St. James's Park

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For the football stadium in Newcastle upon Tyne, see St James' Park; for the football stadium in Exeter, see St James Park.

Royal Parks of London
Bushy Park Green Park Greenwich Park Hyde Park Kensington Gardens Regent's Park Richmond Park St. James's Park

St. James's Park is one of the Royal Parks of London in the City of Westminster, London, just east of Buckingham Palace and west of Downing Street. The St James's area, including St. James's Palace, is just to the north. It is 23 hectares (58 acres) in size.

It is bounded by The Mall to the north, Horse Guards to the east, and Birdcage Walk to the south. The park has a small lake, St James's Park Lake, with two islands, Duck Island (named for the lake's collection of waterfowl) and West Island. A bridge across the lake affords views of Buckingham Palace framed by trees and fountains.

The closest tube stations are St. James's Park, and Westminster.

It was bought as a marsh by Henry VIII, who had it turned into a deer chase. It was opened to the public by Charles II.

The park was notorious as a meeting place for acts of sexual degeneracy, of which John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester wrote in his famous poem "A Ramble in St. James's Park."

The Park is the easternmost of an almost continuous chain of parks that also comprises (moving westward) Green Park, Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens.

External links

[St. James's Park], official website
[A History of St James's]

Parks and open spaces in London

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