St. James's Park

East of Buckingham Palace
London, United Kingdom

Contributed by Project for Public Spaces

This wonderful park is a spiritual place, and far and away the best park in the heart of London.

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10/25/04 Patricia Dagnon said:

When we were in London I was very impressed with St. James’s Park and thought how wonderful, in the middle of the city. I also enjoyed Queen Mary's Garden, which is about an acre, all roses. The fragrance was wonderful from the roses in Queen Mary's Garden in Regent Park. It is a very popular park in London, with this wonderful Garden of Roses. I also would like to mention that Powerscourt Gardens in Ireland are beautiful. It is very large. Italian Gardens built in the 1840's with Wicklow granite and peebles from Coated brug. Triton Lake, named after fountain in Rome occupies a place here. The Pepperpot tower was built in 1911. Also contained in the Gardens is a Japanese Garden, quite nice, laid out on reclaimed bogland by the 8th Viscount and Viscountess powerscourt in 1908. It also contains the largest Pet Cemetery of its kind with many of the family pets of Powerscourt laid to rest there. The Gardens are very beautiful with many fountains, foot paths and rest areas

06/02/08 Ian Thompson said:

As a local resident I'm biased, but St James's Park ranks amongst the greats for me. It is bounded by Buckingham Palace at one end and Downing Street at the other. The care taken of this park reflects the prestige of its neighbours. It is relatively small, mostly formal, but in recent years land around the lake has been allowed to return to the wild with very charming results. In the 21st century it may seem out of place to praise old-fashioned formal flower borders, but where else could they be done so lavishly and so well? Birdkeeper's Cottage is an odd, pretty building (and a genuine one, not a folly) on stilts over the lake facing the Prime Minister's back door and it has what must surely be the only cottage garden in London. At night the park and the lake are floodlit and it is perfectly safe to walk there to enjoy what then becomes a stage set from The Sleeping Beauty.