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This is alist of public art inKensington Gardens, one of theRoyal Parks ofLondon.
When the contemporary sculptorAnish Kapoor held an exhibition of his work in the gardens in 2010 he remarked that they are "the best site in London for a piece of art, probably [the best] in the world".[1]
| Image | Title / subject | Location and coordinates | Date | Artist / designer | Architect / other | Type | Designation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 More images | Coalbrookdale Gate | South Carriage Drive 51°30′08″N0°10′29″W / 51.5022°N 0.1748°W /51.5022; -0.1748 (Coalbrookdale Gates) | 1851 | John Bell | Charles Crookes | Gates, cast iron | Grade II | Made inCoalbrookdale for theGreat Exhibition of 1851. Installed at the entrance to Lancaster Walk in 1852 and moved to their present location in 1871, during construction of the Albert Memorial.[2] |
.JPG) More images | Queen's Gate | Queen's Gate 51°30′06″N0°10′49″W / 51.501635°N 0.180378°W /51.501635; -0.180378 (Queen's Gate) | 1858 | ? | Charles James Richardson | Gates and piers, cast iron | Grade II* | The gatepiers may have borne sculptures ofHercules with the Lion andHercules Carrying the Wild Boar before these were replaced by groups of does and fawns in 1919.[3] |
 More images | Statue ofEdward Jenner | Italian Gardens 51°30′38″N0°10′31″W / 51.510602°N 0.175156°W /51.510602; -0.175156 (Edward Jenner) | 1858 | William Calder Marshall | John Thomas | Statue | Grade II | Unveiled byPrince Albert inTrafalgar Square in 1858. After pressure from anti-vaccinationists the statue was moved in 1862 to this site.[4][5] |
.jpg) | Tazza fountain and flankingnaiads | Italian Gardens | 1861 | John Thomas | Sculptures | Grade II | The four large marble basins of the fountain, in the form of scallop shells, are supported by bi-tailed mermen, and the two naiads are each accompanied by a swan.[6] | |
 | Reliefs ofQueen Victoria,Prince Albert and the four seasons | Italian Gardens | 1861 | John Thomas | Reliefs | Grade II | Prince Albert was rumoured to have been the guiding mind behind the Italian Gardens, and similarities have been noted to the gardens he designed atOsborne.[6] | |
.JPG) More images | Speke Monument John Hanning Speke | Junction of Lancaster Walk and Budges Walk 51°30′32″N0°10′45″W / 51.5090°N 0.1792°W /51.5090; -0.1792 (Speke Monument) | 1864 | N/a | Philip Hardwick | Obelisk | Grade II | A red granite obelisk, an appropriate form of commemoration for an explorer so associated with the River Nile. The pedestal inscribedIN MEMORY OF/SPEKE/VICTORIA NYANZA/AND THE NILE/1864. The phrasing avoids crediting Speke with the discovery of the Nile's source, as this was a contentious point.[7] |
.JPG) More images | Physical Energy | Junction of Lancaster Walk and several other walkways 51°30′24″N0°10′42″W / 51.5068°N 0.1783°W /51.5068; -0.1783 (Physical Energy) | 1907(installed) | George Frederic Watts | N/a | Equestrian statue | Grade II | Installed 24 September 1907. Developed by Watts from his equestrian bronzeHugh Lupus (1870–1884) for theDuke of Westminster. Gifted to the nation on Watts's death in 1904, though the cast had not yet been made from thegesso model (now in theWatts Gallery). An earlier bronze cast was incorporated into theRhodes Memorial (1906–1912) in Cape Town, South Africa.[8] |
 More images | Statue ofPeter Pan | West of the Long Water 51°30′31″N0°10′34″W / 51.5086°N 0.1760°W /51.5086; -0.1760 (Peter Pan) | 1912 | George Frampton | N/a | Statue | Grade II* | Unveiled in secret on May Day 1912. The character's creator,J. M. Barrie, commissioned the sculpture and chose the site, which is Peter's landing point in the bookPeter Pan in Kensington Gardens. Questions were raised in Parliament about the propriety of an author promoting his work in this way.[2][9] |
.JPG) | Two groups of a doe and a faun | Gatepiers of Queen's Gate | 1919 | Pierre Louis Rouillard | Charles James Richardson | Sculptural groups | Grade II* | Gifts from Jean Louis Paul Lebègue, a French-born wine merchant who lived nearby on Collingham Road.[3] |
 More images | Memorial toEsme Percy | Palace Gate 51°30′07″N0°11′02″W / 51.502008°N 0.183887°W /51.502008; -0.183887 (Esme Percy Memorial) | 1961 | Silvia Gilley | N/a | Drinking fountain with sculpture | N/a | A small bronze figure of a terrier on a platform rising from the centre of a shallow circular pool.[10] |
 More images | Two Bears | Junction of North Flower Walk and Budges Walk, near the Italian Gardens 51°30′39″N0°10′35″W / 51.510972°N 0.176251°W /51.510972; -0.176251 (Two Bears fountain) | 1970 | ? | N/a | Drinking fountain with sculpture | N/a | Statue of two embracing bears originally placed in 1939 to commemorate 80 years of theMetropolitan Drinking Fountain and Cattle Trough Association. The original was stolen but was replaced with a copy in 1970.[11] |
 More images | St Govor's Well | Off the Broad Walk 51°30′12″N0°11′04″W / 51.503449°N 0.184426°W /51.503449; -0.184426 (St Govor's Well) | 1976 | ? | N/a | Drinking fountain | N/a | Inscribed: "This drinking fountain marks the site of an ancient spring, which in 1856 was named St Govor's Well by the First Commissioner of Works, later to becomeLord Llanover. Saint Govor, a sixth-century hermit, was the patron saint of a church inLlanover which had eight wells in its churchyard."[12] The spring's name also appears as "St Gover's Well". It was thought to have medicinal properties.[13] |
 More images | The Arch 1979–1980 | North bank of the Long Water 51°30′27″N0°10′24″W / 51.507605°N 0.173237°W /51.507605; -0.173237 (The Arch) | 1979–1980 | Henry Moore | N/a | Sculpture | N/a | Presented by Moore to the nation for installation in Kensington Gardens in 1980, two years after his 80th birthday exhibition in the nearbySerpentine Gallery. Dismantled in 1996 due to structural instability; re-erected in 2012.[14] |
 | Memorial toDiana, Princess of Wales | Forecourt of theSerpentine Gallery 51°30′16″N0°10′31″W / 51.504467°N 0.175184°W /51.504467; -0.175184 (Memorial to Diana, Princess of Wales) | 1997 | Ian Hamilton Finlay | Peter Coates and Andrew Whittle(lettering) | Floor plaque, tree plaque and eight stone benches | N/a | Pastoral poetry is inscribed on each element of the work. The plaque at the entrance of the gallery is inscribed with the names of trees found at Kensington Gardens and a quotation from the 18th-century philosopherFrancis Hutcheson.[15] Diana was a patron of the Serpentine Gallery.[16] |
 | Trumpet(or the Tiffany Drinking Fountain) | Junction of the Broad Walk and Mount Walk 51°30′17″N0°11′07″W / 51.504631°N 0.185291°W /51.504631; -0.185291 (Trumpet / Tiffany Drinking Fountain) | 2012 | N/a | Ben Addy(of Moxon Architects) | Drinking fountain | N/a | The winner, alongsideWatering Holes inGreen Park, of aRIBA-judged design competition; it was commended for its "formal clarity and elegance".[17] Of the two designs this was thought to be the more "design-led" andWatering Holes the more "art-led".[18] |
| Image | Title / subject | Location and coordinates | Date | Artist / designer | Architect / other | Type | Designation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 More images | Frieze of Parnassus | Podium of the Albert Memorial | 1864–1872 | Henry Hugh Armstead andJohn Birnie Philip | George Gilbert Scott | Relief sculpture | Grade I | Portrays 169 individual architects, composers, painters, poets, and sculptors from history.[19] |
.jpg) More images | Asia | Albert Memorial 51°30′08″N0°10′39″W / 51.502206°N 0.177383°W /51.502206; -0.177383 (Asia) | 1865–1871 | John Henry Foley | George Gilbert Scott | Sculptural group | Grade I | A personification of the continent, seated on an Indian elephant, removes a veil to reveal herself. Flanking her are an Indian soldier, a Persian poet, a Chinese potter and a Turkish merchant.[20] |
.jpg) More images | Africa | Albert Memorial 51°30′09″N0°10′39″W / 51.502560°N 0.177454°W /51.502560; -0.177454 (Africa) | 1865–1871 | William Theed | George Gilbert Scott | Sculptural group | Grade I | A figure in Egyptian costume, representing the continent, rests on a camel. Beside her are an Arabian merchant, a figure sometimes identified as aNubian, a female European and a tribesman.[21] |
.jpg) More images | America | Albert Memorial 51°30′09″N0°10′41″W / 51.502516°N 0.178030°W /51.502516; -0.178030 (America) | 1865–1871 | John Bell | George Gilbert Scott | Sculptural group | Grade I | The personification of America rides a bison charging forward, guided by the sceptre of the United States, identified by her starry sash. The other figures represent Canada, Mexico and South America.[22] |
.jpg) More images | Europe | Albert Memorial 51°30′08″N0°10′41″W / 51.502156°N 0.177962°W /51.502156; -0.177962 (Europe) | 1865–1871 | Patrick MacDowell | George Gilbert Scott | Sculptural group | Grade I | Europa, seated on a bull, carries an orb and sceptre signifying her continent'simperial dominance in the nineteenth century. Around her sitBritannia with a trident, France with a sword and laurel wreath, Germany with an open book and Italy with a lyre and palette.[23] |
.jpg) | Agriculture | Albert Memorial | 1865–1871 | William Calder Marshall | George Gilbert Scott | Sculptural group | Grade I | A husbandman, flanked on either side by figures representing livestock farming (a shepherd boy with a lamb and an ewe) and cereal production, looks up to a female personification of Agriculture.[24] |
.jpg) | Commerce | Albert Memorial | 1865–1871 | Thomas Thornycroft | George Gilbert Scott | Sculptural group | Grade I | The group consists of Commerce, bearing acornucopia, a young merchant in "Anglo-Saxon" dress (said to be modelled on the sculptor's sonHamo), an Eastern merchant and a rustic with a sack of corn.[25] |
.jpg) | Engineering | Albert Memorial | 1865–1871 | John Lawlor | George Gilbert Scott | Sculptural group | Grade I | The presiding genius of engineering directs three workers: an engineer with plan in hand, a mechanical engineer with a cogwheel, and a navvy. Thetwobridges over theMenai Strait are represented at the back of the group.[26] |
.jpg) | Manufactures | Albert Memorial | 1865–1871 | Henry Weekes | George Gilbert Scott | Sculptural group | Grade I | A female personification of manufactures, accompanied by a blacksmith, looks down on two child labourers, one a factory girl and the other a young potter, representing art manufactures.[27] |
_at_Albert_Memorial_in_London%2c_spring_2013_(7).JPG) More images | Mosaics | Tympana,spandrels and vault of the canopy, Albert Memorial | 1866–1868 | John Richard ClaytonwithSalviati and Co. | George Gilbert Scott | Mosaics | Grade I | The enthroned female figures in the tympana are identified by their inscriptions asPictura,Poesis,Sculptura andArchitectura; the last displays the design of the Albert Memorial itself.[28] |
 | Virtues | Flèche of the Albert Memorial | 1867–1870 | James Redfern | George Gilbert Scott | Statues | Grade I | Personifications of theseven virtues along with an eighth,Humanity. Redfern's plaster models wereelectroformed in copper byFrancis Skidmore's ironworking firm in Coventry. The resulting figures were gilded after being mounted on the memorial.[29][30] |
 | Sciences | Corners of the Albert Memorial | 1868 c. 1868 | Henry Hugh Armstead andJohn Birnie Philip | George Gilbert Scott | Statues | Grade I | In niches on a level with the spandrels are Armstead'sRhetoric andMedicine and Philip'sPhilosophy andPhysiology. Below them, standing on column shafts, are Philip'sGeometry andGeology and Armstead'sAstronomy andChemistry.[31] |
 More images | Statue ofAlbert, Prince Consort | Albert Memorial 51°30′09″N0°10′39″W / 51.502560°N 0.177454°W /51.502560; -0.177454 (Prince Albert) | 1871–1876 | John Henry Foley andThomas Brock | George Gilbert Scott | Statue | Grade I | Foley was given the commission in 1868 after the death ofCarlo Marochetti. Working in the open on the model gave Foley the sickness which ultimately killed him in 1874, and the work was completed by his pupil Brock.[19] |
| Image | Title / subject | Location and coordinates | Date | Artist / designer | Architect / other | Type | Designation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 More images | Elfin Oak | Kensington Gardens 51°30′31″N0°11′17″W / 51.5087°N 0.1880°W /51.5087; -0.1880 (Elfin Oak) | 1930 | Ivor Innes | N/a | Sculptures | Grade II | [32] |
| Image | Title / subject | Location and coordinates | Date | Artist / designer | Architect / other | Type | Designation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Lion and Unicorn | Kensington Palace (entrance) 51°30′09″N0°11′15″W / 51.5026°N 0.1876°W /51.5026; -0.1876 (Lion and Unicorn) | Probably 18th century | ? | N/a | Statues | Grade II | [33] |
.jpg) More images | Statue ofQueen Victoria | Kensington Palace 51°30′19″N0°11′10″W / 51.5054°N 0.1861°W /51.5054; -0.1861 (Statue of Queen Victoria) | 1893 | Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll | N/a | Statue | Grade II | Sculpted by the Queen's daughter, the statue portrays Victoria aged 18 and wearing her coronation robes. The statue was a gift from the Kensington Golden Jubilee Memorial Executive Committee.[34] |
 More images | Statue ofWilliam III | Kensington Palace 51°30′17″N0°11′15″W / 51.5046°N 0.1874°W /51.5046; -0.1874 (Statue of William III) | 1907 | Heinrich Baucke | Aston Webb | Statue | Grade II | A gift from KaiserWilhelm II.[35] |
.jpg) More images | Statue ofDiana, Princess of Wales | Sunken Garden | 2017 | Ian Rank-Broadley | N/a | Sculptural group | N/a | Unveiled 1 July 2021, which would have been Diana's 60th birthday, by her sons PrincesWilliam andHarry, who commissioned the work.[36] |
