Buckingham Palace Gardens, Westminster, England

The following is from the English Heritage Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest: 

The gardens of Buckingham Palace, the main residence of the reigning British monarch. The 18th century formal garden made by Henry Wise was replaced by an informal garden, landscaped by William Townsend Aiton in about 1826. Aiton's work largely survives with 20th century modifications.

LOCATION, AREA, BOUNDARIES, LANDFORM, SETTING

Buckingham Palace is situated in central London, about 500 metres to the north of Victoria station and immediately to the west of St James's Park. The 16 hectare site is bounded to the north by Constitution Hill, which separates the Palace from Green Park. The east boundary is formed by the road which encircles the Queen Victoria Memorial (Listed Grade I). Buckingham Palace Road and Buckingham Gate road form the boundary to the south-east, and Lower Grosvenor Place the boundary to the south, Grosvenor Place being the boundary to the west. The largely level site rises in the north-west corner, corresponding with the rise in Constitution Hill, and is enclosed within high brick walls of 18th to mid 19th century date.

REFERENCES used by English Heritage:

N Cole, Royal Parks and Gardens of London (1877), pp 1-6

E Cecil, London Parks and Gardens (1907), pp 350-356

B Cherry and N Pevsner, The Buildings of England: The Cities of London and Westminster (1973), pp 504-510

P Coates, The Gardens of Buckingham Palace (1978)

G Plumtre, Royal Gardens (1981), pp 158-178

C Beresford, Pulham Data Base, A report on the English Heritage Data Base (1996), no 196

Maps

Charles Bridgeman, A plan of the Gardens of Buckingham House, mid C18 (in Plumtree 1981)

OS 25" to 1 mile: 1st edition published 1867

2nd edition published 1898

3rd edition published 1916

Description written: August 2000

Amended: September 2003

Edited: January 2002