Regent's Park

This article is about Regent's Park in London. For Regent Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada see Regent Park.

History

The land, which was formerly known as Marylebone Park had been Crown property for many centuries and had been leased to the Dukes of Portland as a hunting ground. When the lease expired in 1811 the Prince Regent (later King George IV) commissioned Architect John Nash to create a masterplan for the area. Nash originally envisaged a palace for the Prince and a number of grand detached villas for his friends, but when this was put into action from 1818 onwards, the palace and most of the villas were dropped (the Prince later built Buckingham Palace instead), and a decision was made shortly afterwards to open the park to the general public. However most of the proposed terraces of houses around the fringes of the park were built. Nash did not complete all the detailed designs himself; in some instances, completion was left in the hands of other architects such as the young Decimus Burton. The Regent Park scheme was integrated with other schemes built for the Prince Regent by Nash, including Regent Street and Carlton House Terrace in a grand sweep of town planning streching from St. James's Park to Parliament Hill.

Related Topics:
Dukes of Portland - Prince Regent - George IV - Architect - John Nash - 1818 - Buckingham Palace - Decimus Burton - Regent Street - Carlton House Terrace - St. James's Park

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The Park will play a role in the 2012 Summer Olympics to be held in London. A segment of the cycling road race will cut through Regent's Park.http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympics_2004/olympics_2012/3223695.stm

Related Topics:
2012 Summer Olympics - Cycling

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