Bushy was one of the three parks enclosed by Cardinal Wolsey in the early 16th century as part of his Hampton Court estate which was built from 1515 and given to Henry VIII along with the palace in 1525. In 1638-9 Charles I had a tributary of the River Colne diverted through Bushy Park to form the Longford River, bringing water right into the grounds of Hampton Court Palace. This provided a water supply for the numerous water features in the parks. Numerous smaller ponds and other water features in Bushy Park have been added at various times since the 16th century.
Uploaded to Geograph by Marathon on 12 March 2014
Photo © Marathon, 12 March 2014. Licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons licence