The Gardens of St. James’s Park, London, at Dusk
My stroll through the gardens of St. James’s Park, London, took place in the pinkish light of dusk, and as I travelled east from Victoria Fountain at Buckingham Palace towards the Horse Guards Parade, I had a very lovely view of this scenic, historic park.
I was surprised to see so many different kinds of birds here. The shoreline of St. James’s Park Lake is home to quite a number of different species of waterfowl, and their nesting areas along the shoreline of the lake and around the lake’s West and Duck Islands were off limits to park visitors, giving birds the protection they needed during the nesting season. As a result of this careful park management, there is a surprising abundance of bird life within this large urban park.
St. James’s Park, with its 57 acres of landscaped parkland and lake situated a short distance from the Palaces of Buckingham, St. James’s, and Westminster, is the oldest public park in London and has been the site of a vast range of important royal and civic events. Obtained by Henry VIII in 1532, the lands in the St. James area at that time were mainly used for farming with part of the land housing a women’s hospital. The grounds have undergone a number of significant changes over the past four and a half centuries, including the significant transformation commissioned in 1826 by the then Prince Regent, future George IV, and carried out according to the design vision and direction of architect and landscaper John Nash. A major feature of this redesign of the park was to turn the straight canal into a more natural looking lake, and to develop winding pathways to replace formal avenues, creating the romantic landscape that visitors enjoy today.
It was a quiet day in April when I journeyed through the park, and I barely noticed other people. It is interesting to read that St. James’s Park, one of Europe’s most highly visited parks, attracts roughly 5.5 million visitors a year. Even considering all of the foot traffic from ceremonial events and tourism, the park is beautifully tended, and the protection of the lake’s shorelines has created small but important areas of natural wilderness for the birds that are quite special to find in city parks.
In the gorgeous light of early evening, I found the St. James’s Park landscape, especially looking across the fountain and towards the Horse Guards Parade and Eye of London, resembling a scene from a fairy tale. It was certainly a wish come true, for me, to see the Park and, in particular, to visit at this time of day when the warm natural lighting could not have been more perfect.
For details relating to St. James Park, visit:
Flora and Fauna http://www.royalparks.org.uk/parks/st-jamess-park/about-st-jamess-park
Monuments: http://www.royalparks.org.uk/press/factsheets-on-the-royal-parks/monuments/monuments-in-st-jamess-park
Photos and Text: copyright NK, cookiebuxton.com
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