Kensington Gardens
Kensington Gardens, once the private gardens of
Background and location
Kensington Gardens are generally regarded as being the western extent of the neighbouring Hyde Park 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. Kensington Gardens are open only during the hours of daylight, whereas Hyde Park is open from 5 am until midnight all year round.
Kensington Gardens has been long regarded as "smart" because of its more private character around Kensington Palace. However, in the late 19th century, Hyde Park was considered more "fashionable", because of its location nearer to Park Lane and Knightsbridge.[3]
History
Kensington Gardens was originally the western section of
Bridgeman created the
Buildings and monuments
The land surrounding Kensington Gardens was predominantly rural and remained largely undeveloped until the
Another feature is the bronze statue of Peter Pan by George Frampton standing on a pedestal covered with climbing squirrels, rabbits and mice. It is also home to the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Playground and a seven-mile Memorial Walk. A statue of Queen Victoria sculpted by her daughter, Princess Louise, to celebrate 50 years of her mother's rule stands outside Kensington Palace.[8] The park also contains the Elfin Oak, an elaborately carved 900-year-old tree stump.
In popular culture
In his 1722 poem Kensington Garden, Thomas Tickell depicted the area as inhabited by fairies.[9]
The park is the setting of J. M. Barrie's book Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens, a prelude to the character's famous adventures in Neverland.[10] Both the book and the character are honoured with the Peter Pan statue by George Frampton located in the park.
Rodrigo Fresán's novel Kensington Gardens concerns in part the life of J. M. Barrie and of his creation Peter Pan, and their relationship with the park, as well as the narrator's own.
The opening scene of Wilkie Collins’s story "Mrs. Zant and the Ghost" (1887) takes place in Kensington Gardens – the section that "remains nearest to the old Palace of Kensington."
The Infocom interactive fiction game Trinity begins in the Kensington Gardens. The player can walk around many sections of the gardens, which are described in moderate detail.[citation needed]
Gallery
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Italian Garden fountains
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Fountain on The Serpentine
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The Serpentine Bridge seen from Hyde Park
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Kensington Gardens, near the Flower Walk
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The Long Water looking north-west from the Serpentine Bridge
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G. F. Watts
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Physical Energy sculpture
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The gardens and palace in winter
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The Albert Memorial
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Kensington Gardens
See also
References
- Citations
- ^ "About Kensington Gardens". The Royal Parks. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
- ^ Historic England, "Kensington Gardens (1000340)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 10 February 2016
- ^ Dunton 1896, p. 30.
- ^ a b c Skempton 2002, p. 341.
- ^ Cromwell, Judith Lissauer (2019). Good Queen Anne: Appraising the Life and Reign of the Last Stuart Monarch. McFarland. p. 125.
- ^ Self 2014, p. 28.
- ^ "Hyde Park History & Architecture". The Royal Parks. 2007. Archived from the original on 13 January 2006. Retrieved 14 May 2008.
- ^ "History and Architecture". The Royal Parks.
- ^ Hudson, Derek (1968). Kensington Palace. P. Davies. p. 109.
- ISBN 0-300-09822-7.
- Bibliography
- Dunton, Larkin (1896). The World and Its People. Silver, Burdett.
- Self, Andrew (2014). The Birds of London. A&C Black. ISBN 978-1-408-19404-1.
- Skempton, A.W, ed. (2002). A Biographical Dictionary of Civil Engineers in Great Britain and Ireland: 1500–1830. Thomas Telford. p. 341. ISBN 978-0-727-72939-2.
External links
- Official website
- The Garden a poem by Ezra Pound set in Kensington Gardens