start-with-the-park

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76 Start with the park CASE STUDY Regent’s Park, central London 107 hectares Plan well ahead Construction period 1816–26 (although further property development occurred in the next century) Background The area now occupied by the park was once a hunting ground of Henry VIII. John Nash was asked to draw up designs by his friend and patron, the Prince Regent. At the same time he had been instructed to develop plans for a new street connecting Portland Place and Charing Cross. Work on the park itself, including the Regent’s Canal and the boating lake, started in 1816. Over the next 10 years, Nash developed the fine terraced properties that adjoin the park. The park has since changed significantly – from a semi-private, picturesque, semi-rural green park grazed by livestock to a public park that now includes more formal gardens, sports pitches and London Zoo. The architect John Nash developed Regent’s Park as the centrepiece of an ambitious property venture. He believed that ‘landowners infinitely prefer living near open space…a park where there are opportunities for riding, driving, and walking is an irresistible magnet’. This park was successful both in raising the value of adjoining sites and in creating a magnificent, wellconnected set-piece of urban development. Planning and design Nash’s scheme included terraces of housing that enclosed a roughly circular park, linking in with the major processional route to Westminster. The park is shaped by the Inner and Outer Circles and the Broad Walk. The design is intended to create serially revealed views of the boating lake and the terraces. The edge of the park is enclosed and overlooked by an almost continuous series of terraced houses. There are areas within the park with a wide range of different characters, including the secluded and highly enclosed Inner Circle, the formal planting of the Avenue Gardens and larger open spaces. Outcomes The park is a highly successful green space in the heart of London, serving a large number of local, metropolitan and international users. Today it accommodates a huge range of different uses including sports, theatre, worship, education, residential buildings and the zoo. The original Nash terraced housing surrounding the park remains highly desirable. Around a third of the park’s expenditure is funded directly by income generated by commercial concessions, licences and rents. Lessons learnt • A well-designed and well-managed park can form the centrepiece of a successful residential area • Well-designed buildings of an appropriate scale can form a spectacular backdrop that enhances the experience of a park as a green space within a fine urban context • The role and success of a park also rely on its connection to other green spaces and well-connected routes.
Thinking about design 77 Design John Nash Partners and clients Originally built for George IV, the park is now managed by the Royal Parks, an executive agency of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) References Tate, A (2001) Great city parks, London, Spon Press Royal Parks (2004) Annual report www.royalparks.gov.uk Adjacent terraced housing encloses and overlooks nearly all the park’s edges
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Page 99 and 100: Appendix 97 Glossary A full range o
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