Trees and the Public Realm - Westminster City Council

Appendix B - 10
Trees and the Public Realm (Draft)
5 Opportunity The Riverside
Urban character
Riverside streets, gardens and walks, and some streets leading up to the embankment.
With the exception of the length of the Palace of Westminster, the course of the Thames is followed by a route,
called variously Grosvenor Road, Millbank and Victoria Embankment, along its entire length through
Westminster.
Along its western stretch, large, formal architecture – such as the Tate Gallery, and Thames House face the
route and front onto the river. Downstream, the buildings, while still tending to the large, formal and
institutional, turn their backs on the river, facing instead onto Whitehall or the Strand.
Trees
This route is densely planted along its entire length with large London Plane trees, creating a shady riverside
walk, and softening the massive architecture that characterises riverfront development.
Distributed along the length of the riverside are a number of gardens, from Pimlico Gardens in the west to
Victoria Embankment Gardens in the east. Victoria Embankment Gardens were created by Bazalgette in the
1860s as part of a massive civil engineering project that included the reclaiming of 37 acres of tidal riverside
for sewers and underground railway tunnels. Over the top of these, the gardens were created for the
enjoyment of all, with the last sections laid out in 1875.
The gardens contain a much greater variety of trees, although the London Plane remains the principal large
species. Smaller species include cherries, laburnum, maples, apples and cypress.
There are some private forecourts, for example at the Tate, which contain trees which make a positive
contribution to the character of this area. Maintenance of existing trees, as well as planting of new trees should
be encouraged in these locations.
The other gardens along the riverside – most notably Pimlico Gardens and Victoria Tower Gardens feature far
fewer ornamental species, and take the form of lawns surrounded by tall Plane trees.
Photos
Semi mature Plane trees on Millbank help give the openness of the
river a further ‘natural’ dimension, and helps alleviate noise and
pollution from the road traffic.
Victoria Tower Gardens form a respectful setting for the
Palace of Westminster, and a welcome riverside green
oasis