Secret Garden Wildlife Centre
I had another interesting Ask The Phantom today. So interesting, in fact, that I got straight onto the case...
Kori asks:
A few years ago I was talking to a park warden (or some such) in Greenwich Park; she told me about a place within the park that can be hired out for children's birthday parties, etc. I think she called it the Deer Shelter or something similar. Have you heard of such a thing, and do you know what kinds of things it's used for?
Kori - I have good news for you. You are talking about The Secret Garden Wildlife Centre which is a long building in the flower garden, which runs alongside of the deer enclosure. It has a viewing area - though deer being what deer are, it's pot luck as to whether you'll actually see any deer on your chosen party day.
It has chairs and tables (both adult and kiddie-sized,) toilets and a small kitchen. You're expected to do your own catering - or, presumably bring in your own caterer if you'd rather the jelly and ice cream burden was borne by someone else.
There is a wonderfully British way of arranging it, which gladdens my heart. The place costs £ 47 to hire (this will be revised soon though so get in quick) and what you do is collect the keys the day before, then, when you're finished , you lock the door then post them back through the letterbox. There is no deposit - which delights me - that previous users have left the place in such a clean state that there has been no necessity to insist on one.
It is not manned - but park rangers and police will be aware of the event so that if you have problems you can get help.
Bookings can be made right up until the day before, but it's always best to reserve in advance as they only ever have one event per day.
You can view the site first. I haven't been because I wanted to get this info out as quickly as possible, but if you go, please will you leave me your impressions - or even mail me a pic I can use here?
The magic number is:
020 8858 2608
Happy partying, kids!
Kori asks:
A few years ago I was talking to a park warden (or some such) in Greenwich Park; she told me about a place within the park that can be hired out for children's birthday parties, etc. I think she called it the Deer Shelter or something similar. Have you heard of such a thing, and do you know what kinds of things it's used for?
Kori - I have good news for you. You are talking about The Secret Garden Wildlife Centre which is a long building in the flower garden, which runs alongside of the deer enclosure. It has a viewing area - though deer being what deer are, it's pot luck as to whether you'll actually see any deer on your chosen party day.
It has chairs and tables (both adult and kiddie-sized,) toilets and a small kitchen. You're expected to do your own catering - or, presumably bring in your own caterer if you'd rather the jelly and ice cream burden was borne by someone else.
There is a wonderfully British way of arranging it, which gladdens my heart. The place costs £ 47 to hire (this will be revised soon though so get in quick) and what you do is collect the keys the day before, then, when you're finished , you lock the door then post them back through the letterbox. There is no deposit - which delights me - that previous users have left the place in such a clean state that there has been no necessity to insist on one.
It is not manned - but park rangers and police will be aware of the event so that if you have problems you can get help.
Bookings can be made right up until the day before, but it's always best to reserve in advance as they only ever have one event per day.
You can view the site first. I haven't been because I wanted to get this info out as quickly as possible, but if you go, please will you leave me your impressions - or even mail me a pic I can use here?
The magic number is:
020 8858 2608
Happy partying, kids!
posted by The Greenwich Phantom at
10:49
8 Comments:
I've been to a party there and it was great, but NOISY! The little kids (3-6y) screamed and screamed and I had to leave to get my ears to stop ringing. I would consider it again for slightly older children. That place is too small for screaming children and a noisy entertainer.
We've also been there for some of their events including building birdhouses. Now those were really good visits.
Sounds like my idea of hell-on-earth. Still. Maybe the deer are used to tiny screams and scary clowns...
Thank you so much for your thorough and timely reply. I am impressed by and grateful for the speed with which you presented such useful information.
I am going to see the 'centre' in a few days and plan to use it for my son's birthday party-- which will be decidedly without a (noisy or otherwise) children's entertainer.
It's local, simple, the right size (accommodates "up to 20 or 25"), affordable, and will serve us well in case of rain. And best of all, it's not my house!
Thanks again.
Sounds ideal, Kori. Have a great time - and let us know how it was!
Just to update you on this: The party went down well, with about 10 kids and their adults. (The hall has a limit of 20 people. I think we had a few more than that but as most individuals were outside at any one time, I didn't worry about it). The building itself is long, narrow, and the slightest bit musty, as it is obviously closed up for days at a time-- but just what we needed for a place to set out loads of food, drinks, and presents on the tables provided-- and we could have used the space for indoor games and activities if it had been rainy.
I think they must use the building for school groups and/or nature clubs, as there are cabinets full of art supplies, etc in one of the rooms. There are 3 toilets: I normal size, 2 child-size (cutest little toilets I ever did see). Small 'kitchen' at the back has an urn and sink but no appliances so is really just a prep space for whatever food you bring with you. I made about 50 sandwiches there!
From outside, you would truly never know this building was even there! When the very helpful park ranger showed it to me, she said as we approached that I must remember to walk at about a 45-degree tragectory from between a particular bin and the following bench, just to the left of a certain tree, to find it again on my own! She was not wrong. I didn't see the door in the dense row of trees (the other side of which is the deer enclosure) until I was nearly right in front of it.
And yes, we did get to see quite a few deer. They seemed quite a young herd and were completely unperturbed that several 4-yr-olds were watching them through the windows along the side of this shelter.
I wouldn't hesitate to use this building for such an occasion again, especially if the weather was sunny again, as the area just outside is ideal for kids to play in without being in the way of passers-by, and there were bunches of low trees nearby for them to have adventures in as the day wore on. The ranger did ask us not to have any sports equipment/outdoor games in that part of the park, but less than 100 yards away (on the other side of the fence marking off this garden section of the park), such toys would be fine.
Thank you again, Greenwich Phantom, for your help in finding this place. It was just right for us, as I knew it would be... if i could just find it!
Hi, this sounds great as i'm looking for a hall/space..etc.. but it is for a party for my soon to be 2 year old, do you think its appropriate for that age ?
WHy not give the parks people a call and ask - they sound as though they're very helpful...
The Secret Garden Wildlife Centre is open to the public on the last Wednesday of every month (10am-3pm) and is staffed by some wonderful volunteers from the Friends of Greenwich Park (a group of which I am embarrassingly not yet a member). It's also open occasionally on weekends for specific events such as the RSPB's
Feed The Birds Day or Big Garden Birdwatch.
As well as being available for children's parties it's also used on an ad-hoc basis by local school groups, again supported by volunteers from the "Friends of" group.
A new nature trail leading to a second hide over-looking another part of the deer enclosure (and only accessible from the centre) has recently been developed and I believe this will also be accessible during the open days. I've had a sneaky peak at it myself and it's a fantastic addition which gives you a great new perspective on the park. Thanks to some clever one-way mirrored glass you can also pretty much guarantee a close-up view of animals including, deer, foxes, woodpeckers and parakeets. For children (and adults like myself) that's quite an exciting proposition!
If people want to get along to check it out then head to the southern end of the duck pond in the flower garden and there are always directional signs outside on the days when the centre is open. You'd struggle to find it otherwise!
Try the Friends website for more info: www.friendsofgreenwichpark.org.uk
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