Among the teeming train tracks, heaving gas containers, roaring roads and ever-growing development lies a magical slice of wilderness called Camley Street Natural Park. Home to all manner of beasts and beanstalks, London Wildlife Trust’s reserve is a must visit for all urban wildlife watchers.
And this July things have got even more magical. To celebrate the London Festival of Architecture, a Sleeping Beauty’s castle of fairytale proportions has floated up the canal and onto the reserve's pond. Kids and adults alike are sure to be enchanted with this fantastical sight – where fantasy merges with nature in the truly urban environs of King’s Cross.
A fairy tale castle in an urban wilderness
In response to London Wildlife Trust’s Camley Street Natural Park and the redevelopment of Kings' Cross St. Pancras, artist Nick Hornby has created a 16 foot tall sculpture inspired by Disney's Sleeping Beauty castle. A castle that is seen as both a manifestation of a child's dream as well as an international brand logo of a billion dollar business.
Placed in an area subject to massive physical and social regeneration, the project aims to connect the site's industrial past with its future development, and at the same time interact with local wildlife.
A fairytale wildlife spotter’s guide
Dragons and damsels: look out for dazzling dragonflies and damselflies in flight around the pond
Beasts and beanstalks: hunt for mini beasts in the teeming log pile
Feathers and fur: you could be lucky enough to spot a reed warbler or a kingfisher, and make sure you meet resident rabbits Coco, Patch and Merlin, who keep the wildlife meadow in the check.
Find out more: www.camleystreetprojects.org
There's lots going on on and around the Regent's Canal to celebrate the London Festival of Architecture, take a look at www.refreshregentscanal.co.uk