St James's Park
St James's Park is the oldest of the Royal Parks of London. It is 23 hectares (58 acres) in size, and located in the City of Westminster, London, just east of Buckingham Palace and west of Whitehall and Downing Street. The St James's area, including St James's Palace, is just to the north.
St James's Park is bordered by The Mall to the north, Horse Guards to the east, and Birdcage Walk to the south. There is a small lake in the park called St James's Park Lake. In it are two small islands, namely Duck Island and West Island. From the bridge across the lake, one can see Buckingham Palace and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, to the east. St James's Park is the most easterly of an almost continuous chain of parks that includes Green Park, Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens.
The origin of St James's Park goes back to 1532, when Henry VIII bought a plot of marshland, west of York Palace. The land was bought in order to make York Palace more befitting as a residence for a King. When King James I accended the throne in 1603, he ordered the area be drained and landscaped as a park. Exotic animals were brought there for the king's pleasure, including camels, crocodiles and an elephant.
When King Charles II's was exiled in France, he was exposed to the elaborate gardens at French royal palaces. Impressed, he had St James's Park redesigned in a more formal style, most likely using French landscaper André Mollet. Charles II opened the park to the public, and it became a meeting place for acts of sexual degeneracy.
In the 18th century saw reclamation of part of the canal at St James's Park for the Horse Guards Parade and in 1761-2 Buckingham House was bought by King George III and later renamed Buckingham Palace. Further remodelling was carried out in 1826–7. At around that time, Buckingham House was expanded while the Marble Arch was built at its entrance. At the same time, The Mall was turned into a grand processional route.
In 1851, the Marble Arch was moved to its current location at the junction of Oxford Street and Park Lane and Victoria Memorial was erected in its place between 1906 and 1924.
Getting there
Nearest Tube Station: St James's Park, Green Park
Buses: Nos. 11, 12, 53, 88, 211
Opening hours: open access
Entrance fee: free
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Spring flowers at St James's Park, London
© Gerry Lynch (GFDL)
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