| Buckingham Palace Garden | |
|---|---|
 The west front of Buckingham Palace from the garden | |
| Type | Garden |
| Location | London |
| Coordinates | 51°30′06″N0°08′54″W / 51.5018°N 0.1484°W /51.5018; -0.1484 |
| Architect | Henry Wise,William Townsend Aiton |
| Governing body | Household of Charles III |
| Official name | Buckingham Palace Garden |
| Designated | 1 October 1987 |
| Reference no. | 1000795 |
Listed Building – Grade I | |
| Official name | North Screen to Buckingham Palace Forecourt with Gateway to Gardens |
| Designated | 5 February 1970 |
| Reference no. | 1273844 |
Listed Building – Grade I | |
| Official name | Summer House in Buckingham Palace Garden |
| Designated | 5 February 1970 |
| Reference no. | 1239210 |
Listed Building – Grade I | |
| Official name | The Waterloo Vase in Buckingham Palace Garden |
| Designated | 5 February 1970 |
| Reference no. | 1239244 |
Listed Building – Grade I | |
| Official name | Buckingham Palace Boundary Walls Enclosing Grounds walls to Buckingham Palace Gardens |
| Designated | 5 February 1970 |
| Reference no. | 1239209 |
  Location of Buckingham Palace Garden in Central London | |
Buckingham Palace Garden is a large private park attached to the London residence of theBritish monarch. It is situated to the rear (west) ofBuckingham Palace, occupying a 17-hectare (42-acre) site in theCity of Westminster and forms the largest private garden in London. It is bounded byConstitution Hill to the north,Hyde Park Corner to the west,Grosvenor Place to the south-west, and theRoyal Mews,King's Gallery, and Buckingham Palace itself to the south and east.
The royal connection to the site of the garden dates from 1609 whenJames I purchased four acres of land "near to his palace of Westminster for the planting of mulberry trees". The garden covers much of the area of the former Goring Great Garden, named afterLord Goring, occupant of one of the earliest grand houses on the site. In 1664 Goring's mansion, and the lease on the grounds, was bought byHenry Bennet, 1st Earl of Arlington. In 1674 the house was destroyed by fire and Arlington built a replacement, named Arlington House, on the site. This house was sold by Arlington's daughter toJohn Sheffield, Earl of Mulgrave. CreatedDuke of Buckingham and Normanby in 1703, Buckingham commissioned a new mansion for the site, named Buckingham House. His architect wasWilliam Talman and his builderWilliam Winde. Similar attention was paid to the landscape, where Buckingham engagedHenry Wise to lay out an elaborate garden in theFrench style, withparterres and a centralcanal. In the late 18th century, Buckingham House was acquired byGeorge III whose heir,George IV usedJohn Nash to remodel the house which was renamed Buckingham Palace. Nash engagedWilliam Townsend Aiton to implement designs for a new garden. Aiton's work forms the basis of the garden that exists today.
Buckingham Palace Garden is the setting for monarch's annualgarden parties. In June 2002, QueenElizabeth II invited the public into the garden for entertainment for the first time during her reign. As part of herGolden Jubilee Weekend thousands of Britons were invited to apply for tickets toParty at the Palace where the guitaristBrian May of the bandQueen performed hisGod Save the Queenguitar solo on top of Buckingham Palace. This concert was preceded the previous evening by aProm at the Palace. During the Queen's 80th birthday celebrations in 2006 the garden was the scene ofChildren's Party at the Palace.
The garden is Grade II* listed on theRegister of Historic Parks and Gardens. The planting is varied and exotic, with amulberry tree dating back to the time of James I. Notable features include a large 19th-century lake which was once graced by a flock offlamingoes, and theWaterloo Vase. There is also asummerhouse attributed toWilliam Kent, a helicopter landing pad on the great lawn below the West Terrace, and a tennis court. Unlike the nearbyRoyal Parks of London, Buckingham Palace Garden is not usually open to the public. However, when the palace is open during August and September, visitors have access to part of the garden, which forms the exit, via a gift shop in a marquee, at the end of the tour.
The garden at Buckingham Palace was formed from that created for the palace's predecessor, Buckingham House.[1] The landscape design for the earlier garden was byHenry Wise. He constructed an elaborate formal garden with a long central canal running south from the rear of the house.[2] Wise was paid the substantial sum of £1,000 per year for his services.[3] Subsequently, work was undertaken byCapability Brown, who planned more than was achieved.[4] The garden was redesigned at the time of the palace rebuilding by William Townsend Aiton ofKew Gardens and John Nash forGeorge IV. The great manmade lake was completed in 1828 and was supplied with water from theSerpentine Lake inHyde Park.[5]
Beyond the lake is an artificial rise, called The Mound, made partly from soil that was excavated to build the lake. It was constructed to obscure the view of theRoyal Mews from the palace. During theVictorian era,Prince Albert had apavilion built on the mound.[5] Known as the Milton, or Comus Pavilion, it was decorated with scenes fromJohn Milton'smasqueComus, painted by some of the leading artists of the day.[a] Derelict afterWorld War I, the pavilion was pulled down in 1928.[7]
The garden is maintained by approximately eight full-time gardeners, with two or three part-timers. The trees includeplane,Indian chestnut,silver maple, and aswamp cypress. In the south-west corner, there is a single survivingmulberry tree from the plantation installed by King James I of England when he unsuccessfully attempted to breedsilkworms in the Mulberry Garden on the Buckingham Palace site.[5] The garden now holds the UK's national collection of mulberry trees, housing some 40 varieties.[8][9]
The garden is regularly surveyed for itsmoths by staff from theNatural History Museum, and occasionally visited by theQueen's swans. A tennis court was constructed in the garden in 1919 and, in the 1930s, the futureGeorge VI playedFred Perry on the court.[10] In 2006 the garden was the site of the "Big Royal Dig" by theTime Team of archaeologists led byTony Robinson. The results were televised, with some live streaming. Timed to help celebrate the 80th birthday of Queen Elizabeth II, this markedTime Team's 150th dig.[11]
The garden is not generally open to the public but visitors to the palace during its summer opening exit through the garden.[12] Private tours are occasionally available.[13]
The garden is the setting for the Royal Garden Parties held by the reigning monarch. Although earlier Royal owners had held entertainments in the garden, the tradition of large, formal, garden parties was established by Victoria, for whoseGolden andDiamond Jubilees, two particularly lavish parties were held in 1887 and 1897.[14] Three garden parties are held at Buckingham Palace, and one at thePalace of Holyroodhouse (in Scotland) each summer.[5] The monarch also gives permission for additional garden parties to be held; in 2008, parties were held for the Centenary of the Royal Charter to theBritish Red Cross, theTerritorial Army, theNot Forgotten Association and for those attending theLambeth Conference.[15] Some 30,000 guests attend the parties each year, which recommenced in 2022, after a two-year abeyance due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[15][16] Nominations for invitations to the garden parties are made by theLord-lieutenants,[b] government departments, the armed forces, theDiplomatic corps and a range of charities and societies. The nominations, which are intended to acknowledge public service, are approved by theLord Chamberlain, who then issues the invitations in the name of the king.[17]
Guests take tea and sandwiches inmarquees erected in the garden.[c] Just prior to 4.00 p.m. the king and accompanying members of the Royal Family emerge from the Bow Room in the palace,[19] as a band plays the National Anthem. The royal party then process through ranks of assembled guests towards the Royal Tea Tent, greeting those previously selected for the honour.[20] A second private tea tent is reserved for diplomatic guests, while all other attendees make use of the general tent.[d][21] Two military bands alternate in playing a "continuous supply of festive music".[19]
The garden, the largest in London, covers 39 acres (16 ha) and contains more than 1,000 trees, 325 species of wild plants and 35 different species of birds.[5] The largely-flat site forms a rough triangle with Buckingham Palace at the apex. The western (rear) facade opens on to a longterrace, the West Terrace, which overlooks a large lawn, known as the Main Lawn.[22] Beyond the lawn is the lake. The whole is surrounded by a wall and, internally, by agravel path which runs around the garden's perimeter, with branches diverting around the lawns, lake and islandflowerbeds.[23] The dominating species of tree is the London PlanePlatanus × hispanica.[24] There are a large number of commemorative trees, planted to celebrate royal occasions, which continues a tradition begun byQueen Victoria and Prince Albert. 24 trees within the garden are designated as "Champion Trees" on theTree Register of the British Isles.[25]
The garden has a number of architectural features. Among the most notable is theWaterloo Vase, a great urn commissioned byNapoleon to commemorate his expected victories, which in 1815 was presented unfinished to the Prince Regent. After the King had had the base completed by sculptorRichard Westmacott, intending it to be the focal point of the new Waterloo chamber at Windsor Castle, it was adjudged to be too heavy for any floor (at 15 ft (4.6 m) high and weighing 15 tons). TheNational Gallery, to whom it was presented, finally returned it in 1906 to the sovereign,Edward VII. King Edward then solved the problem by placing the vase outside in the garden where it now remains.[26] A pair of ornamentalcranes which stand by the lake were presented to Edward when on a tour of India asPrince of Wales in 1875-6.[27]
Opposite the Waterloo Vase stands a summerhouse which was removed from the oldAdmiralty garden at the other end ofThe Mall.[e][28] The structure is in the form of a small temple, with apediment supported by fourAtlantes.[28] Peter Coats, in his study of 1978,The Gardens of Buckingham Palace, notes stylistic similarities to the work ofWilliam Kent.[29] Much of thestatuary in the garden, including vases and urns on the West Terrace, was designed by Nash, and constructed inCoade Stone, a form of artificial stone popular in the Regency and Victorian periods.[30]
There is also a lake and a tennis court, the latter dating from 1919. The lake is 400 feet (120 m) long and 150 feet (46 m) across[31] and used to be home to a colony offlamingo until they were killed by foxes.[32] The lake was originally fed fromThe Serpentine inHyde Park, but is now sourced from abore hole in the garden. The water isaerated by awaterfall,[33] installed by Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, to replace acascade constructed by the Queen's parents,George VI andQueen Elizabeth.[34] The large island in the lake houses fourbeehives where, since 1983, honey has been produced.[35] Helicopters land on the great lawn in front of the West Terrace.[23] The garden contains a number of examples of another type of artificial stonework,Pulhamite, including two bridges to the islands in the lake and a largerockery.[36]
Simon Bradley, in the 2003 revised edition of thePevsner Buildings of England,London 6: Westminster, describes the garden at Buckingham Palace as "beautiful", noting particularly the "irregular lake and artfulPicturesque planting".[28] The design of the garden has also been criticised; suggesting that, after Wise, no major designer was employed, a writer forCountry Life concluded that it lacked any of the features of a truly great garden, "originality, surprise, vista, architecture, statuary, planting", although they acknowledged the garden's utility as a "helicopter landing pad".[37]
The garden is Grade II* listed on theRegister of Historic Parks and Gardens of special historic interest in England.[23] The Waterloo Vase and the Kent Summerhouse areGrade I listed structures.[38][39] Structures on the perimeter of the garden which are also listed at Grade I include the surrounding boundary wall;[40] the garden entrance screen to the front right of the palace,[41] the screen to the Ambassadors' Court to the left[42] and the main entrance to the Ambassadors' Court on Buckingham Palace Road;[43] the wall enclosing the royal riding school,[44] and the riding school itself;[45] theRoyal Mews;[46] and two flanking lodges.[47][48] A secondary section of the mews,[49] and four lamp posts in front of the riding school are listed at Grade II.[50]
