to the rowan.
We were pleased to see the small dams used for regulating the flow of water through the nature conservation area had stood up well - just waiting for the next rains.
The Himalayan balsam is spreading with its pretty pink flowers, but needs to be controlled as it can choke up waterways.
We examined a few of the trees that were suffering from various pests and diseases including ash dieback and Dutch elm disease.
Walking back up to the lower path, we admired the beautiful patterning on the pencilled cranesbill (pictured).
We finished off in the anthill meadow and in spite of the slightly overcast conditions we saw plenty of the marbled white butterflies which have become a great of the park after they were first seen only about 10 years ago.
Family Art in the Park: 7th June
Our session was blooming with flowers! Beneath the (admittedly rain-blown) rhododendrons in the Grove, nine families had a lovely morning together making bunches of tissue-paper flowers that last all year, and wildflower bookmarks to remember those all-important smaller flowers in the park.
There were also fluid flower paintings created with pipettes (pictured), and chalk pastels blended over stencils to experiment with colour. Our next session is Sunday 13th September – put it in the diary!
Annual General Meeting: 7th May
There was a full house at the AGM on 7th May, with 30 Friends in attendance at the Park Visitor Centre. We were delighted to have guest speakers Mark Evison (Head of Parks & Environmental Sustainability) and Katherine Harding (Head of Development) address the meeting. Mark introduced the 10-year park management plan for 2026–2036, with the goals and associated objectives that he will be focusing on. The grounds maintenance contract with John O’Conner has been renewed for another year, and the palace’s full-time carpenter is refreshing all the park’s boards. Katherine discussed aspects of the Trust’s strategic plan for 2025–2035 and her immediate priorities, including the wetlands boardwalk Crowdfunder appeal and redevelopment of the playground.
All the current FoAP officers were re-elected.
Butterfly Walk: 2nd May
In bright sunshine a large group of butterfly enthusiasts joined Dee on a butterfly walk. We covered a large area including Blandford Hall, Upper and Lower meadows, Anthill Meadow, cricket edges and scrub, Old race course and Conservation Pond meadow.
A total of 8 species were seen including a promising showing of Small Coppers in a few different areas. Many Holly Blues and lots of Brimstones engaged in mating behaviour in the anthill meadow. There, Stephen also found a Brimstone egg on the Alder Buckthorn.
Also seen was a first of year Painted Lady flying fast across the bottom meadow.
Friends Conservation Work in the Anthill Meadow: 23rd April
The last few weeks of dry weather have scuppered our plans to seed the scraped area of the Anthill Meadow: the ground is baked hard so the seeds would not germinate. But we will broadcast our seed mix in November instead, and meanwhile various insects will make use of the bare earth – butterflies will extract minerals from it and solitary bees will tunnel in for nest sites.
Meanwhile we will keep clearing the area of bramble roots (pictured). Thirteen of us worked very hard to dig out the bramble roots with mattocks, or cut back bramble leaders with secateurs, but it was a glorious sunny morning, alive with birdsong, and so good to be out working with a group of jolly people.
Art in the Park: 23rd April
The park is nothing short of stunning at the moment in its burst of spring glory, and we had a perfect April morning for our Art in the Park meet up. Nine sketchers were treated to 2 hours of solid bird song, gentle breezes, mild sunshine and every shade of green under the sun.
A lovely morning as we grappled with the greens, the changing shadows and the sense of space from our vantage point in the Old Racecourse – a far cry from the intensity of its past!
Spring Fungi Walk: 18th April
Excellent sunny weather for the Fungi Walk, but the dry weather meant that there were fewer fungi to be seen, but 21 species were found.
Starting at the PVC, we found King Alfred's cakes (a burnt look) and yellowing curtain crust - a yellow bracket. Around the corner a ganoderma bracket on a dead sycamore together with very old black hard jelly ear.
Still in the Grove we found a pair of oak mazegill brackets on dead sycamore.
On the South Slope, the dead red horsechestnut continues to deliver great finds with a very young dryads saddle as well as a group of inkcaps, split gill, poplar bracket, brownflesh bracket and turkeytail.
Pictured top and bottom is Clifford explaining why it can be dangerous to eat even edible fungi like this St George's Mushroom. We finished by the Pitch and Putt entrance with tripe fungus, lumpy bracket and a very old chicken of the woods.
Members' Nature Walk: 5th April
A score of people met up at the PVC for a nature walk starting with a loop around the Grove where we looked at 3 species of deciduous conifer (dawn redwood, golden larch and swamp cypress) as well spotting a rare (for the park) patch of primroses near the Little Dinosaurs.
We had heads up on a nuthatch nest near the exit towards Parkland Walk and luckily they did not disappoint (picture left). We also admired the dark leaved Norway maple coming out with contrasting red leaves and yellow flowers.
Walking away from the Grove past the wood anemones flowering and a wych elm seeding. Walking Alexandra Palace Way, we saw a new flower for the park, alexanders happily growing on the contractor's waste tip.
Moving into the car park, we saw some native bluebells. Nice weather, but a bit cold for seeing many butterflies.
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