While London is intensively built up, it has a plentiful supply of green space set aside for parks, playgrounds, and sports fields. The largest open space in central London is Hyde Park and its western extension, Kensington Gardens. At the northeast corner of Hyde Park is Marble Arch, which originally stood in front of Buckingham Palace. Separating Hyde Park from Kensington Gardens is the Serpentine, a lake created for boating and swimming. Directly to the east, two other Royal Parks, Green Park and Saint James's Park, provide a continuous stretch of greenbelt ending at the heart of Westminster. Other major parks include Battersea Park, with many activities for children; Hampstead Heath, with its expanse of grassland and woodland; and Regent's Park, where the London Zoo is located.
Sports are big business in London. Football, the sport known as soccer in the United States, draws huge crowds for matches between two north London rivals, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur. The Football Association Cup Final is held annually at Wembley Stadium, which is scheduled to be replaced with a new 90,000-seat facility by 2004. World-class tennis takes place on the grass courts at Wimbledon each summer, and Lord's, the home of English cricket, hosts the international Test matches between England and its former colonies.Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2001
http://encarta.msn.com © 1997-2001 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. London Information info
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