Landscape Design

The garden is the latest addition to the series of historic landscapes within The Regent’s Park. Our design sits in harmony with Nash’s Grade I landscape. It draws inspiration from the park’s distinct geometry, incorporating promenades, circuses and water whilst also responding to 21 st century imperatives – the need for climate adaptation, to support biodiversity and sustainability manage water. The two-acre former store yard is now open to the public for the first time in over 100 years. While this new space sits in harmony with the park’s traditional landscape, it responds to our changing climate by being highly adaptable and resilient.

Framed by mature hornbeams and a woodland fringe, the garden transitions from a grand, structured terrace into tranquil meadows and flowing parkland. The arrival space is anchored by a circular pond and a reimagined water tower, which serves as a modern folly. From here, a terrazzo path meanders through immersive, colourful planting, bisected by a formal promenade that pays homage to The Regent’s Park’s classic geometry. This path culminates in a grand roundel, while intimate gravel paths invite visitors to explore quieter pockets of the site. Existing woodland buffers have been enhanced with native understory planting, and a new western coppice softens views of the service yard. We carefully sculpted the landform to reuse site materials, creating diverse microclimates and gentle undulations. By burying the water tower’s basement, we created a prominent hill that offers elevated views, accessible via both stepped and winding paths.

The new garden honours the life, service, and legacy of Queen Elizabeth II, celebrating her lifelong commitment to nature and conservation. From its structure through to the choice of plants and ornamentation, the garden is imbued with subtle references to the late Queen. In developing the garden, we took time to visit some of Her Majesty’s favourite gardens, drawing inspiration from places that were personal to her. We wanted to create a tribute that feels reflective of the late Queen’s reign. The meadows at Frogmore House instilled a sense of beauty and calm that we sought to echo. A secluded woodland path in Buckingham Palace Gardens, which she particularly enjoyed, inspired a sheltered walk through the garden’s wooded fringe, where visitors can experience dappled shade and the relative quiet offered by this different perspective. We also took inspiration from the dry garden and borders at The Savill Garden during visits to Windsor Great Park.

The Path of Service A formal path cuts through the centre of the garden from the circular pond to the roundel at the garden’s heart. This axis symbolises the late Queen’s commitment to service and her unwavering duty. The route is tapered, gently rising and narrowing towards the roundel to create a play on perspective and increased sense of drama. This device was inspired by our restoration of Sir Geoffrey Jellicoe’s Water Gardens in Hemel Hempstead. The Path of Life In direct contrast, a gentle meandering path leads visitors through the gardens at a more leisurely pace, reflecting the changes and chapters of the late Queen’s personal life . The Cut Through A cut-through formed by large Yorkstone blocks, split using a traditional stitch drill, symbolises the intersection between duty and personal life, and Queen Elizabeth’s II enduring strength as a monarch.

The Roundel The roundel forms the heart of the garden and a tranquil place to pause within London’s busy city centre. A circular bench surrounds the roundel, gently framing the space in a protective embrace. The roundel’s focal point is a magnolia tree ( Magnolia salicifolia 'Wada's Memory' ), chosen to flower around Elizabeth II’s birthday. It is encircled with a quotation from the late Queen: “We all need to get the balance right between action and reflection. With so many distractions, it is easy to forget to pause and take stock.” Queen Elizabeth II’s 2013 Christmas broadcast.

The Tower Metalwork Decorative metalwork wraps around the re-imagined former water tower. It features decorative metalwork designed in collaboration with Ian Thackray, a traditional blacksmith and alumnus of The King’s Foundation. The metalwork symbolises the four home nations through motifs of thistle, leek, shamrock, and rose, as embroidered on the late Queen’s coronation gown, each individually forged by an artisan blacksmith from their respective nation.