Kensington Gardens

	Email		Print
	Bookmark		Link

Kensington Gardens

See also Kensington Gardens, South Australia
Kensington Gardens, South Australia

Kensington Gardens is a suburb of Adelaide in the City of Burnside.Formerly known as 'Pile's Paddock', after James Pile who was born in Yorkshire in 1800 and arrived in South Australia in 1849....
, a suburb of Adelaide
Adelaide

Adelaide is the List of Australian capital cities and most populous city of the Australian States and territories of Australia of South Australia, and is the fifth-largest city in Australia, with a population of more than 1.1 million....
, Australia
Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....

Kensington Gardens, once the private gardens of Kensington Palace

Kensington Palace

Kensington Palace is a royal residence set in Kensington Gardens in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London, England. It has been a residence of the British Royal Family since the 17th century....
, is one of the Royal Parks of London

Royal Parks of London

The Royal Parks of London are lands originally owned by the monarchy of England or the United Kingdom for the recreation of the royal family....
, lying immediately to the west of Hyde Park

Hyde Park, London

City of Westminster

The City of Westminster is a London borough of London with City status in the United Kingdom. It is located west of the City of London and north of the River Thames, and forms part of Inner London and the bulk of London's central area....
, but a small section to the west is in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea

Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea

The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea is a London borough in the west side of central London.It is an urban area and was named in the United Kingdom Census 2001 as the most densely populated local authority in the United Kingdom, with a population of 158,919 at 13,244 per square kilometre ....
. The park covers an area of 275 acres (1.1 km²).

The open spaces of Kensington Gardens, Hyde Park

Hyde Park, London

Green Park

Green Park is one of the Royal Parks of London. Covering an area of about 53 acres , it lies between London's Hyde Park, London and St. James's Park....
and St. James's Park

St. James's Park

St. James's Park is a 58 acre park in City of Westminster, central London, the oldest of the Royal Parks of London. The park lies at the southernmost tip of the St....
together form an almost continuous "green lung" in the heart of London between Kensington

Kensington

Kensington is a district of West London, England within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, located west of Charing Cross. An affluent and densely-populated area, its commercial heart is Kensington High Street and it contains the well-known museum district of South Kensington....
and Westminster

Westminster

Westminster is an area of Central London, within the City of Westminster. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, southwest of the City of London and southwest of Charing Cross....
.

ington Gardens were laid out c.1728-1738 by Henry Wise

Henry Wise

Henry Wise was an England gardener, designer, and nurseryman. He was apprenticed to George London , working at Brompton Nursery, on the present site of the Royal Albert Hall and the museums of South Kensington, London....
and Charles Bridgeman

Charles Bridgeman

Charles Bridgeman was an English garden designer in the onset of the naturalistic landscape style. Although he was a key figure in the transition of English garden design from the Anglo-Dutch formality of patterned parterres and avenues to a freer style that incorporated formal, structural and wilderness elements, Bridgeman is a somewhat obs...
with fashionable features including the Round Pond

Round Pond

The Round Pond is a pond in Kensington Gardens, London, in front of Kensington Palace. It is, however, not at all round, but more like a square with protuberances at the corners....
, formal avenues and a sunken Dutch garden

Dutch garden

The Dutch garden is distinguished by its dense atmosphere and efficient use of space. On an international level, a garden with tulips is also easily labelled as a Dutch Garden....
.

Discussion

Ask a question about 'Kensington Gardens'

Start a new discussion about 'Kensington Gardens'

Answer questions from other users

Full Discussion Forum

Encyclopedia

Kensington Palace

Royal Parks of London

The Royal Parks of London are lands originally owned by the monarchy of England or the United Kingdom for the recreation of the royal family....
, lying immediately to the west of Hyde Park

Hyde Park, London

City of Westminster

Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea

Hyde Park, London

Green Park

Green Park is one of the Royal Parks of London. Covering an area of about 53 acres , it lies between London's Hyde Park, London and St. James's Park....
and St. James's Park

St. James's Park

Kensington

Westminster

Westminster is an area of Central London, within the City of Westminster. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, southwest of the City of London and southwest of Charing Cross....
.

History

Kensington Gardens were laid out c.1728-1738 by Henry Wise

Henry Wise

Charles Bridgeman

Round Pond

Dutch garden

The Dutch garden is distinguished by its dense atmosphere and efficient use of space. On an international level, a garden with tulips is also easily labelled as a Dutch Garden....
. Long after they had been opened to the public, the King asked his Prime Minister the possible cost of enclosing them again: the reply was "a Crown".

Charles Bridgeman created the Serpentine

Serpentine (lake)

River Westbourne

The River Westbourne is a river in London, England. It flows from Hampstead down through Hyde Park, London to Sloane Square and into the River Thames at Chelsea, London....
from Hyde Park

Hyde Park, London

Caroline of Ansbach

Caroline of Brandenburg-Ansbach, later Queen Caroline; Wilhelmina Charlotte Caroline was the queen consort of George II of Great Britain....
. The part of the Serpentine

Serpentine (lake)

The Serpentine is a 28 acre Artificial lake#Recreational in Hyde Park, London, England, created in 1730. Although it is common to refer to the entire body of water as the Serpentine, strictly the name refers only to the eastern half of the lake....
that lies within Kensington Gardens is known as "The Long Water". At its north-western end (originally the inflow of the River Westbourne) in an area known as "The Italian Garden", there are four fountains and a number of classical sculptures.

Kensington Gardens are generally regarded as being the western extent of the neighbouring Hyde Park

Hyde Park, London

Hyde Park is one of the largest parks in central London, England and one of the Royal Parks of London, famous for its Speakers' Corner.The park is divided in two by the Serpentine ....
from which they were originally taken, with West Carriage Drive (The Ring) and the Serpentine Bridge forming the boundary between them. The Gardens are fenced and more formal than Hyde Park, and were long regarded as the smarter of the two parks.

The land surrounding Kensington Gardens was predominantly rural and remained largely undeveloped until the Great Exhibition in 1851. Many of the original features survive along with the Palace, and now there are other public buildings such as the Albert Memorial

Albert Memorial

The Albert Memorial is situated in Kensington Gardens, London, England, directly to the north of the Royal Albert Hall. It was commissioned by Victoria of the United Kingdom in memory of her beloved husband, Albert, Prince Consort who died of typhoid in 1861....
(at the south-east corner of Kensington Gardens, opposite the Royal Albert Hall

Royal Albert Hall

The Royal Albert Hall is an arts venue situated in the Knightsbridge area of the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941....
), the Serpentine Gallery

Serpentine Gallery

The Serpentine Gallery is an art gallery in Kensington Gardens, Hyde Park, London, central London, which focuses on modern art and contemporary art....
, and Speke

John Hanning Speke

John Hanning Speke was an officer in the British Indian army, who made three voyages of exploration to Africa and who is most associated with the search for the Nile#The_search_for_the_source_of_the_Nile....
's monument.

The park also contains the Elfin Oak

Elfin Oak

The Elfin Oak is a 900-year-old tree stump in Kensington Gardens in London, carved and painted to look as though elves, gnomes and small animals are living in its bark....
; an elaborately carved 900—year old tree stump.

Cultural References

The park is the setting of J.M. Barrie's book Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens
Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens

Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens is a novel by James M. Barrie, published in 1906; it is one of four major literary works by Barrie featuring the widely known literary character he originated, Peter Pan ....
, a prelude to the character's famous adventures in Neverland

Neverland

Never Land or Neverland is a fictional world, often depicted as a magic island featured in the works of J. M. Barrie, and is the dwelling place of Peter Pan....
. The fairies of the gardens are first described in Thomas Tickell

Thomas Tickell

Thomas Tickell, , was a minor England poet and man of letters....
's 1722 poem Kensington Gardens. Both the book and the character are honoured with the Peter Pan

Peter Pan

Peter Pan is a character created by Scotland novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie . A mischievous boy who can fly and magically refuses to aging, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood adventuring on the small island of Neverland as the leader of his gang the Lost Boys , interacting with Mermaid, Native_Americans_in_the_United_States, f...
statue located in the park.

The Infocom

Infocom

Infocom was a software company, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, that produced numerous works of interactive fiction. They also produced one notable business application, a relational database called Cornerstone ....
interactive fiction

Interactive fiction

Interactive fiction, often abbreviated IF, describes Computer software simulating environments in which players use text Command to control Player character and influence the environment....
game Trinity begins in the Kensington Gardens. The player can walk around many sections of the gardens, which are described in moderate detail.

The park is a prominent aspect of the short horror novel 'The Beast', Ashley McClung, due to the events of the opening and closing chapters occurring at this location.

Gallery

Image:Italian Garden fountains.jpg|Italian Garden fountains Image:London Serpentine Bridge from East.jpg|The Serpentine Bridge seen from Hyde Park Image:London Kensington Gardens The Long Water.jpg|The Long Water looking north-west from the Serpentine Bridge Image:Kensingtonpalacesnow.jpg|The gardens and palace in winter Image:Hyde Park Albert Memorial Jan 2006.jpg|The Albert Memorial

Albert Memorial

The Albert Memorial is situated in Kensington Gardens, London, England, directly to the north of the Royal Albert Hall. It was commissioned by Victoria of the United Kingdom in memory of her beloved husband, Albert, Prince Consort who died of typhoid in 1861....
Image:PeterPan Statue Londres.jpg|Statue of Peter Pan Image:FL 17722007.jpg|Kensington Palace Gardens

External links

, official website
a poem by Ezra Pound
Ezra Pound

Ezra Weston Loomis Pound was an United States expatriate poetry, critic and intellectual who was a major figure of the Modernist poetry movement in the first half of the 20th century....
set in Kensington Gardens