St James's Park, Royal park in City of Westminster, United Kingdom
St James's Park is a royal garden in the heart of Westminster that stretches between Buckingham Palace to the west and Horse Guards Parade to the east. The central lake with its two small islands attracts many waterbirds, while broad lawns and shaded avenues offer visitors space to pause.
Henry VIII had the grounds transformed into a deer park from 1532 onwards, after a hospital had stood there for centuries. In the 17th century under the rule of Charles II, the garden took on its present character as a publicly accessible park with a lake and bird colonies.
The garden takes its name from the medieval hospital that once stood here and was dedicated to Saint James the Less. Visitors today see pelicans along the lakeside that have lived there for more than three centuries and are fed daily at half past two.
The park lies between The Mall to the north, Horse Guards Road to the east and Birdcage Walk to the south, with Buckingham Palace at the west end. The nearest Underground stations are St James's Park, Green Park, Victoria and Westminster. The Blue Bridge over the lake gives a view west towards Buckingham Palace and east towards Horse Guards Parade.
Duck Island, the lake's larger island, once hosted a Scotland Yard bomb disposal facility; the resident bird-keeper was tasked with looking after the tools kept there for dismantling devices. Today the island houses pumps and water treatment machinery for the lake and fountains, and it is named for the waterfowl gathered around it.
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