Saint James Park at Westminster, Central
London
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St. James Park
St. James Park is the oldest
of the Royal Parks of London. It covers an
area of 28 hectares and it lies at the
southernmost tip of the St. James's area,
named after a leper hospital. The park is
surrounded by Buckingham Palace, The Mall,
St. James's Palace, Horse Guards and
Birdcage Walk. It has a small lake, St.
James's Park Lake and two islands: Duck
Island and West Island. It connects with
other parks: Green Park, Hyde Park and
Kensington Gardens.
St. Jame's Park traces its roots from the
swampy marshland purchased by Henry VIII but
it was in 1603 when James I had the park
drained and landscaped while keeping the
fauna in the area. Charles II had the area
redesigned by French landscaper Andre Mollet
to a more formal manner. Among the
improvements include the creation of the 775
by 38 meter canal visible in the old plan
and for the first time, the park was opened
to the public.
More remodeling happened in the 1800s, with
Prince Regent and landscaper John Nash
created a more naturally-shaped lake with
avenues remodeled to form romantic pathways.
Other changes that are viewable today are
the turning of The Mall as a processional
route of the man-made lake, and having it
opened to public transport in 1887.
