A taste of the Mediterranean in the centre of London: The Italian Gardens in Kensington Gardens, London, UK

Commissioned by and built under the supervision of Prince Albert in 1860 as a romantic gesture to his wife, Queen Victoria, the Italian Gardens were once part of Kensington Palace's royal grounds.  They are located on the north side of what is now the publicly-accessible Kensington Gardens, near the Lancaster Gate Underground station.  The Italian Gardens are Grade II listed by Historic England as a site of special interest.

Inspired by the Italianate Osborne House on the Isle of Wight, which Prince Albert had a prominent role in designing and where the Royal Family spent its holidays, the Italian Gardens are laid out as an ornamental water garden.  Designer Sir James Pennethorne replicated many of the features found in Osborne House's Italian Renaissance garden, such as a raised terrace, fountains, urns, and geometric garden beds.  The Italian Gardens comprise four main raised ponds, each with a fountain embedded in central rosettes carved in Carrara marble, and an ornate Tazza fountain crafted from Portland stone and white marble.  A collection of carved stone urns ring the gardens, featuring one of five designs: a swan's head and neck, a woman's head, a ram's head, a dolphin, and an oval.  Eminent water engineer Thomas Hawksley designed the fountains, quoting a price of between £30 and £125 for each fountain in a letter of 1860.

The Italian Gardens were renovated in 2011 courtesy of a £784,000 grant by the New York-based Tiffany & Co. Foundation as part of its 'Tiffany - Across the Water' programme, focused on the restoration of ornamental and drinking fountains located in London's eight Royal Parks.  The renovation work included restoring original stonework; restoring the Tazza fountain with new carving; cleaning of the central rosettes in each basin; installation of new garden plantings to restore the Victorian plan; and improvements to water quality.  The restoration work revealed under the gardens a maze of Victorian-era pipework and drainage culverts connecting the gardens' pump house and five fountains to the lake flowing through Kensington Gardens and the adjacent Hyde Park.  Stonemasons working on site spent 1,200 hours carefully restoring stonework, carving eight new, life-sized swan heads and necks and the arms of broken nymphs.

A more recent addition is the Italian Gardens Café, located next to Queen Anne’s Alcove, which features a terrace with a pleasant elevated view of the gardens.

Photos taken on 4 May 2022

A panoramic view of the Italian Gardens, looking north. The gardens are a haven for dog walkers, joggers, tourists, and locals who enjoy the tranquility of this ornate garden.  The Italian Renaissance style of garden became popular in villas of 15th century Rome and Florence, reflecting the ideals of order and beauty.  The style sought to break down the barriers between home, landscape, and garden and often incorporating architectural elements, such as alcoves, pavilions, and statuary, in the garden itself.  These gardens were seen as a luxury space devoted to reflection and leisure.  They included such elements as fountains, geometric shapes, and stone walls around carefully manicured green space.  Italian Renaissance gardens soon became popular with aristocrats and well-off homeowners in Europe and the UK, and the style was a particular favourite of Prince Albert, Prince Consort to Queen Victoria.

A view from the south end of one of the four raised basins of the Italian Gardens.  The 2011 restoration included a new planting scheme to replicate the original Victorian-era vision and help maintain water quality.  Efforts were assisted by studying old postcards of the Italian Gardens for insight into how they were planted.  The basins now feature native water lilies, yellow flag iris, flowering rush, and purple loosestrife planted in iron cages below the water. Additionally, new walkways help the ducks and swans get in and out of the basins.

The Tazza fountain, crafted from a mix of Portland stone and white marble.  The fountain overlooks the Long Water, the Kensington Gardens portion of the lake snaking through it and the adjacent Hyde Park. The Tazza fountain was extensively cleaned in the 2011 restoration of the Italian Gardens and also required detailed restoration and fine carving.  'Tazza' is the Italian word for a wide, shallow glass or vase on a pedestal.

Fine stone carving was carried out by specialist stonemasons working on site to repair the Tazza fountain in 2011. Their work included conservation of the acanthus band and mermen supporting the fountain's bowl.

Looking south, down the Long Water at the southern end of the Italian Gardens.  The Long Water separates Kensington Gardens to the west (on the right) from Hyde Park to the east (on the left).  On the Hyde Park portion of the lake, known as the Serpentine, parkgoers can rent peddle boats for a leisurely outing.

A northward view of the Italian Gardens from the main north-south axis running between the four basins.   The Pump House can be seen in the centre.  In the distance, towering into the sky, is the Royal Lancaster London Hotel, built in 1967.

To the right of the Pump House is Queen Anne’s Alcove, a folly containing a secluded bench from which parkgoers can contemplate the gardens and peoplewatch.  Queen Anne's Alcove was designed by Sir Christopher Wren, the architect who designed 52 churches across London, including his masterpiece, St Paul's Cathedral.  The alcove was built in the early 1700s and was moved to its current location in 1867.  Queen Anne, who reigned between 1702 and 1714, was the last monarch from the House of Stuart which preceded the current House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha/House of Windsor.

Behind the fountain is a white Rolls-Royce Phantom II automobile dating from 1932 which has been converted into an ice cream van by the Royal Parks.  It is one of a fleet of vintage ice cream vans operated by the Royal Parks and is regularly stationed next to the Italian Gardens during the summer months.

The Pump House, which once housed a steam engine used to keep the fountains running.  The pillar on the roof is a disguised chimney.  When built, a stoker was employed on Saturday nights to run the steam engine and pump water into a holding pond so that there would be sufficient water pressure to run the fountains without the use of the engine on Sundays.  Queen Victoria's and Prince Albert's 'V&A' initials can be found on one of the walls inside the Pump House.  Water for the Italian Gardens' ponds and fountains was drawn from the subterranean River Westbourne to the north.  The Westbourne is one of three large, rivers flowing through London that now run through pipes underground; the other two rivers are the Tyburn and the Fleet.

A mother duck and her ducklings swim in one of the raised ponds.  The 2011 restoration of the Italian Gardens included the installation of a new, cleaner water system, as well as improvements to the quality of the water in the ponds.  These water quality improvements included the removal of 13 tonnes of silt from the ponds and the digging of a new borehole which now feeds fresh water to the ponds.  The water is aerated and its temperature raised as it shoots out of the fountains before flowing out into the Long Water lake snaking through Kensington Gardens and the adjacent Hyde Park.   

At the centre of the Italian Gardens, where the north-south and east-west axes intersect is a smaller, octagonal basin with a fountain. The Tazza fountain can be seen in the distance, overlooking the Long Water and Kensington Gardens.  

A mother Eurasian coot and her two babies swim in one of the basins of the Italian Gardens.

Looking southwest from outside the Italian Gardens.

A final panoramic view of the tranquil Italian Gardens in London's Kensington Gardens.