St James Park

020 7298 2000

St James’s Park is oldest of the Royal London Parks. It encloses a size of 58-acres and is bounded by Pall Mall to the north, Horse Guards to the east and Birdcage Walk to the south. The park contains some spectacular flower beds and a small lake with 2 islands, called Duck Island and West Island, home to various forms of wildlife. A bridge across the lake gives a magnificent view in both directions, one offering glimpses of Buckingham Palace and the other a collection of domes and turrets towards the towering London Eye.

The magnificent view from the bridge in the middle of the lake - with Buckingham Palace in one direction and the dome and turrets of London in the other - make sure you bring your camera!

The history of St James’s Park belongs to progressive changes made by a succession of English Kings. The park was originally laid out as a deer park by King Henry VIII in 1532. In 1603, King James I used the park to keep exotic animals, including camels, crocodiles and an elephant, as well as exotic birds in an aviary along what is now Birdcage walk. When King Charles II returned from exile in France, he had the park redesigned in a more French style and opened it to the public. He was presented with a gift of 2 pelicans in 1664 by the Russian ambassador and the descendants of those pelicans still live in the park. Further changes were made by King George IV during the 1820’s, when he commissioned the architect and landscaper John Nash to convert the formal lake and avenues into a more natural and winding shape.

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