This Royal Park beside the River Thames
Is an oasis full of shady trees
Within the sound of Big Ben's steady chimes.

Young people have their picnics on the grass
Or sit on benches by the Embankment wall
To watch the gulls and cormorants fly by.

A fountain honours anti-slavery,
The children have a playground to themselves
And visitors go back to work refreshed
By all the peace and beauty of this place.

 

Victoria Tower Gardens, poem by Elizabeth Witts 2019