280 Improvement of the London Parks. 



Art. XV. Design for improving the Parks, by extending 

 Kensington Gardens, and continuing the Serpentine River 

 into the Green Park, fyc. By John Thompson, Esq., 

 Pictorial Draughtsman and Student of Landscape Gar- 

 dening. 



Dear Sir, 



Availing myself of some suggestions of yours, and com- 

 bining them with some ideas that occurred to me four or 

 five months back, I have put them into a tangible shape ; 

 have embodied them in the accompanying sketch, and submit 

 them, through the medium of your Magazine, to the consider- 

 ation of those who guide the public taste, and have the im- 

 provement of our metropolis and the welfare of its inhabitants 

 at heart : and although the design must be considered merely 

 as a hint, or as an idea, that might be much varied or im- 

 proved upon, I feel convinced, that were it adopted, it 

 would be greatly conducive towards the beautifying of the 

 metropolis, by creating in the midst of our palaces and 

 buildings, highly picturesque and tasteful specimens of polished 

 scenery; from the conversion of what are now dull and un- 

 interesting spaces of grass into a source of comfort and 

 pleasurable recreation to all classes inhabiting the interior 

 parts of this great city. 



Hyde Park. — Proceeding, therefore, with its elucidation, I 

 must beg my readers to refer to the sketch (fg. 55.). Here 

 they will find the present wall of Kensington Gardens repre- 

 sented by a dotted line (I, g, a, d,). This is to be removed, to- 

 gether with the bridge (g) now building. The Serpentine 

 water (E) is to be naturalized, brought to one level, and con- 

 tinued to Hyde Park Corner. It will thus form the only boun- 

 dary betwixt the park (A) and the gardens (B). We shall 

 then have one noble and unbroken sheet of water, extending 

 for more than a mile in length. The next thing is to take the 

 lately formed road (b b), up to the proposed new gate (c), 

 which is to be opposite the centre of a crescent already 

 marked out, and carry on the existing road (r r) to where 

 there is to be another gate (d), opposite the continuation of 

 the Paddington New Road. Here also a small bridge (e) 

 is to form the entrance into Kensington Gardens. The 

 park road then follows the course of the water, and joins 

 that lately formed (f) ; and having, as I before stated, 

 removed the wall of Kensington Gardens («), the lower 

 road (h h) being sufficient for all the purposes of communi- 

 cation, the upper one, called Rotten Row, should be de- 

 stroyed, and its site occupied by a continuation (kkk) from 



