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St James's Park

The oldest royal park in London, a 58-acre garden between Buckingham Palace and Whitehall with a lake known for its pelicans.

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St James's Park, the oldest royal park in London
Photo: No machine-readable author provided. Gerry Lynch~commonswiki assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Did you know

Pelicans have lived in the park since 1664, when the Russian ambassador gave a pair to King Charles II as a gift, and the park's current pelican colony is descended from birds regularly donated to keep the tradition going.

Local tip

Head to the bridge over the lake around mid-morning for the best view down the water toward Buckingham Palace, and check the park's noticeboards for the pelicans' daily feeding time, usually in the early afternoon.

Finding it

Address
St. James's Park, Victoria, City of Westminster, Greater London, England
Nearest station
St. James's Park (Tube), 387 m away

Details change, so check with the place before you set off.

More places nearby

  • Churchill War RoomsMuseum · 300 m awayThe underground bunker beneath Whitehall from which Winston Churchill and his war cabinet directed Britain's campaign during the Second World War.
  • Guards MuseumMuseum · 400 m awayA military museum inside Wellington Barracks near Buckingham Palace, telling the story of the five Foot Guards regiments (Grenadier, Coldstream, Scots, Irish and Welsh Guards) from the 17th century to today.
  • Berry Bros & RuddShopping · 400 m awayA wine merchant trading since 1698, now in a purpose-built Pall Mall shop where you can taste from card-operated machines and browse a climate-controlled fine wine reserve.
  • Buckingham ArmsNightlife · 500 m awayA late-Victorian Young's pub between Buckingham Palace and Westminster Abbey, popular with civil servants and MPs.

More parks

See all 39 parks in London