The Country Wife Dramaturgical File
"A pretty question! Why, sister, Mullberry Garden and St James's Park; and for close walks, the New Exchange."
- Alithea, Act II Scene 1, pg. 29
St James's Park
St James’s Park is a 57-acre park in Westminster,
London, and the oldest Royal Park in London. It is one
of the many continuous parks in London that leads to
Kensington Gardens. It is a very popular and busy
park in London and listed on the Register of Historic
Parks and Gardens. The park has many features: a
small lake named St James’s Park Lake that contains
two small islands, a small colony of pelicans that was
a gift to Charles II from a Russian ambassador, and a
small blue bridge that provides a view of Buckingham
Palace, and a children’s playground with a large
sandpit.
The Park got its name from St James’s Hospital, that existed around the park. St James’s Hospital specialized in caring for females who has leprosy who were tasked with raising hogs on the once-marshy field. The hospital soon evolved into a gorgeous palace – St James’s Palace.
Drawings for St James's Park by Andre Mollet for King Charles II, 17th century.
People walking through the Mall of St James's Park, by Joseph Nickolls, 1745.
St James's Park, modern day.
The park was created in 1532, when King Henry VIII purchased the then-marshland and built the Palace of St James’s on it. When Elizabeth I took power, she used the park to host celebrations and festivals. Her successor, Mary Stuart’s son James I, improved the park by fixing the drainage issues and provided better water supply. King Charles II made the most dramatic changes: he redesigned the whole park, planting trees and lawns, and opened the park to the public and visited often so he could meet his subjects. The park became a public attraction to the public in the hopes that they could meet the King.
St James's Park is home to pelicans for almost 400 years, and are given special treatment there since they were presented as a gift from the Russian Ambassador to King Charles II.
The Royal Family still goes to the park quite often and has several ceremonies there each year to invite new guests. King Charles I famously took his final stroll through the area of St James's Park in 1649, on the day of his execution. His route ended at Banqueting Hall on Whitehall, where his execution took place.