The Gardens of Regent’s
University London
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Regent’s University London
sits in 11 acres of Crown Estate
land within Regent’s Park. The
site has been dedicated to higher
education for more than 100 years,
and was originally home to the
first college of higher education
for women in Britain.
The University occupies the site of South Villa, one of the
original Regent’s Park villas designed by royal architect John
Nash in the early 1800s. Bedford Ladies’ College, founded in
nearby Bedford Square by Elizabeth Jesser Reid in 1849, took
a Crown lease on the estate in 1908.
The site is developed
Local residents protested and questions were asked in
Parliament, but the college persevered in drawing up plans
for a purpose-built site.
A library, science laboratories and other amenities were
designed by architect Basil Champneys in Queen Anne style.
The Tate Library was built with £10,000 donated by Lady
Amy Tate in memory of her husband Henry, founder of the
Tate Gallery.
The new college was opened by Queen Mary in 1913.
Science was at the core of its curriculum, together with the
arts and humanities and teacher training.
Margaret Tuke and students in the Botany
Garden, 1929. Miss Tuke was principal of
Bedford College from 1907 to 1929
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A ‘relaxation gathering’
for wounded soldiers in
about 1915
stood on the site now
occupied by the corners of the
Darwin and Tuke buildings),
was demolished. The South
Lodge, on the south-east
corner of the estate, is the
only part of the original
Nash design remaining.
The ladies of Bedford College were accommodated in Reid
Hall, overlooking the park lake, which still houses Regent’s
students today. Sport was extremely popular among the
young ladies, who established a boating club on the lake and
played tennis, hockey, cricket and lacrosse in the grounds.
During the First World War, the college held parties for
wounded soldiers, known as ‘relaxation gatherings’, on the
lawn outside Reid Hall. An allotment society was formed and
part of the grounds dug up for growing vegetables.
The original Champneys design featured buildings
occupying three sides of a quadrangle which opened
towards the lake. In 1930, the new Tuke Building
completed the square and the original South Villa (which
Aerial view of the campus
from about 1921, showing
the new layout designed
by Basil Champneys. In
the centre is the original
South Villa, demolished
in 1930 to make way for
the Tuke building. In the
foreground is the newly
laid-out Botany Garden
English garden parties
became an established
summer tradition in the
20th century, many featuring
visits from Royalty.
Queen Mary and
Queen Alexandra
were joint patrons
of the college,
and HM Queen
Elizabeth, the
Queen Mother,
visited many
times as patron
between 1953
and 1984.
HRH The Earl
of Athlone
(centre) and
guests at a
garden party in
July, 1933. In the
background are
the two halls
of residence,
originally
connected by
a loggia
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Regent’s gardens today
During the Second World
War students were
evacuated, but some staff
remained. On 10 May 1941,
one of last and worst of the
great air raids on London
destroyed about one-third
of the college buildings. Of
the original 1913 buildings,
the Tate Library remained,
together with the Acland
building, the halls of
residence and the student
common room.
Extensive rebuilding took
place from the mid-1940s to
the mid-1960s. In 1966, the
Botany Garden laboratories
were built to provide
space for teaching and research and included a greenhouselaboratory specially designed for radioactive work with plants.
Bedford College moved out during the 1980s and in 1984 the
Crown lease was taken by Rockford College, Illinois to provide
a study-abroad programme for American students. Gradually,
other institutions took up residence on the campus, merging
into a unified college in 2006.
In 2013, the institution became Regent’s University London,
an international campus community with 5,000 students from
around 140 countries worldwide, offering a broad range of British
and American foundation, degree and postgraduate programmes.
A team of five gardeners looks after the gardens today. We
also employ a garden apprentice and take volunteer trainees
from Thrive, a charity that offers horticultural training and
therapy to individual with special needs.
The gardens are managed to encourage biodiversity and
sustainability. We recycle 99% of our garden waste for use
as compost and mulch within the gardens. We have hives
with honey bees and grow some of the vegetables and herbs
used in the University kitchens.
We have also installed green roofs on two of the University
buildings ( Jebb and Pilcher – see plan, centre pages), which
help to reduce heat loss. They are full of bees throughout
the summer months and are starting to be colonised by
native wildflowers like bird’s foot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus)
The Botany Garden
laboratory in about 1980
The Oliver dining hall is
destroyed by bombs, 1941
We are planning to build a larger greenhouse so we can start
to produce half of our own bedding. We will also be able to
grow some cut flowers out of season and around 10-15% of
the indoor plants used for displays within the University.
Our planting programme over the last few years has focused
on replacing some of the evergreen shrubs with more
flowering shrubs and herbaceous plants to encourage wildlife.
In the past, mainly evergreen species such as viburnum and
box were planted, which have little ecological value.
A seasonal programme for pruning shrubs is resulting in
improved flowers and appearance. We have also planted
many thousands of bulbs over the last five years.
We have sown a native wildflower meadow in our woodland
area, which flowered for the first time in 2013, and we are
planning to expand this area over time.
Where possible, we try to plant native trees. However as
we are in a conservation area, if we remove a plant the local
authority may instruct us to plant the same species again, to
ensure the gardens are kept true to their historical context.
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A tour of the gardens
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Illustration: Paul Roberts
1 Black locust tree (Robinia pseudoacacia)
2 Chilean lantern tree (Crinodendron hookerianum)
3Box (buxus sempervirens) hedges and topiary and Rosa ‘Graham Thomas’
4 Originally the site of a Sundial Garden
5 Main drive that originally led to the South Villa
6 Anchor plant (Colletia paradoxa)
7 Japanese persimmon (Diospyros kaki)
8 Quercus robur ‘Fastigiata’, in memory of student Jourdan Deal
9 Prunus serrulata ‘Kanzan’, in memory of staff member Simon Hamm
10 Cornus kousa ‘China Girl’, in memory of staff member Andrew Ropek
11 Prunus serrulata ‘Kiku-Shidare-Zakura’ in memory of Sigurdh Frida Zorzi
12 Black mulberry (Morus nigra)
13 Wollemi pine (Wollemia nobilis)
14 Copper beech (Fagus sylvatica ‘Atropunicea’)
15Whitebeam (Sorbus aria)
16 Prunus avium, in memory of Miss Irene J Shepard, Secretary 1948-63
17 Betula albosinensis, in memory of student Martine Vik Magnussen
18 Horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum)
19 Turkey oak (Quercus cerris)
20 Himalayan birch (Betula utilis)
21 Dawn redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides)
22 Foxglove tree (Paulownia tomentosa)
23 Liquidambar styraciflua, in memory of students Beth Ann Johnson and Elyse Seraceni
24 Atlas cedar (Cedrus atlantica ‘Glauca’)
25 Corkscrew hazel (Corylus avellana ‘Contorta’)
26 Acer japonicum ‘Vitifolium’, in memory of staff member Richard Gregson
27 Japanese banana (Musa basjoo)
28 Tree fern (Dicksonia antarctica)
29 Norway maple (Acer platanoides ‘Variegatum’)
30 The Regent’s Plane (Platanus x hispanica), designated one of the ‘Great Trees of London’
31 Site of the South Villa, designed by Regency architect John Nash
32 Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia)
33Beehives
34 Vegetable and herb garden
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The gardens are home to a wide variety of tree and
shrub specimens from all around the world, some
of them rare or unusual. There are a number of
memorial trees dedicated to former students and staff.
Main entrance
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The garden layout remains
largely as it has been
throughout the 20th century,
with many mature trees,
shrubs and wide expanses
of lawn. Don’t miss our
‘secret garden’ – formerly
the Bedford College botany
garden – which is tucked
away behind mature hedges
and features a sheltered
network of paths, a pond and
many plant specimens.
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On the lawn at the front of the University is a black
locust tree (Robinia pseudoacacia). A native of Eastern
America, the tree has a symbiotic relationship with a
bacterium (rhizobia) on its root nodules, which absorbs
nitrogen from the atmosphere for use by the plant.
In the adjacent border there is a Chilean lantern tree
(Crinodendron hookerianum) which is endemic to Chile.
This attractive shrub has small lantern-like, dark pink
flowers throughout most of the summer. It is very
hardy and can thrive in the far north of Scotland.
Quadrangle
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This garden area is set out with formal box (Buxus
sempervirens) hedges and topiary. The outer edges
are planted with yellow Rosa ‘Graham Thomas’. The
sculpture at the centre of the quad (pictured above)
was installed in November 2000 and represents the
global reach of the University.
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Tuke Hall in
the autumn
Main garden
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Quercus robur ‘Fastigiata’,
in memory of student Jourdan Deal
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Prunus serrulata ‘Kanzan’,
in memory of staff member Simon Hamm
10
Cornus kousa ‘China Girl’
in memory of staff member Andrew Ropek
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Prunus serrulata ‘Kiku-Shidare-Zakura’
in memory of Sigurdh Frida Zorzi
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The car park between Acland and the Tate Library
was once the site of a Sundial Garden. The road
here, leading from the South Lodge, was originally the
driveway that led round to the South Villa. The trees
along the bank are unfortunately infected with Plane
anthracnose, which makes their leaves shrivel and drop
throughout the summer. There is no cure for this.
Folly
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The small stone building in this area was once used
as a boat store by the ladies of Bedford College. In
our rocky sub-tropical bed there is an anchor plant
(Colletia paradoxa). This is a hardy cactus from South
America and is a highly unusual plant, normally seen
only in botanical gardens. It flowers in autumn with
sweetly scented lilac flowers.
The Japanese persimmon (Diospyros kaki), planted in
2009, is a native of China (despite its common name!) Its
trade name is ‘Sharon Fruit’ and its fruits are edible when
fully ripe, but bitter otherwise due to its tannin content.
Reid Hall in
the Winter
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The black mulberry (Morus nigra) is a native of southeast Asia and produces delicious edible fruit in the
summer which can be used in jams or sorbets. A great
many were imported to Britain in the 17th century to
encourage the growth of the silk industry. However,
the attempt failed, as silkworms turned out to prefer
the white mulberry (Morus alba)!
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The Wollemi pine (Wollemia nobilis), planted in 2008,
was thought to be extinct until it was rediscovered
in Australia in 1994. It is a prehistoric tree, dating
back more than 90 million years. It is part of the
Araucariaceae family - one of its relatives, the monkey
puzzle tree (Araucaria araucana) is close by.
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The University
holds many
events and
student
gatherings in
the gardens
throughout
the year
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The copper beech (Fagus sylvatica ‘Atropunicea’) is
a native mutant tree from Europe, first discovered
in Germany in 1488, and coppiced for firewood and
charcoal production. These trees have rings to protect
them from compaction and are thriving as a result.
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Whitebeam (Sorbus aria) is a British native tree. It
was named ‘whitebeam’ by the Anglo-Saxons, ‘baum’
being the German word for ‘tree’. It is a good tree for
growing in cities as it is resistant to shade and pollution.
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Prunus avium,
This area was originally the Bedford College Botany
Garden, which was used for studying the classification
of plants, diseases and plant breeding.
Betula albosinensis,
in memory of student Martine Vik Magnussen
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The Himalayan birch (Betula utilis) is a native of the
Himalayas. With white, paper-like bark and striking yellow
autumn colour, it makes an attractive garden feature.
The ‘secret’ garden
in memory of Miss Irene J Shepard, Secretary 1948-63
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On the corner leading towards the Botany building is a
large Turkey oak (Quercus cerris), which is native to southeastern Europe and Asia Minor and was introduced to
Britain in the 18th century. On this tree we are training a
climbing hydrangea (Hydrangea anomala subsp. petiolaris).
By the back gate there is a large horse chestnut
(Aesculus hippocastanum), which is native to Greece
and Albania. Its foliage turns brown in mid-summer
due to infection by horse-chestnut leaf miner
(Cameraria ohridella). This particular tree is ‘layering’
itself, rooting its branches back into the ground.
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Entering the garden, on your right is a dawn redwood
(Metasequoia glyptostroboides). A native of China,
this is the least tall of the redwoods. Unlike other
redwoods, in autumn its leaves turn yellow and fall.
By the pond there is a foxglove tree (Paulownia
tomentosa), native to central and western China.
It is an unusual-looking tree with large leaves and
tubular purple flowers like a foxglove, produced
before the leaves in early spring.
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Liquidambar styraciflua,
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The tree fern (Dicksonia antarctica) is native to Australia,
where it is mainly found in south-east Queensland,
coastal New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania. Large
tree ferns come from harvested old growth which may
be hundreds of years old. The pith of this plant is edible.
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The variegated Norway maple (Acer platanoides
‘Variegatum’) has dense foliage which becomes bright
yellow, tinged with pink in autumn. It is tolerant of shade.
in memory of students Beth Ann Johnson and Elyse Seraceni
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The Atlas cedar (Cedrus atlantica ‘Glauca’) is native
to the Atlas Mountains of Algeria and Morocco. This
tree is tolerant of drought and warm conditions, unlike
most conifers, and is used for forestry and timber
production in southern France.
The corkscrew hazel (Corylus avellana ‘Contorta’) along
the perimeter is a British native. This variety was a
natural ‘sport’ (a genetic variation) found growing in a
hedgerow in England in the mid-1800s. The variation is
grafted onto a rootstock which sends up suckers that
need to be pruned out.
Acer japonicum ‘Vitifolium’,
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in memory of staff member Richard Gregson
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The Japanese banana (Musa basjoo) (27) was thought
to have originated from the Ryukyu Islands of Japan,
but is now known to be from southern China. It is an
ornamental banana and not grown for fruit. It takes 12
to 24 months of constant warmth in order to bloom.
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The most notable plants on the site include our
collection of London planes (Platanus x hispanica).
This species, which is a hybrid of Platanus orientalis and
Platanus occidentalis is especially adapted to city drought
and pollution because of its thick, waxy leaves and habit
of ‘self-cleaning’ by shedding its bark. The Regent’s
Plane has been
designated one
of the ‘Great
Trees of London’
(pictured left, to
the far right of
the image).
The left-hand third of the Tuke building is where the
South Villa, designed by Regency architect John Nash,
once stood. It was pulled down in 1930.
Covering the brickwork is Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus
quinquefolia) a native of central and eastern North
America. It is a very attractive climber, turning a
deep burgundy colour in the autumn, making it a real
feature of the University. In early summer, the walls are
covered with the lilac flowers and fragrance of wisteria.
Behind Reid Hall, there are beehives and a small
productive garden where we grow vegetables and herbs,
some of which are used in the University kitchens.
A student entertainment for
garden party guests, 1923
Historical information from: Bentley, Linna, Educating Women A
Pictorial History of Bedford College University of London 18491985 (1991) Alma Publishers, Surrey. Historical images courtesy
of the Royal Holloway University of London Archive. Inside
front cover: RHC AR/BC PH/1/2/3. Pages xx-xx BC PH/7/3; BC
PH/6/4/1; BC PH/3/1/5; BC PH/2/4/2/12; BC PH/4/4/4. Inside
back cover: BC PH/3/1/2/14
“We are immensely
proud of our beautiful
gardens at Regent's. Not
only do they provide
an excellent setting
in which to study,
but they also reflect
our commitment to biodiversity and
sustainability. We want to ensure that
as many people as possible are able to
enjoy them and learn more about our
institution's fascinating history.”
Professor Aldwyn Cooper
Vice Chancellor and Chief Executive