Waterlow Park

Last updated • 2 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia
View of the City of London from Waterlow Park. Viewofcityfromwaterlowpark.jpg
View of the City of London from Waterlow Park.

Waterlow Park is a 26-acre (11 ha) park in the southeast of Highgate Village, in north London. It was given to the public (i.e. the London County Council [1] ) by Sir Sydney Waterlow, as "a garden for the gardenless" in 1889. It is located to the west of Swain's Lane.

Contents

Description

The park is set on a 29-acre (12 ha) site on a hillside south of Highgate Hill. It is named after the Lord Mayor of London, Sir Sydney Waterlow. [2]

The site offers views across the City of London. It has three ponds all fed by natural springs. [3]

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. [4] 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, the mistress of King Charles II lived there at a later date. [3]

The poet Andrew Marvell 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. [3] Another house once within the park was the home of the architect Sir James Pennethorne.

The park was leased by Waterlow to St Bartholomew's Hospital in 1872 to use as a home for recovering patients, and remained the case until 1883. In 1889, Waterlow donated the park to the London County Council, with the intention that it would be a "garden for the garden-less". [5] 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 in 2001. [6] It reopened in 2005 and is now managed by the London Borough of Camden.

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. [7] There is also an abstract art piece, Image, designed by Naomi Blake and installed in 1979. [5]

Cultural references

The park was referenced by Ian Hunter of Mott the Hoople in their song "Waterlow", from the 1971 album "Wildlife".

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mayfair</span> Area of central London, England

Mayfair is an area in London, England and is located in the City of Westminster. It is in Central London and part of the West End. It is between Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly and Park Lane and one of the most expensive districts in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whitehall</span> Road in the City of Westminster, in Central London

Whitehall is a road and area in the City of Westminster, Central London, England. The road forms the first part of the A3212 road from Trafalgar Square to Chelsea. It is the main thoroughfare running south from Trafalgar Square towards Parliament Square. The street is recognised as the centre of the Government of the United Kingdom and is lined with numerous departments and ministries, including the Ministry of Defence, Horse Guards and the Cabinet Office. Consequently, the name "Whitehall" is used as a metonym for the British civil service and government, and as the geographic name for the surrounding area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Regent's Park</span> Royal Park in London, England

Regent's Park is one of the Royal Parks of London. It occupies 410 acres (170 ha) in north-west Inner London, administratively split between the City of Westminster and the Borough of Camden. In addition to its large central parkland and ornamental lake, it contains various structures and organizations both public and private, generally on its periphery, including Regent's University and London Zoo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belgravia</span> District in Greater London, England

Belgravia is a district in Central London, covering parts of the areas of the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Constitution Hill, London</span> Historic road in the City of Westminster, London

Constitution Hill is a road in the City of Westminster in London. It connects the western end of The Mall with Hyde Park Corner, and is bordered by Buckingham Palace Gardens to the south, and Green Park to the north. At the top of the rise in the roadway at the Corner is the Wellington Arch, near where the road is flanked by the Memorial Gates war memorial.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bow Street</span> Street in London, England

Bow Street is a thoroughfare in Covent Garden, Westminster, London. It connects Long Acre, Russell Street and Wellington Street, and is part of a route from St Giles to Waterloo Bridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pall Mall, London</span> Street in Central London

Pall Mall is a street in the St James's area of the City of Westminster, Central London. It connects St James's Street to Trafalgar Square and is a section of the regional A4 road. The street's name is derived from pall-mall, a ball game played there during the 17th century, which in turn is derived from the Italian pallamaglio, literally "ball-mallet".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bayswater Road</span> Road in west London, running along the northern boundary of Hyde Park

Bayswater Road is the main road running along the northern edge of Hyde Park in London. Originally part of the A40 road, it is now designated part of the A402 road.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Essex Road</span> Street in the London Borough of Islington

Essex Road is a main road in Islington, London. It is part of the A104 and connects Islington High Street with Balls Pond Road via Essex Road railway station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Martin's Lane</span> Street in the City of Westminster, London

St Martin's Lane is a street in the City of Westminster, which runs from the church of St Martin-in-the-Fields, after which it is named, near Trafalgar Square northwards to Long Acre. At its northern end, it becomes Monmouth Street. St Martin's Lane and Monmouth Street together form the B404.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sir Sydney Waterlow, 1st Baronet</span> English philanthropist and politician

Sir Sydney Hedley Waterlow, 1st Baronet, was a British philanthropist and Liberal Party politician, principally remembered for donating Waterlow Park to the public as "a garden for the gardenless".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lauderdale House</span>

Lauderdale House is an historic house, now run as an arts and education centre, based in Waterlow Park, Highgate in north London, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Channing School</span> Private day school in London, England

Channing School is an independent day school for girls at Highgate Hill in Highgate, North London. Channing School is a member of the Girls' Schools Association. The junior school is for pupils aged four to twelve and includes the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack Straw's Castle, Hampstead</span> Former pub in Hampstead, London

Jack Straw's Castle is a Grade II listed building and former public house on North End Way, Hampstead, north-west London, England close to the junction with Heath Street and Spaniards Road.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Devereux Court</span> Street in the City of Westminster

Devereux Court, a street in the City of Westminster located just south of the Strand and east of Essex Street, is completely pedestrianised. This narrow lane is lined with well-preserved seventeenth-century buildings. The court's distinctive dog-leg layout has remained unchanged since its establishment in the 1670s on the grounds of Essex House, a stately home renowned for its expansive gardens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Audley Street</span> Shopping street in Mayfair, London

South Audley Street is a major shopping street in Mayfair, London. It runs north to south from the southwest corner of Grosvenor Square to Curzon Street.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buckingham House, Pall Mall</span> Historic British building

Buckingham House was a residence of the Dukes of Buckingham and Chandos in Pall Mall, London. Designed by the Neoclassical architect Sir John Soane in 1790, it featured the Neo-Palladian style for the three-storey-high frontage. The construction work finished in 1795.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maypole in the Strand</span>

The Maypole in the Strand was a landmark maypole on the Strand, London, that was in place during the 17th and early 18th centuries, on the site of the current St Mary le Strand church.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seething Lane</span> Street in the City of London, England

Seething Lane is a street in the City of London. It connects All Hallows-by-the-Tower, Byward Street, with St Olave's Church, Hart Street. The street is named after an Old English expression meaning "full of chaff", which was derived from the nearby corn market in Fenchurch Street. Samuel Pepys lived there and is buried in St Olave's Church at the junction with Hart Street. A bust of Pepys, created by Karin Jonzen, sits in the public garden at the south end of the street.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old Change</span>

Old Change was a street in the City of London, connecting Cheapside to Knightrider Street.

References

Citations

  1. "Waterlow, Sir Philip Hickson". Who's Who: 2684. 1920.
  2. Weinreb et al. 2008, pp. 992.
  3. 1 2 3 "Waterlow Park – History". www.waterlowpark.org.uk. Retrieved 2017-05-08.
  4. Weinreb et al. 2008, pp. 992–993.
  5. 1 2 Weinreb et al. 2008, p. 993.
  6. "Urban Parks Programme Report" (PDF). The Parks Agency. June 2018. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  7. Weinreb et al. 2008, p. 875.

Sources

Further reading

51°34′08″N0°08′42″W / 51.569°N 0.145°W / 51.569; -0.145