The Queen Elizabeth II Garden in Regent’s Park recently opened to mark what would have been the Queen’s 100th birthday and serves as a lasting tribute to her remarkable life and legacy.
Covering two acres, the garden is the latest addition to a series of historic landscapes within the park, transforming a former store yard into a biodiverse climate resilient garden and opening a previously inaccessible part of the park to the public.
Its design has been informed by visits to some of Her Majesty’s favourite gardens and references the late Queen throughout, from its structure to ornamentation and choice of plants.
Design
A large terrace forms the main arrival area, overlooking a circular pond that provides a visual focus and tranquil reflective setting. On its far side, a reimagined former water tower and central promenade create a clear visual focus and draw visitors through the garden.
The promenade runs through the heart of the garden providing a formal axis that symbolises Queen Elizabeth II’s lifelong commitment to service. The route is tapered, gently rising and narrowing towards the roundel to create a play on perspective and increased sense of drama.
In contrast, a terrazzo path gently meanders through the garden, reflecting the changing chapters of the late Queen’s life. To the north, the planting changes to flowering meadow with large drifts of bulbs before merging with the lawns of the wider park.
A pergola provides shade during the summer months. Its 56 uprights represent the member countries of the Commonwealth and the structure’s upward reach, supporting growth and life, symbolises the unity and strength of the Commonwealth.
The repurposed water tower has been reimagined as a folly and landmark. It features decorative metalwork designed by Ian Thackray, a traditional blacksmith and alumnus of The King’s Foundation. The metalwork symbolises the four home nations through motifs of thistle, leek, shamrock, and rose, as embroidered on the late Queen’s coronation gown, each individually forged by an artisan blacksmith from their respective nation.
Subtle changes in topography frame and reveal views so that the garden unfolds as you move through it, while creating varied microclimates for plants and wildlife, from sunny south-facing banks to shaded north-facing slopes and swales.
Sustainability and climate resilience
Central to the project is the approach to sustainability and climate resilience. Underpinning its design and character is the reuse of materials from the demolition of the site’s glasshouses, resulting in an estimated 80% reduction in embodied carbon compared with typical practice.
The former store yard contained very limited existing topsoil, and rather than importing new soils, redundant concrete foundations were crushed and blended with site soils to create new low-fertility growing mediums. Thames gravel that previously lined the glasshouse floors was washed and reused in the terrazzo paths, while steel salvaged from the glasshouse structures has been repurposed for the pergola and tower balcony.
The planting design was led by horticulturist Dr Noel Kingsbury and HTA in close collaboration with The Royal Parks. Strong seasonal interest is created throughout the year through massed perennials, specimen shrubs and trees, woodland edge planting, flowering meadows and clusters of water lilies within the central pond.
A number of plants were selected for their direct association with Queen Elizabeth II, including her favourite flower, lily of the valley, and species used in significant royal events such as rosemary and myrtle. Other plants were especially chosen for their royal association, including Magnolia ‘Windsor Beauty’, Acer campestre ‘Queen Elizabeth’ and Wisteria ‘Royal Purple’.
Slow gardening concept
Designed to adapt to a changing climate and accommodate significant visitor numbers, the garden has been conceived as a long-term landscape that will evolve over time. It embraces the idea of a slow garden, one that will establish and mature gradually, ensuring that future generations can continue to enjoy London’s natural beauty and biodiversity. The project also responds to a reign that spanned a period of extraordinary social and technological change, combining traditional craftsmanship with contemporary methods. This includes stonework hand-dressed by stonemasons from Yorkshire, the ornamental metalwork forged by blacksmiths, and bespoke benches engineered and profiled using state-of-the-art digital fabrication techniques
Queen Elizabeth II Garden in The Regent’s Park
Lead Designer, Landscape Architect, Sustainability and Principal Designer: HTA Design
Planting Design: Dr Noel Kingsbury
Landscape Construction: Blakedown Landscapes
Soil Scientist: Tim O’Hare Associates
Architect: Tate + Co Architects
Civil and Structural Engineer: Price and Myers
Programme Manager and QS: Fulkers Bailey Russell
Lead Blacksmith and Alumnus of The King’s Foundation: Ian Thackray
Client: The Royal Parks
Photography: Clive Nichols