Buckingham Palace Garden is a large private park attached to the London residence of the monarch. It is situated to the rear (west) of

Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a London royal residence and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and royal hospitality. It ...

, occupying a site in the

City of Westminster The City of Westminster is a city and borough in Inner London. It is the site of the United Kingdom's Houses of Parliament and much of the British government. It occupies a large area of central Greater London, including most of the West En ...

and forms the largest private garden in the capital. It is bounded by Constitution Hill to the north,

Hyde Park Corner Hyde Park Corner is between Knightsbridge, Belgravia and Mayfair in London, England. It primarily refers to its major road junction at the southeastern corner of Hyde Park, that was designed by Decimus Burton. Six streets converge at the ...

to the west,

Grosvenor Place Grosvenor Place is a street in Belgravia, London, running from Hyde Park Corner down the west side of Buckingham Palace gardens, and joining lower Grosvenor Place where there are some cafes and restaurants. It joins Grosvenor Gardens to the s ...

to the south-west, and the

Royal Mews The Royal Mews is a mews, or collection of equestrian stables, of the British Royal Family. In London these stables and stable-hands' quarters have occupied two main sites in turn, being located at first on the north side of Charing Cross, and ...

Queen's Gallery The Queen's Gallery is the main public art gallery of Buckingham Palace, home of the British monarch, in London. It exhibits works of art from the Royal Collection (the bulk of which works have since its opening been regularly displayed, so he ...

, and Buckingham Palace itself to the south and east. The royal connection to the site of the garden dates from 1609 when

James I James I may refer to: People *James I of Aragon (1208–1276) *James I of Sicily or James II of Aragon (1267–1327) *James I, Count of La Marche (1319–1362), Count of Ponthieu *James I, Count of Urgell (1321–1347) *James I of Cyprus (1334–13 ...

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 after Lord 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 by

Henry Bennet, 1st Earl of Arlington Henry Bennet, 1st Earl of Arlington, KG, PC (1618 – 28 July 1685) was an English statesman. Background and early life He was the son of Sir John Bennet of Dawley, Middlesex, by Dorothy, daughter of Sir John Crofts of Little Saxham, Suf ...

. 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 to John Sheffield, Earl of Mulgrave. Created

Duke of Buckingham and Normanby Duke of Buckingham and Normanby is a title in the Peerage of England. The full title was ''Duke of the County of Buckingham and of Normanby'' but in practice only ''Duke of Buckingham and Normanby'' was used. The dukedom was created in 1703 for ...

in 1703, Buckingham commissioned a new mansion for the site, named Buckingham House. His architect was William Talman and his builder

William Winde Captain William Winde (c.1645–1722) was an English gentleman architect, whose Royalist military career, resulting in fortifications and topographical surveys but lack of preferment, and his later career, following the Glorious Revolution, as de ...

. Similar attention was paid to the landscape, where Buckingham engaged Henry Wise to lay out an elaborate garden in the

French style ''French Style'' is Dean Martin's first LP for Reprise Records. Recorded during February 1962, it features French-themed popular songs and chansons arranged by Neal Hefti. Among them "C'est si bon," which frequently appears on Dean Martin compilat ...

, with

parterre A ''parterre'' is a part of a formal garden constructed on a level substrate, consisting of symmetrical patterns, made up by plant beds, low hedges or coloured gravels, which are separated and connected by paths. Typically it was the part of ...

s and a central

canal Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface f ...

. In the late 18th century, Buckingham House was acquired by

George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Br ...

whose heir,

George IV George IV (George Augustus Frederick; 12 August 1762 – 26 June 1830) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from the death of his father, King George III, on 29 January 1820, until his own death ten y ...

used John Nash to remodel the house which was renamed Buckingham Palace. Nash engaged William 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

the Queen In the English-speaking world, The Queen most commonly refers to: * Elizabeth II (1926–2022), Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 1952 until her death The Queen may also refer to: * Camilla, Queen Consort (born 1947), ...

's annual

garden parties A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will often feature fo ...

. In June 2002 she invited the public into the garden for entertainment for the first time during her reign. As part of her

Golden Jubilee Weekend The Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II was the international celebration held in 2002 marking the 50th anniversary of the accession of Queen Elizabeth II on 6 February 1952. It was intended by the Queen to be both a commemoration of her 50 years as ...

thousands of Britons were invited to apply for tickets to

Party at the Palace The Party at the Palace was a British pop/rock music concert held at Buckingham Palace Garden in London on 3 June 2002. The event was in commemoration of the Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II held over the Golden Jubilee Weekend. It was the ...

where the guitarist

Brian May Brian Harold May (born 19 July 1947) is an English guitarist, singer, songwriter, and astrophysicist, who achieved worldwide fame as the lead guitarist of the rock band Queen. May was a co-founder of Queen with lead singer Freddie Mercury and ...

of the band

Queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

performed his ''

God Save the Queen "God Save the King" is the national and/or royal anthem of the United Kingdom, most of the Commonwealth realms, their territories, and the British Crown Dependencies. The author of the tune is unknown and it may originate in plainchant, bu ...

guitar solo A guitar solo is a melodic passage, instrumental section, or entire piece of music, pre-written (or improvised) to be played on a classical guitar, electric guitar or an acoustic guitar. In 20th and 21st century traditional music and popular ...

on top of Buckingham Palace. This concert was preceded the previous evening by a

Prom at the Palace The Prom at the Palace was a British classical music concert held in London in 2002. The event was in commemoration of the Golden Jubliee of Queen Elizabeth II. It was held at Buckingham Palace Garden on 1 June 2002 forming part of the Golden ...

. During the Queen's 80th birthday celebrations in 2006 the garden was the scene of

Children's Party at the Palace The Children's Party at the Palace was an event organised by Peter Orton of Hit Entertainment and David Johnstone of DJI consult, held in the Garden at Buckingham Palace on 25 June 2006 in honour of the 80th birthday of Queen Elizabeth II. The ...

. The garden is Grade II* listed on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens. The planting is varied and exotic, with a

mulberry tree ''Morus'', a genus of flowering plants in the family Moraceae, consists of diverse species of deciduous trees commonly known as mulberries, growing wild and under cultivation in many temperate world regions. Generally, the genus has 64 ide ...

dating back to the time of James I. Notable features include a large 19th-century lake which was once graced by a flock of

flamingo Flamingos or flamingoes are a type of wading bird in the family Phoenicopteridae, which is the only extant family in the order Phoenicopteriformes. There are four flamingo species distributed throughout the Americas (including the Caribbea ...

es, and the

Waterloo Vase The Waterloo Vase is a stone urn, situated in the garden of Buckingham Palace in central London. Fashioned from a single piece of Carrara marble, it was initially presented to Napoleon I, who intended to have it carved in celebration of anticip ...

. There is also a summerhouse attributed to

William Kent William Kent (c. 1685 – 12 April 1748) was an English architect, landscape architect, painter and furniture designer of the early 18th century. He began his career as a painter, and became Principal Painter in Ordinary or court painter, bu ...

, a helicopter landing pad on the great lawn below the West Terrace, and a tennis court. Unlike the nearby

Royal Parks of London Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, Iowa, a c ...

, 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.

History

The garden at Buckingham Palace was formed from that created for the palace's predecessor, Buckingham House. The landscape design for the earlier garden was by Henry Wise. He constructed an elaborate formal garden with a long central canal running south from the rear of the house. Wise was paid the substantial sum of £1,000 per year for his services. Subsequently, work was undertaken by

Capability Brown Lancelot Brown (born c. 1715–16, baptised 30 August 1716 – 6 February 1783), more commonly known as Capability Brown, was an English gardener and landscape architect, who remains the most famous figure in the history of the English lan ...

, who planned more than was achieved. The garden was redesigned at the time of the palace rebuilding by William Townsend Aiton of Kew Gardens and John Nash for

. The great manmade lake was completed in 1828 and was supplied with water from the

Serpentine Lake The Serpentine (also known as the Serpentine River) is a recreational lake in Hyde Park, London, England, created in 1730 at the behest of Queen Caroline. Although it is common to refer to the entire body of water as the Serpentine, strict ...

in Hyde Park. 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 the

from the palace. During the

Victorian era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edwa ...

, Prince Albert had a

pavilion In architecture, ''pavilion'' has several meanings: * It may be a subsidiary building that is either positioned separately or as an attachment to a main building. Often it is associated with pleasure. In palaces and traditional mansions of Asia ...

built on the mound. Known as the Milton, or Comus Pavilion, it was decorated with scenes from

John Milton John Milton (9 December 1608 – 8 November 1674) was an English poet and intellectual. His 1667 epic poem ''Paradise Lost'', written in blank verse and including over ten chapters, was written in a time of immense religious flux and politica ...

masque The masque was a form of festive courtly entertainment that flourished in 16th- and early 17th-century Europe, though it was developed earlier in Italy, in forms including the intermedio (a public version of the masque was the pageant). A masq ...

Comus In Greek mythology, Comus (; grc, Κῶμος, ''Kōmos'') is the god of festivity, revels and nocturnal dalliances. He is a son and a cup-bearer of the god Dionysus. He was represented as a winged youth or a child-like satyr and represents ana ...

'', painted by some of the leading artists of the day. Derelict after

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, the pavilion was pulled down in 1928. The garden is maintained by approximately eight full-time gardeners, with two or three part-timers. The trees include plane,

Indian chestnut ''Aesculus indica'', commonly known as the Indian horse-chestnut or Himalayan horse chestnut, is a species of deciduous broad-leaved tree in the Family (biology), family Sapindaceae. Description ''Aesculus indica'' is an attractive tree growing ...

silver maple ''Acer saccharinum'', commonly known as silver maple, creek maple, silverleaf maple, soft maple, large maple, water maple, swamp maple, or white maple, is a species of maple native to the eastern and central United States and southeastern Canad ...

, and a

swamp cypress Swamp cypress is a common name for more than one species of plants in the family Cupressaceae (cypresses): * Species of the genus '' Taxodium'' ** ''Taxodium distichum'', native to the Southeastern and Gulf Coastal Plains of the United States * '' G ...

. In the south-west corner, there is a single surviving

from the plantation installed by King James I of England when he unsuccessfully attempted to breed

silkworm The domestic silk moth (''Bombyx mori''), is an insect from the moth family Bombycidae. It is the closest relative of '' Bombyx mandarina'', the wild silk moth. The silkworm is the larva or caterpillar of a silk moth. It is an economically ...

s in the Mulberry Garden on the Buckingham Palace site. The garden now holds the UK's national collection of mulberry trees, housing some 40 varieties. The garden is regularly surveyed for its

moth Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies, with moths making up the vast majority of the order. There are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of w ...

s by staff from the

Natural History Museum A natural history museum or museum of natural history is a scientific institution with natural history collections that include current and historical records of animals, plants, fungi, ecosystems, geology, paleontology, climatology, and more. ...

, and occasionally visited by the Queen's swans. A tennis court was constructed in the garden in 1919 and, in the 1930s, the future

George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952. He was also the last Emperor of I ...

played

Fred Perry Frederick John Perry (18 May 1909 – 2 February 1995) was a British tennis and table tennis player and former world No. 1 from England who won 10 Majors including eight Grand Slam tournaments and two Pro Slams single titles, as well ...

on the court. In 2006 the garden was the site of the "Big Royal Dig" by the

Time Team ''Time Team'' is a British television programme that originally aired on Channel 4 from 16 January 1994 to 7 September 2014. It returned online in 2022 for two episodes released on YouTube. Created by television producer Tim ...

of archaeologists led by

Tony Robinson Sir Anthony Robinson (born 15 August 1946) is an English actor, author, broadcaster, comedian, presenter, and political activist. He played Baldrick in the BBC television series ''Blackadder'' and has presented several historical documentarie ...

. The results were televised, with some live streaming. Timed to help celebrate the 80th birthday of Queen Elizabeth II, this marked ''Time Teams 150th dig. The garden is not generally open to the public but visitors to the palace during its summer opening exit through the garden. Private tours are occasionally available.

Garden parties

The garden was the setting for the Royal Garden Parties held by Queen Elizabeth II. Although earlier Royal owners had held entertainments in the garden, the tradition of large, formal, garden parties was established by Victoria, for whose Golden and

Diamond Diamond is a solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Another solid form of carbon known as graphite is the chemically stable form of carbon at room temperature and pressure, b ...

Jubilees, two particularly lavish parties were held in 1887 and 1897. Three garden parties are held at Buckingham Palace, and one at the

Palace of Holyroodhouse The Palace of Holyroodhouse ( or ), commonly referred to as Holyrood Palace or Holyroodhouse, is the official residence of the British monarch in Scotland. Located at the bottom of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, at the opposite end to Edinburgh ...

(in Scotland) each summer. The Queen also gives permission for additional garden parties to be held; in 2008, parties were held for the Centenary of the Royal Charter to the

British Red Cross The British Red Cross Society is the United Kingdom body of the worldwide neutral and impartial humanitarian network the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. The society was formed in 1870, and is a registered charity with mor ...

, the Territorial Army, the Not Forgotten Association and for those attending the

Lambeth Conference The Lambeth Conference is a decennial assembly of bishops of the Anglican Communion convened by the Archbishop of Canterbury. The first such conference took place at Lambeth in 1867. As the Anglican Communion is an international association ...

. Some 30,000 guests attend the parties each year, which recommenced in 2022, after a two-year abeyance due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

. Nominations for invitations to the garden parties are made by the

Lord-lieutenant A lord-lieutenant ( ) is the British monarch's personal representative in each lieutenancy area of the United Kingdom. Historically, each lieutenant was responsible for organising the county's militia. In 1871, the lieutenant's responsibilit ...

s, government departments, the armed forces, the

Diplomatic corps The diplomatic corps (french: corps diplomatique) is the collective body of foreign diplomats accredited to a particular country or body. The diplomatic corps may, in certain contexts, refer to the collection of accredited heads of mission ( ...

and a range of charities and societies. The nominations, which are intended to acknowledge public service, are approved by the

Lord Chamberlain The Lord Chamberlain of the Household is the most senior officer of the Royal Household of the United Kingdom, supervising the departments which support and provide advice to the Sovereign of the United Kingdom while also acting as the main c ...

, who then issues the invitations in the name of the Queen. Guests take tea and sandwiches in marquees erected in the garden. Just prior to 4.00 p.m. the Queen and accompanying members of the Royal Family emerge from the Bow Room in the palace, 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. A second private tea tent is reserved for diplomatic guests, while all other attendees make use of the general tent. Two military bands alternate in playing a "continuous supply of festive music".

Description

Kent Summerhouse at Buckingham Palace Gardens

The garden, the largest in London, covers and contains over 1,000 trees, 325 specimens of wild plants and 35 different species of birds. The, largely-flat, site forms a rough triangle with Buckingham Palace at the apex. The western (rear) facade opens on to a long

terrace Terrace may refer to: Landforms and construction * Fluvial terrace, a natural, flat surface that borders and lies above the floodplain of a stream or river * Terrace, a street suffix * Terrace, the portion of a lot between the public sidewalk an ...

, the West Terrace, which overlooks a large lawn, known as the Main Lawn. Beyond the lawn is the lake. The whole is surrounded by a wall and, internally, by a

gravel Gravel is a loose aggregation of rock fragments. Gravel occurs naturally throughout the world as a result of sedimentary and erosive geologic processes; it is also produced in large quantities commercially as crushed stone. Gravel is classifi ...

path which runs around the garden's perimeter, with branches diverting around the lawns, lake and island

flowerbeds A flower garden or floral garden is any garden or part of a garden where plants that flower are grown and displayed. This normally refers mostly to herbaceous plants, rather than flowering woody plants, which dominate in the shrubbery and wo ...

. The dominating species of tree is the London Plane, ''

Platanus × acerifolia ''Platanus'' × ''acerifolia'', ''Platanus'' × ''hispanica'', or hybrid plane, is a tree in the genus '' Platanus''. It is often known by the synonym London plane, or London planetree. It is usually thought to be a hybrid of ''Platanus orient ...

''. There are a large number of commemorative trees, planted to celebrate royal occasions, which continues a tradition begun by

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previ ...

and Prince Albert. 24 trees within the garden are designated as "Champion Trees" on the

Tree Register of the British Isles The Tree Register, or more fully, the Tree Register of the British Isles (T.R.O.B.I.), is a registered charity A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educa ...

. The garden has a number of architectural features. Among the most notable is the

, a great urn commissioned by

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...

to commemorate his expected victories, which in 1815 was presented unfinished to the Prince Regent. After the King had had the base completed by sculptor

Richard Westmacott Sir Richard Westmacott (15 July 17751 September 1856) was a British sculptor. Life and career Westmacott studied with his father, also named Richard Westmacott, at his studio in Mount Street, off Grosvenor Square in London before going t ...

, 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 high and weighing 15 tons). The

National Gallery The National Gallery is an art museum in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, in Central London, England. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of over 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The current Director ...

, to whom it was presented, finally returned it in 1906 to the sovereign,

Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until Death and state funeral of Edward VII, his death in 1910. The second chil ...

. King Edward then solved the problem by placing the vase outside in the garden where it now remains. A pair of ornamental

cranes Crane or cranes may refer to: Common meanings * Crane (bird), a large, long-necked bird * Crane (machine), industrial machinery for lifting ** Crane (rail), a crane suited for use on railroads People and fictional characters * Crane (surname ...

which stand by the lake were presented to Edward when on a tour of India as

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rule ...

in 1875-6. A summerhouse stands opposite the Waterloo Vase, which was removed from the old

Admiralty Admiralty most often refers to: *Admiralty, Hong Kong *Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964 *The rank of admiral *Admiralty law Admiralty can also refer to: Buildings * Admiralty, Traf ...

garden at the other end of The Mall. The structure is in the form of a small temple, with a

pediment Pediments are gables, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the lintel, or entablature, if supported by columns. Pediments can contain an overdoor and are usually topped by hood moulds. A pedim ...

supported by four Atlantes. Peter Coats, in his study of 1978, ''The Gardens of Buckingham Palace'', notes stylistic similarities to the work of

. Much of the statuary in the garden, including vases and urns on the West Terrace, was designed by Nash, and constructed in Coade Stone, a form of artificial stone popular in the Regency and Victorian periods. There is also a lake and a tennis court, the latter dating from 1919. The lake is long and across and used to be home to a colony of

until they were killed by foxes. The lake was originally fed from

The Serpentine The Serpentine (also known as the Serpentine River) is a recreational lake in Hyde Park, London, England, created in 1730 at the behest of Queen Caroline. Although it is common to refer to the entire body of water as the Serpentine, strict ...

in Hyde Park, but is now sourced from a

bore hole A borehole is a narrow shaft bored in the ground, either vertically or horizontally. A borehole may be constructed for many different purposes, including the extraction of water ( drilled water well and tube well), other liquids (such as petrole ...

in the garden. The water is aerated by a

waterfall A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in several ...

, installed by Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, to replace a

cascade Cascade, Cascades or Cascading may refer to: Science and technology Science * Cascade waterfalls, or series of waterfalls * Cascade, the CRISPR-associated complex for antiviral defense (a protein complex) * Cascade (grape), a type of fruit * Bioc ...

constructed by the Queen's parents,

and

Queen Elizabeth Queen Elizabeth, Queen Elisabeth or Elizabeth the Queen may refer to: Queens regnant * Elizabeth I (1533–1603; ), Queen of England and Ireland * Elizabeth II (1926–2022; ), Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms * Queen ...

. The large island in the lake houses four

beehive A beehive is an enclosed structure in which some honey bee species of the subgenus '' Apis'' live and raise their young. Though the word ''beehive'' is commonly used to describe the nest of any bee colony, scientific and professional literature ...

s where, since 1983, the Queen has undertaken the production of honey. Helicopters land on the great lawn in front of the West Terrace. The garden contains a number of examples of another type of artificial stonework,

Pulhamite Pulhamite was a patented anthropic rock material invented by James Pulham (1820–1898) of the firm James Pulham and Son of Broxbourne in Hertfordshire. It was widely used for rock gardens and grottos. Overview Pulhamite, which usually looke ...

, including two bridges to the islands in the lake and a large

rockery A rock garden, also known as a rockery and formerly as a rockwork, is a garden, or more often a part of a garden, with a landscaping framework of rocks, stones, and gravel, with planting appropriate to this setting. Usually these are small ...

. Simon Bradley, in the 2003 revised edition of the Pevsner Buildings of England, ''London 6: Westminster'', describes the garden at Buckingham Palace as "beautiful", noting particularly the "irregular lake and artful

Picturesque Picturesque is an aesthetic ideal introduced into English cultural debate in 1782 by William Gilpin in ''Observations on the River Wye, and Several Parts of South Wales, etc. Relative Chiefly to Picturesque Beauty; made in the Summer of the Year ...

planting". The design of the garden has also be criticised; suggesting that, after Wise, no major designer was employed, a writer for '' Country 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".

Listing designations

Waterloo Vase at Buckingham Palace Gardens

The garden is Grade II* listed on the

Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of special historic interest in England The Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England provides a listing and classification system for historic parks and gardens similar to that used for listed buildings. The register is managed by Historic England ...

. The Waterloo Vase and the Kent Summerhouse are Grade I listed structures. Structures on the perimeter of the garden which are also listed at Grade I include the surrounding boundary wall; the garden entrance screen to the front right of the palace, the screen to the Ambassadors' Court to the left and the main entrance to the Ambassadors' Court on Buckingham Palace Road; the wall enclosing the royal riding school, and the riding school itself; the

; and two flanking lodges. A secondary section of the mews, and four lampposts in front of the riding school are listed at Grade II.

Gallery

Lake at Buckingham Palace Gardens.jpg, The lake Buckingham Palace - 51368646287.jpg, Another view of the lake Tree and lawn at Buckingham Palace Gardens.jpg, The lawns - the teahouse behind dates from 1939 Planting at Buckingham Palace Gardens.jpg, Planting Willow tree at Buckingham Palace Gardens.jpg,

Willow tree Willows are a genus of trees. Willow Tree may refer to: Places * Willow Tree, New South Wales, a village in Australia * Willow Tree railway station, in Australia * Willow Tree (LIRR station), a railway station in New York Entertainment * "Wil ...

A pair of ornamental cranes in Buckingham Palace Garden.jpg, A pair of ornamental cranes presented to the future

when on a tour of India as

Buckingham Palace AerialView.jpg, Aerial view - the garden lies behind the palace, with

St James's Park St James's Park is a park in the City of Westminster, central London. It is at the southernmost tip of the St James's area, which was named after a leper hospital dedicated to St James the Less. It is the most easterly of a near-continuous ch ...

to the front and

Green Park Green Park, officially The Green Park, is one of the Royal Parks of London. It is in the southern part – the core part – of the City of Westminster, Central London, but before that zone was extended to the north, to take in Marylebo ...

to the right

References

Footnotes

Citations

Sources

* * * * * * * * * *

External links

PBS videos on the garden

Daily Telegraph article outlining main aims of the Buckingham Palace dig
{{DEFAULTSORT:Garden At Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace Grade II* listed parks and gardens in London Parks and open spaces in the City of Westminster