London Squares and Parks in 1900: Regent's Park
Following is Arthur H. Beavan's brief overview of Regent's Park from Imperial London, first published in 1901:
Regent's Park is the creation of George IV, who, in 1812, during his Regency,
signified his approval of John Nash's plan to lay out the pleasance upon the site
of old Marylebone Park, and to connect it with Carlton House.
The plan included provision for erecting a palace in the Inner Circle, now the
gardens of the Royal Botanic Society.
Regent's Park is nearly circular and contains about 480 acres, and is to the dwellers
in the northern parts of London what Hyde Park is to those in the west.
Formerly rather neglected, and almost monopolized by children not always clean
and well-behaved, it has been wonderfully improved of late years (before 1900), and competes
with Hyde Park in the beauty of its flowerbeds,
its wide stretches of grass, and its perfectly-kept paths.
Its leading features are the terraces of houses that surround it, all exhibiting
the peculiar style of the architect Nash; the ornamental water, in outline resembling
the three-legged symbol of the Isle of Man; and the charming tree-bordered Broad
Walk stretching right across its eastern side and running north and south, always
crowded on fine Sunday afternoons, when a band plays in a kiosk close by.
Next: London's Parks in 1900: Regent's Park: The Botanic Gardens |