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Inventory Site Record

Regent's Park, including Queen Mary's Gardens * (Westminster)

Brief Description

* on The National Heritage List for England, Parks & Gardens

The Regent's Park was laid out between 1812-30 to designs of John Nash as a fashionable estate of fine villas and terraces set in a private landscaped park. Named for the Prince Regent, the land had been part of the Crown Estate since 1539. While details of Nash's plan were much modified, the overall conception was, and remains, his. Although some areas remain in separate ownership, part of the park was opened to the public in 1835 and today the majority of the park is accessible. During WWI part of the park was temporarily requisitioned by the Ministry of Defence for a military camp and drill ground. The main landscape feature is the curving lake in the south-west quarter; the English Garden laid out in 1865 and Queen Mary's Rose Garden laid out in 1932. The Zoological Gardens were established in the north of the park in 1827-40.

Practical Information
Site location:
Regent's Park
Postcode:
NW1
What 3 Words:
chest.table.pages
Type of site:
Public Park
Borough:
Westminster
Open to public?
Yes
Opening times:
5am - dusk. London Zoo open Mar-Oct 10-5.30 daily, Nov-Feb 10-4pm daily
Special conditions:
Facilities:
Rose Garden Buffet, Chester Gate Tea House, Broad Walk Tea House, tennis/netball courts, tennis and golf school, athletics track, cricket, blind cricket, softball/rounders pitches, football, rugby, hockey, 3 playgrounds; Boating on main lake (Apr-Sept), children's pool, London Zoo, Waterbus on Regent's Canal
Events:
Open Air Theatre (end May-early Sept), Concerts, lakeside theatre, puppets and other children's activities in August
Public transport:
Tube: Camden Town, Great Portland Street, Regents Park, Baker Street
Research updated:
01/04/2010
Last minor changes:
14/07/2022

Please check with the site owner or manager for latest news. www.royalparks.org.uk

Full Site Description

Site on The National Heritage List for England, Parks & Gardens, for Register Entry see https://www.historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list. The Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England was established in 1984 and was commonly called English Heritage. In April 2015 it split into 2 separate entities, Historic England (HE), which continues to champion and protect the historic environment, and the English Heritage Trust, whose role is to look after the 400+ historic sites and monuments owned by the state. HE manages the National Heritage List for England (NHLE) that includes over 400,000 items ranging from prehistoric monuments to office blocks, battlefields and parks, which benefit from legal protection.

Having been a Crown Estate since 1539, the area of Regent's Park was largely farmland by the end of the C18th. Schemes to develop the area as a public park (first named Marylebone Park) were considered from c.1809, and from 1812 until c.1830 John Nash's plan of 1811 (with modifications) was implemented, the public area being opened in 1835 as The Regent's Park. The site of Regent's Park is roughly circular, bounded by Prince Albert Road from west to north-north-east, Albany Street to east, Park Square and Park Crescent (q.v.) to south-east, various terraces to south, and by Park Road to south-west. Within this approximate boundary, the Grand Union Canal (laid out 1812-20) runs for 1.75km inside Prince Albert Road, enclosing Outer Circle Road, which extends all the way round the main area of the park. Lesser, inner roads include the Inner Circle, in the south centre of the park, linked to the Outer Circle by York Bridge Road to south, and by Chester Road to east. The Broad Walk runs north-south across the east side of the park, linked with Albert Road, the Outer Circle and Chester Road.

Nash's original plan envisaged the extensive combination of terraced houses and detached villas within a spacious landscaped park. While details of his plan were much modified, the overall conception was, and remains his own. The main landscape feature is the curving lake, with islands, in the south-west quarter of the park. Round the Inner Circle, to the east of the lake, several private villas were built, with their own gardens, including The Holme (or Holme House) and St John's Lodge (q.v.).

Subsequent development has been varied. In 1835 the Royal Botanic Society acquired c.7½ hectares for its buildings and gardens within the Inner Circle and in 1932 this site was taken over for garden development, laid out as Queen Mary's Gardens, with a noted rose garden, and an open air theatre in the north-west. In 1827 the Royal Zoological Society acquired a site in the northern quarter of the park, eventually 14½ha, for the zoological gardens. Decimus Burton designed various buildings, 1826-47. There was continuous development of the surrounding area into the later C20th such as the Central London Mosque, built 1974-82 on the western boundary.

There was considerable loss or damage to trees in the October 1987 storm. There are various sports facilities within the park, including cricket, football and hockey pitches, golf course, tennis courts, running track, and children's' playground. The park has been the venue for numerous outdoor events, including the Frieze art show and in summer 2008 it hosted Annika Eriksson's 'The Smallest Cinema in the World - For the Wealthy and the Good,' shown as part of Portavilian.

Sources consulted:

Bridget Cherry and Nikolaus Pevsner, 'The Buildings of England London 3: North West' (1991, reprinted 1999); Royal Parks Review (1993) St James's and Green Parks: Regent's Park and Primrose Hill; DAMHB/Wm. Gillespie & Ptnrs Royal Parks Survey: The Regent's Park and Primrose Hill ; Cole N, Royal Parks and Gardens of London, 1877, 15-18, 35-38; Davies H, A Walk Round London's Parks, 1983, 70-95; Newton N T, Design on the Lane, 1971, 226; Saunders, A, Regent's Park, 1969; Williams G, Royal Parks of London, 1978, 198-220. For further publications, see Desmond R, Bibliography of British Gardens, 1984, 180. See also https://londongardenstrust.org/features/regents2005.htm: Judy Hillman, 'Regent's Park Battle', London Landscapes, No. 11, Autumn 2005.

Further Information (Planning and Conservation)
Grid ref:
TQ280828 (528050,182850)
Size in hectares:
74 in WCC
Site ownership:
Royal Parks Agency
Site management:
Royal Parks Agency
Date(s):
1812-1830; developments to 1932
Designer(s):
John Nash; Decimus Burton; Robert Marnock; W.A & A.M. Nesfield; R Weir Schultz
Listed structures:
Numerous (to list)
On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens:

Yes
NHLE grade:
Grade I
Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965:

No
Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931:

Yes (Kent Terrace)

Local Authority Data

The information below is taken from the relevant Local Authority's planning legislation, which was correct at the time of research but may have been amended in the interim. Please check with the Local Authority for latest planning information.

On Local List:
No
In Conservation Area:
Yes
Conservation Area name:
Regent's Park (WCC & LB Camden)
Tree Preservation Order:
No
Nature Conservation Area:
Yes - Metropolitan Importance
Green Belt:
No
Metropolitan Open Land:
Yes
Special Policy Area:
No
Other LA designation:
Primrose Hill to Palace of Westminster Strategic View
Photos

Regent's Park, including Queen Mary's Gardens *

Regent's Park - Photo: Colin Wing
Date taken: 22/09/20 15:20

Heather and Conifer Garden - Photo: Pamela Paterson (1995)
1995
Island Gardens and Cascade - Photo: Pamela Paterson (1995)
1995

Click a photo to enlarge.

More photos

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