Italian Gardens restoration

Created in the 1860s, during the reign of Queen Victoria, the Italian Gardens is a 150-year-old ornamental water garden in the heart of London. It was believed to have been created as a gift to Queen Victoria from her beloved husband Albert. 

Urns and fountains in the Italian GardensIn 2011, after welcoming millions of visitors from London and afar over the last century and a half, this Grade II listed site needed careful restoration.

Due to the generous support from The Tiffany & Co. Foundation, we were able to restore the Italian Gardens and recapture the glory of the 1860s. The restoration works focused on the listed ornamental water gardens, near Lancaster Gate on the North side of Kensington Gardens, and included:

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

Urns and fountains in the Italian GardensDuring the restoration, 13 tonnes of silt were removed from the fountain basins and the fountains are now fed with fresh water from a borehole. Removing this improved 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.