Two-acre garden opened this week to mark what would have been late monarch’s 100th birthday
HTA Design has completed the transformation of a former store yard in Regent’s Park into a memorial garden for Queen Elizabeth II.
The two-acre garden opened on Tuesday to mark what would have been the late monarch’s 100th birthday.
Designed for The Royal Parks, it has aimed to celebrate the Queen’s life, legacy and love of nature with subtle references to the Commonwealth including the use of plants with royal associations.
The garden design features a central promenade, a circular pond, a series of meandering terrazzo paths and a pergola with 56 beams representing the member countries of the Commonwealth.
It also includes a former water tower reimagined as a folly, faced with decorative metalwork - designed by Ian Thackray, a blacksmith and alumnus of the King’s Foundation - which symbolises the four home nations through motifs of thistle, leek, shamrock, and rose.
The four symbols mirror the design embroidered on the late Queen’s 1953 coronation gown, with each piece individually forged by an artisan blacksmith from their respective nations.
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, led by horticulturist Noel Kingsbury and HTA in collaboration with The Royal Parks, has aimed to maintain greenery 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’.
HTA Design head of landscape James Lord said working on the scheme had been a “rare privilege and a significant responsibility”.
He added: “From the outset, the ambition was not to create a grand memorial, but a living landscape that reflects the Queen’s character and values. Her presence is expressed through carefully considered details within the layout, planting and crafted elements of the garden.
“Sustainability was fundamental to every decision, from reusing materials on site to creating low input planting that can adapt to a changing climate.
“We hope the result feels like a place of quiet enjoyment for visitors to reflect on the life of Queen Elizabeth II, one that will grow in character and meaning for generations to come.”
The project team also included landscape contractor Blakedown Landscapes, soil scientist Tim O’Hare Associates, architect Tate + Co Architects, civil and structural engineer Price and Myers and QS Fulkers Bailer Russell.
Postscript
All photography is credited to Clive Nichols
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