Getting to Know Kensington Gardens

London is surprisingly rich in historic green spaces. With its long history of royal parks and inner city medieval hunting grounds, London has evolved into a diverse tapestry of rapid redevelopment of historic nature reserves. It’s this unique balance of wilderness and urban sprawl which make the city the unique (and thriving!) tourist destination it is today.

When staying at luxury accommodation like Park Grand Kensington Hotelyou’ll be perfectly situated to get the best of both worlds. With London’s city centre just a stone’s throw away, and Hyde Park just around the corner, you can sample the full delights of London without walking too far from your hotel.

One of the often overlooked wilderness retreats near the Grand Park Kensingtonis Kensington Gardens. This historic park is often mistaken as being a part of the nearby Hyde Park, which is connected to it by the Long Water but is, in fact, its own separate entity, with its own unique characteristics.

Kensington Gardens

Covering 270 acres of land, these once-private gardens form part of London’s central “green lung”, a green space which consists of Green Park, Hyde Park, St James’s Park and Kensington Gardens. Originally part of Hyde Park, the area was separated back in the 18th century and has always been regarded as a more private and peaceful park for the public.

History

Originally designed as part of King Henry VIII’s private hunting grounds in the 1530s, Kensington Gardens was separated during the 18th century by Queen Caroline in 1728. As the wife of King George II, the queen wanted her own private gardens, and so the Serpentine Lake was built between1726 and 1731 creating a border between the two parks. Kensington Gardens was updated by Queen Victoria to include the then fashionable Italian landscape aesthetic and was eventually opened to the public during the early 19th century.

Attractions in Kensington Gardens

Since its creation, Kensington Gardens has amassed a wide range of art, monuments and points of interest. All of these are easily reachable for guests at any hotel in Kensington.

Albert Memorial

The Albert Memorial was opened in 1872 in memory of Prince Albert, husband to Queen Victoria. Inspired by gothic church architecture, this memorial is based to the south-east of the garden and was designed by famous architect Sir George Gilbert Scott. Hard to miss, this gold encrusted memorial is a distinctive feature of Kensington Gardens.