Description
Albert Bridge Garden is a small riverside garden at the foot of the Albert Bridge created when the Thames was embanked to designs of Sir Joseph Bazalgette in 1869-74. The garden has a small pavilion, shrubberies, trees and a statue by Francis Derwent Wood. One of two lamp standards to commemorate the completion of the Embankment is sited at the east side of the bridge.
Practical Information
| Site location | Chelsea Embankment |
|---|---|
| Postcode | SW3 |
| What3Words | ///beams.calls.kinds |
| Type of Site | Public Gardens |
| Borough | Kensington & Chelsea |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Facilities | none |
| Public Transport | Tube: Sloane Square (District, Circle) then bus. |
| Research Updated | 1 May 2013 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
These small gardens at the foot of the Albert Bridge were created after the Thames was embanked to designs of Sir Joseph Bazalgette in 1869-74. Chelsea Embankment was officially opened in May 1874 by Lieutenant Col Sir James MacNaughton Hogg, Chairman of the Metropolitan Board of Works. On the east side of the bridge is a Coalbrookdale lamp standard with boys and cornucopia, one of two erected to commemorate the completion of the Embankment. The garden area to the west of the bridge has a bronze statue of Atalanta by Francis Derwent Wood (1871-1926) erected in his memory by the Chelsea Arts Club and Other Friends in 1929. This was stolen in 1991 but is now restored. The west area has a small pavilion by the road, shrubberies and trees; a pedestrian pathway runs under the bridge with planting on both sides and seating.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ273776 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 0.0928 |
| Site Ownership | RB Kensington & Chelsea |
| Site Management | Transport for London |
| Dates | 1874 |
| Listed Structures | LBII: Albert Bridge. Francis Derwent Wood statue; lamp standard to east |
| On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens | No |
| Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965 | No |
| Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931 | No |
| Local Authority | Kensington & Chelsea |
| In Conservation Area | Yes |
| Conservation Area Name | Thames |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | Yes - Metropolitan Importance (Thames) |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | Yes - Archaeological Priority Area (Thames) |
| Other LA Designation | Thames Policy Area. Thames Path. Site of Metropolitan Importance |
Please note the Inventory and its content are provided for your general information only and are subject to change. It is your responsibility to check the accuracy.
Nearby parks and gardens
Chelsea Embankment Gardens consist of two strips of garden either side of Albert Bridge, created c.1874 when the Thames was embanked under the supervision of Sir Joseph Bazalgette when land was reclaimed and the road constructed. The two garden areas have ornamental bedding, paths and seating, with shrubbery backing Cheyne Walk, and within each section are a number of statues commemorating famous local residents such as the painter Dante Gabriel Rossetti, writer and historian Thomas Carlyle and composer Ralph Vaughan Williams.
The houses of Cheyne Gardens were built in the 1860s/70s. In front is a landscaped strip separated by a roadway, consisting of a raised paved area with a number of trees. It was formerly part of the estate of Earl Cadogan and laid out for the use of leaseholders of Cheyne Gardens, managed by a Committee of householders.
This is the small walled garden to the Queen Anne house where writer and historian Thomas Carlyle lived with his wife Jane from 1834-81. It was purchased by public subscription in 1895 and opened to the public. Their garden had flowers and vegetables, a cherry tree, grape vine and walnut tree, lilac bushes, hawthorn, ash, jessamine, wallflowers and much mint, including plants to remind Jane of her native Scotland. The Carlyle's House Memorial Trust was formed to administer it, and it opened to the public in 1896. It was transferred to the National Trust in 1936. The garden is being planted with plants mentioned in the Carlyles' writings.