The Prince And The Park

A rare opportunity for London buyers can be found in the startling reinvention of John Nash’s Regent’s Crescent, finds Holly Kirkwood

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NOW known as ‘the jewel in the crown’ of the Royal Parks, Regent’s Park, NW1, was actually one of the later ones to be created for the Royal Family. Originally claimed by Henry VIII as a hunting chase, at the start of the 19th century, the land was mostly made up of tenanted farms on the wrong side of town. But as London began to sprawl north in 1811, the Prince Regent, later George IV, began to see its potential. Keen to make his mark with a new processional road between St James’s and a new royal palace, he developed a plan with architect John Nash for a hugely ambitious project that included a glorious circular park surrounded by elegant terraces, a lake, a canal and more than 50 grand villas.

However, teething problems ensued. The Prince had turned his attention to improvements at Buckingham Palace and there were issues with funding. As a result, some of the original elements in the plan, such as the new palace, were dropped, but the grand processional route along Regent Street and the marvellous circular park surrounded by 11 streets, squares and crescents, all with names connected to royalty, were beautifully realised.