CHAPTER X.

GREEN PARK AND ST. JAMES'S PARK.

PREVIOUS to the Restoration the Green Park, sometimes. called Upper St. James's Park, was nothing but a large uncultivated meadow, and it remained little more for many years after that event.

The Park was originally much larger than it is now: for when Buckingham House came into the possession of George III., he reduced the size of the public park in order to add to that of his own gardens. In an old view of Constitution Hill in the year 1735, it is shown as a grass mound with cows and deer grazing upon it. In a view of the fireworks of 1748 the Hill is delineated as a road right across the Park, so that about a quarter of the entire area must have been taken off by the King in 1767. There was at this time a fence between St. James's and the Green Parks, with a gate opening upon Constitution Hill.

the

There is now no water in the Green Park, but previous to

year 1856 (when it was filled up) there was at the northeast corner one of the reservoirs of the Chelsea Waterworks, which contained 1,500,000 gallons of water. In 1725 there were two rows of trees closely planted round this basin, which was called the Queen's Walk; and in 1735, when the famous Rosamond's Pond in St. James's Park was cleaned out by a Welshman named Hugh Robarts, those who were disappointed in their desire to drown themselves there were recommended to go to the piece of water in the adjoining

park. The following placard was affixed to one of the trees: "This is to give notice to all broken hearts, such as are unable to survive the loss of their lovers, and are come to a resolution to die, that an engineer from Flintshire having cruelly undertaken to disturb the waters of Rosamond's Pond in this Park, gentlemen and ladies cannot be accommodated there as formerly. And whereas certain daughters of Eve have been since tempted to make use of the Serpentine and other rivers, some whereof have met with disappointments; this is therefore to certify all persons whatsoever labouring under the circumstances aforesaid that the basin in the Upper or Green Park is a most commodious piece of water, in admirable order, and of a depth sufficient to answer the ends of all sizes and conditions. Wherefore all persons applying themselves thereto, will be sure to meet with satisfaction." This was a sorry jest on what, sad to say, often did take place. On November 10th, 1816, the unfortunate Harriet Westbrook, Shelley's first wife, put an end to her poverty and misery by throwing herself into this basin. The poet, whose soul, according to his friends, was all purity and beauty, basely deserted her, and leaving the poor girl to starve, went off with Mary Wolstonecroft Godwin.2 At the west end of this piece of water there was a wretched spout, intended to do duty as a fountain. At the beginning of the present century the spout was very small, but about the year 1825 it was raised to a much greater height. In 1839 the basin was reconstructed; the whole was cemented, and an iron railing set up in order to prevent people from falling in, and at a later date, viz. in 1856, already mentioned, the whole was filled up and made part of the grassy slope of the Park. Besides this there was a small pond in the hollow opposite Coventry House, and behind the Ranger's Lodge, which, as well as the more noted piece of water in St. James's Park, was called Rosamond's Pond. There was formerly a wall along the Piccadilly side of the Park, against which ballads were sold by day and robberies MALCOLM'S London, iv. 243.

2 Notes and Queries, 2nd Series, vol. v. p. 374.

committed by night; Pennant says, "but in many places are rows of benevolent railings which afford a most elegant view."

8

At the time the Ranger's Lodge was cleared away, various alterations were made. The Park was thoroughly drained, and its use by cattle, which up to that time grazed there, was no longer allowed. At the same period the Government desired to widen the roadway of Piccadilly; and Sir Charles Barry, being consulted on the subject, carried out the idea by bringing into the street the row of plane-trees, which now so much improve the west end of the road. It was his wish. to have made other changes, and especially to have constructed a broad flight of steps leading direct down to the Park. This Park, although it is so well situated, has not been laid out with the taste that might with advantage have been expended upon it. It ought also to have a grand opening towards Pall Mall, and Sir Charles Barry proposed a scheme by which this could be done, and made a design, in which the Marble Arch was to form the entrance to the Park. It was proposed in the Builder, to lay out the whole Park, as a monument to the late Prince Consort, with terraces, fountains and statues. The writer thought that thus we might obtain a "grande place," in lieu of what he is pleased to call an ugly meadow. He would have had placed here the statues of all the great men of the nation, with the monument to the Prince dominating over them.

The Green Park has been a favourite place for the display of fireworks at times of national rejoicings. One of the grandest of these took place at the conclusion of the peace of Aix-la-Chapelle. A handsome building was erected for the purpose, in the centre of which was a music-gallery, led up to by a flight of steps, and on each side was an arcade, connecting it with two pavilions. On the 7th of November, 1748, it was

London, 1790, p. 120.

An Act was passed-7 & 8 Vict. c. 88, 9 August, 1844—“ To widen and improve Piccadilly" (between Bolton Street and Park Lane). The portion of the Green Park added to the street was severed from the parish of St. Martin's and added to St. George's.

5 March 22, 1862, p. 201; April 12, p. 286.

seen in all its glory; there were various allegorical devices, such as Peace, attended by Neptune and Mars, and an illumination of the King giving Peace to Britannia. On the summit of the centre of the erection was a pole fifty feet high, on which was a burning light, thirty-two feet in diameter, made to represent the sun. It unfortunately happened in the course of the proceedings that one of the pavilions caught fire, and all hands were required to pull down the arcade, or the musicgallery would have been burnt.

In 1814 was erected the revolving Temple of Concord, invented by Sir William Congreve. It was a large block building with transparencies by the Royal Academician Howard. It was surrounded by a circle, in which were scaffolding and stands erected for the convenience of the visitors. Over these were painted the names of Wellington and the other great generals of the period. The whole was illuminated, and fireworks were shown from it on the great day of rejoicing-August 1st.

On May 29th, 1856, handsome fireworks were exhibited in the Green, Hyde, and Victoria Parks, from half-past nine to twelve o'clock at night, in commemoration of the peace at the termination of the Crimean War.

The upper part of the Green Park, just behind Arlington Street, was the scene of the celebrated duel between William Pulteney, Earl of Bath, and Lord Hervey, which took place on January 25th, 1731, when both the combatants were slightly wounded. The cause of the duel was a pamphlet, which contained a violent personal attack upon Pulteney, who, believing it to be written by Hervey, answered it, and remarked malignantly upon the poor lord's personal appearSir C. Hanbury Williams refers to the encounter in his Ode to the Earl of Bath :

ance.

"Lord Fanny once

Did play the dunce,

And challenged you to fight;

And he so stood

To lose his blood,

But had a dreadful fright."

Near the bottom of the east side of the Park formerly stood an old one-storied brick building, which was called "the Queen's Library." It was built about the year 1736, for Queen Caroline, and was pulled down when the Duke of York built his mansion in the stable-yard, which is now Stafford House,

and the town residence of the Duke of Sutherland. Another building in the Park, which has passed away, was the DeputyRanger's Lodge. It stood opposite Down Street, and was built in 1768 by Robert Adam. In 1773, Selwyn was in hopes that he might have been appointed to the Deputy-Rangership, and the chief cause of his wishing for the position was that he might be near his friend, the Duke of Queensberry, who lived nearly opposite to the lodge. Lord William Gordon, second son of the third Duke of Gordon, and brother-in-law of Jane, Duchess of Gordon, Pitt's beautiful ally, was appointed Deputy-Ranger of St. James's and Hyde Parks in 1778, and lived in the lodge till his death, in 1823. He made much of his garden, which was laid out with taste, and contained a small hermitage. At Lord William's death this lodge was