Kensington Gardens
Kensington Gardens was purchased by William III in 1689, as an adjunct to Kensington Palace. It covers an area of 275 acres west of the Serpentine.
The Serpentine lake
The Serpentine is a man-made stretch of water that forms a boundary between Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens. It was created in 1730 for Queen Caroline – the wife of George II – as a place to bathe and row her boats. They joined several smaller ponds into a 28-acre lake by damming the Westbourne River.
Many events have taken place here – including a great fair in 1814, when they acted out the Battle of Trafalgar. It is also known as the place where Shelley’s first wife took her life.
The Serpentine Gallery is an old pavilion set to the south side of lake. It shows contemporary works by the likes of Damien Hirst and Tomoko Takahashi.
Peter Pan statue
Kensington Gardens has a couple of attractions for kids: a bronze statue of Peter Pan covered in squirrels, and an Elfin Oak from Richmond Park – carved with painted pixies, elves and urchins.
The Peter Pan statue was erected in 1912 and commemorates the child in J M Barrie’s Little White Bird – which was set in Kensington Gardens.
The Albert Memorial, and Princess Diana’s Fountain
On the south side of the Serpentine is the controversial memorial to Princess Di – the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain. Described variously as a moat without a castle,
and draped around Hyde Park like a necklace,
it is actually no more than a meandering stream of solid concrete, with water running and jumping over its ruts and gullies.
It was beset by problems when it opened, and a couple of people even fell and broke their ankles. The area around the stream became horrendously muddy with kids slipping and sliding all over the place – and leaves from the trees bunged up the drains. Happily the problems have now all been resolved, and Diana can stop spinning in her grave.
Another monument to royals dead and buried is the Albert Memorial, designed by Sir Gilbert Scott in 1872. It measures 180-feet from tip to toe and the Prince himself is three-times life-size. The whole thing is gilded-gold and surrounded by 169 marble figures from history.
Facts and information
- Address:
- Kensington Gardens, Kensington,
London W2 - Bus route:
- 9 10 52 70 360 452
- Train station:
- Bayswater, High Street Kensington, Lancaster Gate, Queensway
Kensington Gardens, London
Princess Diana Memorial Fountain
The Albert Memorial- > Information
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Kensington Gardens – Related articles…
Kensington PalaceKensington Palace has been used by British royalty for centuries, and was home to Princess Di.
