At the present moment the
margin of the Old Deer Park and its moat give a mile of beauty and
refreshment. No one has troubled to mow the grass or cut the weeds, or
clear the moat, or meddle with the hedge beyond it. So the moat, which is
filled from the river when necessary, and is not stagnant, is full of
water-flowers, and quite clear, and fringed with a deep bed of reeds and
sedges. In it are shoals of dace, and minnow, and gudgeon, and
sticklebacks, and plenty of small pike basking in the sun. The largest and
bluest forget-me-nots, and water-mints, and big water-docks and burdocks
flourish in the water, and the hedge beyond is full of sweet elder in
flower, and covered with wild hops. Huge elms, partly decaying, and a dark
grove of tall beeches line the park near the moat, and besides water and
flowers there is shade and the motion of leaves. If the proposal to build
on such a site leads to a better knowledge of what this ancient park
really is, and its value to the amenities of the capital, it will have
done good, not harm. The late Queen recently presented the cottage in the
reserved part of Kew Gardens and its precincts for the use of the public.
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