1. Kensington Gardens, "Physical Energy" (G. F. Watts)
Information
Title
1. Kensington Gardens, "Physical Energy" (G. F. Watts)
Role
Government department
Record type
Ephemera
Original Reference
E/PC/MPG/2/K/2842
Author or creator
H.M. Office of Works (-1940)
Date
c.1920
Scope & content
Sepia-tinted photographic postcard of the statue of Physical Energy in Kensington Gardens. Kensington Gardens was originally the western end of Hyde Park, but was separated in 1728 to be developed by Henry Wise and Charles Bridgeman as the grounds of Kensington Palace; features of their work that survive today include the Serpentine, the Round Pond, and the Dutch garden in its original form. The gardens were opened to the public in 1841; in 1860 the Italian fountains were created by James Pennethorne during W.A. Nesfield's alterations. Various statues have been added to the park: the statues of Edward Jenner by William Calder Marshall (1858/62), of Physical Energy by G. F. Watts (1907), and of Peter Pan by George Frampton (1912)