Waterlow Park is a park in the south east of

Highgate Village Highgate ( ) is a suburban area of north London at the northeastern corner of Hampstead Heath, north-northwest of Charing Cross. Highgate is one of the most expensive London suburbs in which to live. It has two active conservation organisati ...

, in

north London North London is the northern part of London, England, north of the River Thames. It extends from Clerkenwell and Finsbury, on the edge of the City of London financial district, to Greater London's boundary with Hertfordshire. The term ''nor ...

. It was given to the public (''i.e.'' the

London County Council London County Council (LCC) was the principal local government body for the County of London throughout its existence from 1889 to 1965, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today kn ...

) by Sir Sydney Waterlow, as "a garden for the gardenless" in 1889.

Description

The park is set on a site on a hillside south of Highgate Hill. It is named after the

Lord Mayor of London The Lord Mayor of London is the mayor of the City of London and the leader of the City of London Corporation. Within the City, the Lord Mayor is accorded precedence over all individuals except the sovereign and retains various traditional pow ...

, Sir Sydney Waterlow. The site offers views across the

City of London The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London f ...

. It has three ponds all fed by natural springs.

History

The land has been laid out as gardens since the seventeenth century and contains many mature trees. Lauderdale House sits at the edge of the park. It was built around 1580 and subsequently owned by the Dukes of Lauderdale. It is now used as a tea room and for functions and arts events and is surrounded by formal gardens. The original timber-framed structure has been extensively modified from its original sixteenth century construction, and none of the interior remains in its original state. It was the home of Earl (later Duke) of Lauderdale in the 17th century. There is a local tradition that

Nell Gwyn Eleanor Gwyn (2 February 1650 – 14 November 1687; also spelled ''Gwynn'', ''Gwynne'') was a celebrity figure of the Restoration period. Praised by Samuel Pepys for her comic performances as one of the first actresses on the English stag ...

, the mistress of King Charles II lived there at a later date. The poet

Andrew Marvell Andrew Marvell (; 31 March 1621 – 16 August 1678) was an English metaphysical poet, satirist and politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1659 and 1678. During the Commonwealth period he was a colleague and friend ...

lived in another nearby house which was once within the bounds of the park. One of his poems is displayed on a bronze plaque in the park. Another house once within the park was the home of the architect Sir

James Pennethorne Sir James Pennethorne (4 June 1801 – 1 September 1871) was a British architect and planner, particularly associated with buildings and parks in central London. Life Early years Pennethorne was born in Worcester, and travelled to London in 1 ...

. The park was leased by Waterlow to

St Bartholomew's Hospital St Bartholomew's Hospital, commonly known as Barts, is a teaching hospital located in the City of London. It was founded in 1123 and is currently run by Barts Health NHS Trust. History Early history Barts was founded in 1123 by Rahere (die ...

in 1872 to use as a home for recovering patients, and remained the case until 1883. In 1889, Waterlow donated the park to the

, with the intention that it would be a "garden for the garden-less". Lauderdale House was restored at the same time. In 1963, a fire broke out, leaving the building and surrounding structures derelict. The park suffered years of neglect and vandalism but was restored with a grant from the

Heritage Lottery Fund The National Lottery Heritage Fund, formerly the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), distributes a share of National Lottery funding, supporting a wide range of heritage projects across the United Kingdom. History The fund's predecessor bodies were ...

in 2001. It reopened in 2005 and is now managed by the

London Borough of Camden The London Borough of Camden () is a London borough in Inner London. Camden Town Hall, on Euston Road, lies north of Charing Cross. The borough was established on 1 April 1965 from the area of the former boroughs of Hampstead, Holborn, and S ...

Features

A bronze statue of Sir Sidney Waterlow is located in the park. It was constructed by Frank Taubamn, and shows Waterlow holding a hat, umbrella and key, the latter of which symbolises his donation of the land to public property. There is also an abstract art piece, ''Image'', designed by

Naomi Blake Naomi Blake née Zisel Dum (11 March 1924 – 7 November 2018) was a British sculptor, whose work reflected her experience as a Holocaust survivor. Biography Blake was born in Mukačevo, Czechoslovakia (now Mukacheve, Ukraine) to orthodox Jew ...

and installed in 1979.

Cultural references

The park was referenced by Ian Hunter of

Mott the Hoople Mott the Hoople were an English rock band formed in Herefordshire. Originally known as the Doc Thomas Group, the group changed their name after signing with Island Records in 1969. The band released albums throughout the early 1970s but fai ...

in their song "Waterlow", from the 1971 album "Wildlife".

References

Citations Sources * Further reading * The Buildings of England London 4: North. Bridget Cherry and

Nikolaus Pevsner Sir Nikolaus Bernhard Leon Pevsner (30 January 1902 – 18 August 1983) was a German-British art historian and architectural historian best known for his monumental 46-volume series of county-by-county guides, '' The Buildings of England'' ...

. . * Waterlow Park, a garden for the gardenless' by Pam Cooper

External links

* http://www.waterlowpark.org.uk Friends of Waterlow Park
Waterlow Park wildlife, May 2008
{{Green London Parks and open spaces in the London Borough of Camden Highgate