The pretty London park that was once a tragic burial ground

Green Park is one of the Royal Parks of London. Just down the road from Piccadilly Circus, the park is known for being a green haven in the centre of London and for its popular Tube stop that serves both the Victoria and Jubilee lines.

The park is part of a green belt in London being a chain connected to St James's Park, Hyde Park, and Kensington Gardens, but long ago, it wasn't a park at all.

It had been known as a duelling ground in the 18th century and also the stomping ground of highwaymen and thieves. It used to be part of an estate of an Earl which is when it was first enclosed in the 16th century. But before that, its history was a lot darker.

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Before all the renovation, the park was a swampy mess. The swamp became a useful place for St James's Hospital which sat on the north side of it.

This hospital is now St James's Palace, however, and when it was a hospital it worked mainly for leprosy. This infection damages the nerves and skin, causing extreme pain and in extreme cases the loss of limbs because of complications with infections.

The infection is now easily treatable but it was a scourge on the medieval world. And Green Park, right next to the hospital, served as a swampy grave for its victims...

The park is a long, long way from that now, being a green space used by many people daily. An interesting fact as well is that the park is alleged to have got its name because there are no - or very little - flowers growing there.

This is supposedly because Charles II, King of England between 1660 and 1685, was caught picking flowers by his wife for his mistress. Because of that, his Queen ordered that every single flower be torn from the ground of the park with no more planted, hence its name, Green Park.

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