Pimlico Gardens *

Site on The National Heritage List for England, Parks & Gardens, for Register Entry see https://www.historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list.  The Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England was established in 1984 and was commonly called English Heritage. In April 2015 it split into 2 separate entities, Historic England (HE), which continues to champion and protect the historic environment, and the English Heritage Trust, whose role is to look after the 400+ historic sites and monuments owned by the state. HE manages the National Heritage List for England (NHLE) that includes over 400,000 items ranging from prehistoric monuments to office blocks, battlefields and parks, which benefit from legal protection. 

Situated by the River Thames at the southern end of St George's Square (q.v.), Pimlico Gardens provides a small riverside park. The site was formerly an early C19th boarding point on the Thames, which in c.1844 was integrated into St George's Square as part of Thomas Cubbitt's development of Pimlico. This access to the river from the private garden square enabled residents to board boats and steamers. This area remained within the main garden until c.1874 when it was transferred into the ownership of the local authority and renamed Pimlico Gardens. The OS map of c1876 shows the garden with a single entrance opposite Pimlico Pier, to which there was access, and an informal layout, with shrubbery beds to the east and west, but without other paths. A drinking fountain is shown at the western end, but as of 2020 only a remnant of this structure remains, in the south-west corner of the garden. In c.1915 the garden was re-designed with a more formal layout and opened to the public. The OS map for 1916 shows the layout of paths much as exists today, with the Arts and Crafts style gardener's hut in place. It is possible that the railings dated from this time.

The garden today is laid out with trees, lawn and seating, with bedding displays. The plane trees found in the garden probably date from the late C19th or early C20th. The remains of a former drinking fountain are at the south-west corner.Within the garden are a number of sculptures, notably John Gibson's marble statue of 1836 of William Huskisson MP, the first railway fatality. The statue was originally intended for Liverpool Customs House, for which it proved too large and it was then erected at the Royal Exchange in the City of London, and eventually moved here in 1915. Nearby is 'The Helmsman', a bronze statue by Andre Wallace of 1996. Near to Pimlico Gardens are early C19th listed terraced houses, a pumping station and chimney and superintendent's house. Adjacent to the gardens is the London Boating Base.

In June 2020 Pimlico Gardens was added to Historic England's Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest, designated Grade II. Reasons for listing include its design interest as a good example of an Edwardian public garden, the degree of survival of its original form, and also for group value with St George's Square, of which it formed the original southern extent, and the listed buildings around the square.