Italian Gardens

Created in the 1860s, during the reign of Queen Victoria, the Italian Gardens at Kensington Gardens are an historic location in the heart of London.

After more than a century and a half of welcoming millions of visitors from London and further afield, this 150-year-old Grade II listed site needed careful restoration.

Thanks to the generous support from The Tiffany & Co. Foundation,  the Italian Gardens in London’s Royal Parks have been restored to recapture the glory of the 1860s when the Gardens were first created as a gift from Prince Albert to his beloved Queen Victoria.

The works were completed in 2011 by The Cathedral Works Organisation, and focused on the  listed ornamental water gardens, near Lancaster Gate on the North side of Kensington Gardens.

The significant restoration work included:

• restoring and renewing the stone work
• refurbishing the famous Tazza Fountain at the Long Water end of the Gardens
• cleaning the water system.

The benefits

Not only have these beautiful gardens been restored for future generations of Londoners and visitors to enjoy, the new water system protects the fountains from becoming blocked with silt. Crucially, it also improves the water quality in the Long Water - enhancing this natural habitat for wildlife.

This initiative would not have been possible without the generous support of the The Tiffany & Co Foundation who donated $1.25 million to the Royal Parks Foundation USA.