It is in the nature of many great novels to create worlds of their own, entire ecosystems that may be wildly different from the reader's own experience and are yet so vivid as to become real. The Garden Of The Finzi-Continis is one such.

Psychological benefits may be the reason why so many people like to be beside the seaside.

Last week, it was Fenton the dog harassing deer in Richmond Park, London. Now the authorities are having to protect the deer from humans scavenging their food supply for conkers or to revive the Christmas tradition of chestnuts roasting on an open fire.

A London council is charging personal fitness trainers £350 a year to use its public parks.

Three youths face life sentences after being found guilty today of murdering schoolboy Nicholas Pearton.

Thousands of mourners attended the funeral today of a Pakistani politician who was stabbed in London in September in a slaying that set off rioting in his hometown of Karachi.

In The Red

London is Europe's dirtiest and most expensive city and also has the worst cuisine, according to a poll of travellers.

The Capital's first public park opened in 1845 as a response to public health concerns.

Sir: You judge perceptively in illustrating the Cambridge-based case study about hi-tech businesses with a photograph of Cambridge's beautiful urban parkland ("Time to get your share", 13 November). The quality of urban open spaces and business success go hand in hand.

Britain has the richest heritage of historic gardens in the world, but urgently needs more training to support them. Anna Pavord reports on one important scheme

The London borough of Kingston, one of London's most salubrious residential areas, has become the latest focus of confrontation between developers and eco-warriors.