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73-896: The RHS Chelsea Flower Show , formally known as the Great Spring Show , is a garden show held for five days in May by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) in the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea in Chelsea, London . Held at Chelsea since 1912, the show is attended by members of the British royal family . Highlights to the Chelsea Flower Show include the avant-garde show gardens designed by leading names with Floral Marquee at

146-477: A boating lake, a bandstand, and all-weather outdoor sporting facilities including tennis courts, a running track and football pitches. Four West London hockey teams use the all-weather Astroturf pitches, including the Wanderers Hockey Club. In the centre of the park is Pump House Gallery , which is housed in a four-storey Grade II listed Victorian tower. It is owned by Wandsworth Council. On

219-549: A complement to home or architecture, but conceived as independent spaces, arranged to grow and display flowers and ornamental plants. Gardeners demonstrated their artistry in knot gardens , with complex arrangements most commonly included interwoven box hedges , and less commonly fragrant herbs like rosemary . Sanded paths run between the hedgings of open knots whereas closed knots were filled with single colored flowers. The knot and parterre gardens were always placed on level ground, and elevated areas reserved for terraces from which

292-482: A few significant gardens were found in Britain which were developed under the influence of the continent. Britain's homegrown domestic gardening traditions were mostly practical in purpose, rather than aesthetic, unlike the grand gardens found mostly on castle grounds, and less commonly in universities. Tudor Gardens emphasized contrast rather than transitions, distinguished by color and illusion. They were not intended as

365-623: A knowledge and experience of using plants. Some professional garden designers are also landscape architects , a more formal level of training that usually requires an advanced degree and often an occupational license . Elements of garden design include the layout of hard landscape, such as paths, rockeries, walls, water features, sitting areas and decking, as well as the plants themselves, with consideration for their horticultural requirements, their season-to-season appearance, lifespan, growth habit , size, speed of growth, and combinations with other plants and landscape features. Most gardens consist of

438-612: A mixture of natural and constructed elements, although even very 'natural' gardens are always an inherently artificial creation. Natural elements present in a garden principally comprise flora (such as trees and weeds ), fauna (such as arthropods and birds), soil, water, air and light. Constructed elements include not only paths, patios , decking, sculptures, drainage systems, lights and buildings (such as sheds , gazebos , pergolas and follies ), but also living constructions such as flower beds , ponds and lawns . Garden needs of maintenance are also taken into consideration. Including

511-424: A reduction of 90,000 in total from the previous year – and members were charged for tickets for the first time. An immediate response was a fall in attendance; by April, ticket booking was so slow that national advertisements were taken out to encourage people to come to Chelsea, and the original announcement that tickets would not be available at the gates was rescinded. In response to issues with attendance numbers,

584-758: A small enclosed area of land, usually adjoining a building. This would be referred to as a yard in American English . A garden can have aesthetic , functional, and recreational uses: The earliest recorded Chinese gardens were created in the valley of the Yellow River , during the Shang dynasty (1600–1046 BC). These gardens were large enclosed parks where the kings and nobles hunted game, or where fruit and vegetables were grown. Early inscriptions from this period, carved on tortoise shells, have three Chinese characters for garden, you , pu and yuan . You

657-635: A symbol for a plantation or a pomegranate tree. A famous royal garden of the late Shang dynasty was the Terrace, Pond and Park of the Spirit ( Lingtai, Lingzhao Lingyou ) built by King Wenwang west of his capital city, Yin . The park was described in the Classic of Poetry this way: Another early royal garden was Shaqui , or the Dunes of Sand , built by the last Shang ruler, King Zhou (1075–1046 BC). It

730-462: A winding stream". Korean gardens are a type of garden described as being natural, informal, simple and unforced, seeking to merge with the natural world. They have a history that goes back more than two thousand years, but are little known in the west. The oldest records date to the Three Kingdoms period (57 BC – 668 AD) when architecture and palace gardens showed a development noted in

803-512: Is a residential or public garden, but the term garden has traditionally been a more general one. Zoos , which display wild animals in simulated natural habitats, were formerly called zoological gardens. Western gardens are almost universally based on plants, with garden , which etymologically implies enclosure , often signifying a shortened form of botanical garden . Some traditional types of eastern gardens, such as Zen gardens , however, use plants sparsely or not at all. Landscape gardens, on

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876-691: Is located at Bolsover Castle in Derbyshire , but is too simple to attract much interest. During the reign of Charles II , many new Baroque style country houses were built; while in England Oliver Cromwell sought to destroy many Tudor, Jacobean and Caroline style gardens. Garden design is the process of creating plans for the layout and planting of gardens and landscapes. Gardens may be designed by garden owners themselves, or by professionals. Professional garden designers tend to be trained in principles of design and horticulture, and have

949-571: Is situated on the south bank of the River Thames opposite Chelsea and was opened in 1858. The park occupies marshland reclaimed from the Thames and land formerly used for market gardens. The park is Grade II* listed on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens . Prior to 1846, the area now covered by the park was known as Battersea fields, a popular spot for duelling . On 21 March 1829,

1022-522: The Battersea Park funfair disaster on 30 May 1972 when one of the trains became detached from the haulage rope, rolling back to the station (the anti-rollback mechanism having failed) and colliding with the other train. After the closure, the "Jetstream" ride was sold to Trusthouse Forte , the then owners of Belle Vue Zoological Gardens in Manchester . A night scene at the funfair, which

1095-517: The Château de Blois . Beginning in 1528, King Francis I created new gardens at the Château de Fontainebleau , which featured fountains, parterres, a forest of pine trees brought from Provence , and the first artificial grotto in France. The Château de Chenonceau had two gardens in the new style, one created for Diane de Poitiers in 1551, and a second for Catherine de' Medici in 1560. In 1536,

1168-510: The Duke of Wellington and the Earl of Winchilsea met on Battersea fields to settle a matter of honour. When it came time to fire, the duke aimed his duelling pistol wide and Winchilsea fired his into the air. Winchilsea later wrote the duke a groveling apology. Separated from the river by a narrow raised causeway, the fields consisted of low, fertile marshes intersected by streams and ditches with

1241-497: The Far Tottering and Oyster Creek Branch Railway . Another part of the transformation was the addition of Battersea Funfair, with roller coasters , swings, roundabouts and other attractions. The funfair's leading attraction was the roller coaster ride, known as The Big Dipper, which opened in 1951. It was of wooden construction and suffered a major fire in 1970. It was closed after five children were killed and 13 injured in

1314-409: The ornamental plants . Food-producing gardens are distinguished from farms by their smaller scale, more labor-intensive methods, and their purpose (enjoyment of a hobby or self-sustenance rather than producing for sale, as in a market garden ). Flower gardens combine plants of different heights, colors, textures, and fragrances to create interest and delight the senses. The most common form today

1387-403: The police were called and took down all of the young ladies' particulars." British artist Marion Coutts recreated Battersea, along with Regent's and Hyde Park as a set of asymmetrical ping-pong tables for her interactive installation Fresh Air (1998–2001). The 1996 film 101 Dalmatians was filmed at Battersea Park; it stands in for St James Park. In 1951 the northern parts of

1460-533: The First World War, the show was held 1914–1916, but was cancelled in 1917 and 1918. By the 1920s, the Chelsea Flower Show had returned to its previous form; the famous Chelsea tea parties were established and Royal visits resumed. In 1926 the show was held a week late due to the General Strike. In 1937, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth celebrated their Coronation Year, and an Empire Exhibition

1533-594: The French gardening traditions of Andre Mollet and Jacques Boyceau , from which the latter wrote: "All things, however beautiful they may be chosen, will be defective if they are not ordered and placed in proper symmetry." A good example of the French formal style are the Tuileries gardens in Paris which were originally designed during the reign of King Henry II in the mid-sixteenth century. The gardens were redesigned into

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1606-796: The Isle of Wight, and parts of Beth Chatto 's garden in Essex, Sticky Wicket garden in Dorset, and the Royal Horticultural Society's gardens at Harlow Carr and Hyde Hall . Rain gardens absorb rainfall falling onto nearby hard surfaces, rather than sending it into stormwater drains. Battersea Park Battersea Park is a 200-acre (83-hectare) green space at Battersea in the London Borough of Wandsworth in London . It

1679-643: The Korean History of the Three Kingdoms . Gardening was not recognized as an art form in Europe until the mid 16th century when it entered the political discourse, as a symbol of the concept of the "ideal republic". Evoking utopian imagery of the Garden of Eden , a time of abundance and plenty where humans didn't know hunger or the conflicts that arose from property disputes. John Evelyn wrote in

1752-495: The architect Philibert de l'Orme , upon his return from Rome, created the gardens of the Château d'Anet following the Italian rules of proportion. The carefully prepared harmony of Anet, with its parterres and surfaces of water integrated with sections of greenery, became one of the earliest and most influential examples of the classic French garden. The French formal garden ( French : jardin à la française ) contrasted with

1825-801: The centrepiece. The Show also features smaller gardens such as the Artisan and Urban Gardens. The first Royal Horticultural Society Great Spring Show was held in 1862, at the RHS garden in Kensington . Before this date the RHS had held flower shows from 1833 in their garden in Chiswick , which themselves had been preceded by fetes. The Kensington Garden was chosen as a site because the flower shows in Chiswick were experiencing falling visitor numbers due to problems such as poor transport links. The Great Spring Show

1898-447: The chief crops being carrots, melons, lavender (all the way up to Lavender Hill ) and the famous 'Battersea Bunches' of asparagus. Running along the riverside from the fields were industrial concerns and wharves, including a pottery, copper works, lime kiln, chemical works, and, increasingly, railways. The site of Battersea Power Station was partly occupied by the famously bawdy Red House Tavern, patronised by Charles Dickens . Access

1971-404: The chronicle recorded: "The Emperor Keikō put a few carp into a pond, and rejoiced to see them morning and evening". The following year, "The Emperor launched a double-hulled boat in the pond of Ijishi at Ihare, and went aboard with his imperial concubine, and they feasted sumptuously together". In 486, the chronicle recorded that "The Emperor Kenzō went into the garden and feasted at the edge of

2044-438: The council began to look seriously at the idea of moving the show to a larger venue. Battersea Park , Osterley Park , and Wisley were suggested; one proposal was that Chelsea should be limited to plant sales, and the sundries rerouted elsewhere; the firm Land Use Consultants was also hired to prepare a feasibility study. However, after considering these options, it was concluded that the show should stay at Chelsea. Despite this,

2117-519: The day. From the 1860s, the park was home to the leading amateur football team Wanderers F.C. , winners of the first FA Cup, in 1872. The park also hosted the historic London v Sheffield football match in March 1866. In 1924, the 24th Division War Memorial by Eric Kennington was unveiled by Field Marshal Lord Plumer and the Anglican Bishop of Southwark Cyril Garbett . It commemorates

2190-1245: The death of living beings outside the garden, such as local species extinction by indiscriminate plant collectors ; and climate change caused by greenhouse gases produced by gardening. Gardeners can help to prevent climate change in many ways, including the use of trees, shrubs, ground cover plants and other perennial plants in their gardens, turning garden waste into soil organic matter instead of burning it, keeping soil and compost heaps aerated, avoiding peat, switching from power tools to hand tools or changing their garden design so that power tools are not needed, and using nitrogen-fixing plants instead of nitrogen fertiliser. Climate change will have many impacts on gardens; some studies suggest most of them will be negative. Gardens also contribute to climate change. Greenhouse gases can be produced by gardeners in many ways. The three main greenhouse gases are carbon dioxide , methane , and nitrous oxide . Gardeners produce carbon dioxide directly by overcultivating soil and destroying soil carbon , by burning garden waste on bonfires , by using power tools which burn fossil fuel or use electricity generated by fossil fuels , and by using peat . Gardeners produce methane by compacting

2263-485: The design principles of the English landscape garden ( French : jardin à l'anglaise ) namely, to "force nature" instead of leaving it undisturbed. Typical French formal gardens had "parterres, geometrical shapes and neatly clipped topiary", in contrast to the English style of garden in which "plants and shrubs seem to grow naturally without artifice." By the mid-17th century axial symmetry had ascended to prominence in

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2336-516: The desired stylistic genres, and the way the garden space will connect to the home or other structures in the surrounding areas. All of these considerations are subject to the budget limitations. Budget limitations can be addressed by a simpler garden style with fewer plants and less costly hard landscape materials, seeds rather than sod for lawns, and plants that grow quickly; alternatively, garden owners may choose to create their garden over time, area by area. Gardeners may cause environmental damage by

2409-508: The early 17th century, "there is not a more laborious life then is that of a good Gard'ners; but a labour full of tranquility and satisfaction; Natural and Instructive, and such as (if any) contributes to Piety and Contemplation." During the era of Enclosures , the agrarian collectivism of the feudal age was idealized in literary "fantasies of liberating regression to garden and wilderness". Following his campaign in Italy in 1495, where he saw

2482-538: The formal French style for the Sun King Louis XIV . The gardens were ordered into symmetrical lines: long rows of elm or chestnut trees, clipped hedgerows, along with parterres, "reflect[ing] the orderly triumph of man's will over nature." The French landscape garden was influenced by the English landscape garden and gained prominence in the late eighteenth century. Before the Grand Manner era,

2555-493: The gardens and castles of Naples, King Charles VIII brought Italian craftsmen and garden designers , such as Pacello da Mercogliano , from Naples and ordered the construction of Italian-style gardens at his residence at the Château d'Amboise and at Château Gaillard, another private résidence in Amboise. His successor Henry II , who had also travelled to Italy and had met Leonardo da Vinci , created an Italian garden nearby at

2628-672: The grounds of the Royal Hospital, Chelsea for this one-off event. It proved such a good site for an exhibition that the Great Spring Show was moved there in 1913, where it has taken place almost every year since. There have been two breaks for world wars. The RHS first became involved with the Chelsea Hospital in 1905. Three years before, it had leased the grounds of Holland House in Kensington to hold what

2701-526: The grounds of the Royal Hospital. The 2011 show also saw the introduction of the new Artisan garden category, which was created for designers who use natural materials. At the 2023 show, Catherine, Princess of Wales , hosted the first children's picnic at a newly created garden at the show with pupils from ten schools from the RHS's school gardening campaign invited. In 2024 the show was visited by King Charles III and Queen Camilla . Since 2022

2774-557: The intricacy of the gardens could be viewed. Jacobean gardens were described as "a delightful confusion" by Henry Wotton in 1624. Under the influence of the Italian Renaissance , Caroline gardens began to shed some of the chaos of earlier designs, marking the beginning of a trends towards symmetrical unified designs that took the building architecture into account, and featuring an elevated terrace from which home and garden could be viewed. The only surviving Caroline garden

2847-579: The lake since the 1980s due to natural degradation and difficulties with providing energy to the pumps. In 2011, a sculpture commemorating the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks, After 9/11 , was unveiled by the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson . In 2012, the park hosted one of the seven national Foodies Festivals on 17–19 August. Masterclasses were performed by chefs such as Levi Roots and Ed Baines , with burlesque shows, restaurant tents, city beaches and pop-up cinemas. A narrow strip along

2920-423: The mornings that the turnstiles were temporarily closed. It was decided to open the show at 8   a.m. the next year, and close it at 8.30   p.m. in the evenings, with a reduced price for entry after 4   p.m., to try to draw people away from the morning timeslot; a one-way system was also laid out in the marquee (a solution that had been rejected as impractical 20 years earlier). The new arrangements for

2993-580: The old Kensington shows, the 1888 show was a success with exhibits from both amateurs and commercial firms. By 1897 five marquees were being used with many of the best known plant and seed merchants being attracted to the event including Suttons and Sons . In 1912, the Temple Show was cancelled to make way for the Royal International Horticultural Exhibition . Sir Harry Veitch , the great nurseryman, secured

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3066-980: The other hand, such as the English landscape gardens first developed in the 18th century, may omit flowers altogether. Landscape architecture is a related professional activity with landscape architects tending to engage in design at many scales and working on both public and private projects. The etymology of the word gardening refers to enclosure : it is from Middle English gardin , from Anglo-French gardin , jardin , of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German gard , gart , an enclosure or compound, as in Stuttgart . See Grad (Slavic settlement) for more complete etymology. The words yard , court , and Latin hortus (meaning "garden", hence horticulture and orchard), are cognates—all referring to an enclosed space. The term "garden" in British English refers to

3139-472: The over 10,000 men killed or listed as "missing presumed dead" whilst serving with the British Army 's 24th Division . It is now Grade II* listed. During both wars, anti-aircraft guns and barrage balloons were installed to help protect London from enemy air raids. Shelters were dug, part of the park was turned over to allotments for much needed vegetables and a pig farm was also set up. Maintenance of

3212-607: The park in the Vana-krida chapter. Shilparatna , a text from the sixteenth century, states that flower gardens or public parks should be located in the northern portion of a town. The earliest recorded Japanese gardens were the pleasure gardens of the Emperors and nobles. They were mentioned in several brief passages of the Nihon Shoki , the first chronicle of Japanese history, published in 720 CE. In spring 74 CE,

3285-435: The park was reduced as the war effort took priority. On 16 September 1978, Battersea Park hosted a big punk rock concert featuring The Stranglers and several guests, among them Peter Gabriel and The Skids . "The Stranglers booked some strippers to up the show's visual aspect," recalled photographer Barry Plummer. "But some of the lads in the audience got a bit carried away and also stripped completely naked. Eventually

3358-549: The park were transformed into the "Pleasure Gardens" as part of the Festival of Britain celebrations. As well as a new water-garden and fountains, new features included a "Tree-Walk", which consisted of a series of raised wooden walkways linked by tree house -like platforms suspended between the branches of a number of trees. Popular attractions included the Guinness Clock, designed by Jan Le Witt and George Him , and

3431-504: The roasted meat from the trees. Later Chinese philosophers and historians cited this garden as an example of decadence and bad taste. During the Spring and Autumn period (722–481 BC), in 535 BC, the Terrace of Shanghua , with lavishly decorated palaces, was built by King Jing of the Zhou dynasty . In 505 BC, an even more elaborate garden, the Terrace of Gusu , was begun. It was located on

3504-439: The second half of the 20th century and crowding became a major problem. Crowding within the tents had been a recurring issue during the interwar years, but was always handled by increasing the number of tents; photographs show heavy crowds in the open, especially in the vicinity of the rock gardens. As the 1970s progressed, attendance at the show climbed by 6,000 visitors in a single year (1978). In 1979, crowding became so severe in

3577-540: The show has become an important venue for watching trends. New plants are often launched at the show and the popularity of older varieties revived under the focus of the horticultural world. Highlights from the 2011 RHS Chelsea Flower Show included The Irish Sky Garden by Diarmuid Gavin , based on the idea of a restaurant in the sky. Other notable gardens included the HESCO Garden by Leeds City Council , who reconstructed an impressive and idyllic working water wheel in

3650-778: The show has been sponsored by The Newt in Somerset . There are four grades of award presented – gold, silver-gilt, silver and bronze – in each of the awards categories. Bronze grade exhibits do not actually receive a medal . 51°29′11″N 0°9′28″W  /  51.48639°N 0.15778°W  / 51.48639; -0.15778 Garden Gardens often have design features including statuary, follies , pergolas , trellises , stumperies , dry creek beds, and water features such as fountains , ponds (with or without fish ), waterfalls or creeks. Some gardens are for ornamental purposes only, while others also produce food crops, sometimes in separate areas, or sometimes intermixed with

3723-493: The show was increased from four days to five, with the first two days only open to RHS members. The show is extensively covered on television by the BBC . An official DVD of the show is produced on behalf of the RHS by ONE TWO FOUR . Several members of the British royal family attend a preview of the show, as part of the royal patronage of the RHS. The area of land devoted to show gardens increased steadily between 1970 and 2000 and

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3796-461: The show were successful in 1980, and a majority of the Council voted for the imposition of a ceiling on the number of tickets sold. However, visitor numbers continued to increase, and in 1987 the turnstiles were closed again. In 1988 a cap had to be placed on the number of visitors attending the show due to problems that were occurring with overcrowding. A limit of 40,000 visitors per day was imposed –

3869-561: The show's programme was expanded into other venues, with the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show taken over in 1993; the increased options for both members and for exhibitors meant that the intense criticisms and conflict of the 1980s over the future of the show did not return. The Chelsea Flower Show is attended by 157,000 visitors each year (a number limited by the capacity of the 11-acre (4.5 ha) ground), and all tickets must be purchased in advance. From 2005

3942-515: The side of a mountain, and included a series of terraces connected by galleries, along with a lake where boats in the form of blue dragons navigated. From the highest terrace, a view extended as far as Lake Tai , the Great Lake. Manasollasa is a twelfth century Sanskrit text that offers details on garden design and a variety of other subjects. Both public parks and woodland gardens are described, with about 40 types of trees recommended for

4015-448: The soil and making it anaerobic, and by allowing their compost heaps to become compacted and anaerobic. Gardeners produce nitrous oxide by applying excess nitrogen fertiliser when plants are not actively growing so that the nitrogen in the fertiliser is converted by soil bacteria to nitrous oxide. Some gardeners manage their gardens without using any water from outside the garden. Examples in Britain include Ventnor Botanic Garden on

4088-503: The successful completion of the Chelsea Bridge , declared open in 1858 by Queen Victoria. In her honour, the road alongside the eastern edge of the park was called Victoria Road, linked to Queens Road by Victoria Circus (now Queen's Circus). Victoria Road and Queens Road later became Queenstown Road . Prince of Wales Road (now Prince of Wales Drive ) was laid out along the southern boundary and Albert Bridge Road constructed along

4161-418: The time or funds available for regular maintenance, (this can affect the choices of plants regarding speed of growth) spreading or self-seeding of the plants (annual or perennial), bloom-time, and many other characteristics. Garden design can be roughly divided into two groups, formal and naturalistic gardens. The most important consideration in any garden design is how the garden will be used, followed closely by

4234-533: The way they garden, or they may enhance their local environment. Damage by gardeners can include direct destruction of natural habitats when houses and gardens are created; indirect habitat destruction and damage to provide garden materials such as peat , rock for rock gardens, and by the use of tapwater to irrigate gardens; the death of living beings in the garden itself, such as the killing not only of slugs and snails but also their predators such as hedgehogs and song thrushes by metaldehyde slug killer;

4307-568: The western side there are two cricket pitches, home to the King's Road Cricket & Social Club. The club, whose members wear distinctive orange caps, can be seen playing on Saturdays and Sundays. The park is the site of the London Peace Pagoda , erected in 1985. A Buddhist monk looks after the pagoda on a daily basis. A replica of the bronze statue of a dog that was the focal point of the historic vivisection-related Brown Dog affair

4380-566: The western side. The park came under the management of the newly formed London County Council in 1889. The park hosted the first exhibition football game played under the rules of the recently formed Football Association on 9 January 1864. The members of the teams were chosen by the President of the FA ( A. Pember ) and the Secretary ( E. C. Morley ) and included many well-known footballers of

4453-517: The years thereafter, except in 1911, when both it and Chelsea proved unavailable, and the Show was held at the Olympia exhibition hall. The Royal International Horticultural Exhibition of 1912 used the grounds of Chelsea Hospital as the site for the show, and for 1913, the Great Spring Show was moved there. The first Chelsea Flower Show opened on 20 May. The Summer Show reverted to Holland House. Despite

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4526-448: Was a royal garden where birds and animals were kept, while pu was a garden for plants. During the Qin dynasty (221–206 BC), yuan became the character for all gardens. The old character for yuan is a small picture of a garden; it is enclosed in a square which can represent a wall, and has symbols which can represent the plan of a structure, a small square which can represent a pond, and

4599-633: Was composed of an earth terrace, or tai , which served as an observation platform in the center of a large square park. It was described in one of the early classics of Chinese literature, the Records of the Grand Historian ( Shiji ). According to the Shiji , one of the most famous features of this garden was the Wine Pool and Meat Forest (酒池肉林). A large pool, big enough for several small boats,

4672-401: Was constructed on the palace grounds, with inner linings of polished oval shaped stones from the seashore. The pool was then filled with wine. A small island was constructed in the middle of the pool, where trees were planted, which had skewers of roasted meat hanging from their branches. King Zhou and his friends and concubines drifted in their boats, drinking the wine with their hands and eating

4745-719: Was erected here in 1985. It was moved in 1994 to the Woodland Walk, near the Old English Garden. In 2002–4 the park underwent a £11 million refurbishment funded in part by the Heritage Lottery Fund and was re-opened on 2 June 2004 by Prince Philip . In 2007, a Dog Walk of Fame was inaugurated in the park. The Winter Garden, next to Albert Bridge Road, was commissioned by the Friends of Battersea Park and designed by Dan Pearson Studios. It

4818-479: Was first advertised as a Coronation Rose Show, but which turned into a more general show (with not many roses) by the time it actually opened in June. Two further two-day summer shows took place at Holland House in 1903 and 1904, but then, to the general satisfaction of exhibitors and press, a three-day Summer Show was staged in the hospital grounds, a more spacious site than Holland House had allowed, with room for five tents. The Summer Shows reverted to Holland House for

4891-405: Was ghostly and empty, featured in the opening title scene for the 1960s television series Journey to the Unknown . The site of the funfair was levelled and became a site for travelling fairs and exhibitions, and is the site of Battersea Evolution , formerly the Battersea Park Events Arena , which hosts exhibitions, conferences and Christmas parties. The park is home to a small children's zoo,

4964-472: Was held at Kensington for twenty-six years but in 1888 the RHS decided to move the show to the heart of London. The site chosen was the Temple Gardens , situated between the Embankment and Fleet Street , which had a recorded history dating back to 1307 and which were said to date from the time of the Knights Templar . The roses for which these Temple Gardens were famous were alluded to in Shakespeare 's Henry VI Part 1 . Using three marquees requisitioned from

5037-417: Was obtainable only with special permits, but Lord Aberconway (then RHS President) and the RHS Council felt strongly that the show should resume as soon as possible. The show eventually successfully went ahead in 1947. The Queen attended in 1953, the year of her coronation , and she was also a regular visitor prior to this date with her father, George VI. The show went on to increase in popularity throughout

5110-444: Was opened by Mayor Boris Johnson on 3 March 2011, at which he unveiled a plaque designed by Steve Bunn of the RCA Sculpture School. In 1871, James Robert Pulham constructed "Waterfalls, Rocky stream, [and a] Cave for shady seat on the peninsula and in other parts of the Park" in his patented anthropic rock Pulhamite. It was the first example of this unique rock landscape in a London Park. The waterfalls have not been running into

5183-456: Was passed in 1846 and £200,000 was promised for the purchase of the land. The Commission for Improving the Metropolis acquired 320 acres of Battersea fields, of which 198 acres became Battersea Park, opened in 1858, and the remainder was let on building leases. The park was laid out by Sir James Pennethorne between 1846 and 1864, although the park which was opened in 1858 varied somewhat from Pennethorne's vision. The park's success depended on

5256-590: Was staged to mark the occasion. It featured wattles from Australia, pines from Canada, gladioli from East Africa and even a prickly pear from Palestine. The show was cancelled during the Second World War, as the land was required by the War Office for an anti-aircraft site. Some doubt arose as to whether the show would resume in 1947. The majority of exhibitors wanted a postponement, as stocks of plants were low, staff much depleted and fuel for greenhouses

5329-455: Was via the rickety wooden Battersea Bridge or by ferry from the Chelsea bank. In 1845, spurred partly by the local vicar and partly by Thomas Cubitt , the builder and developer, whose yards were across the river in the still marshy and undeveloped area of Pimlico , a bill was submitted to Parliament to form a royal park of 320 acres. The Battersea Park Act 1846 ( 9 & 10 Vict. c. 38)

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