A Horse Guards Parade - the park’s ceremonial parade ground and the scene of Trooping the Colour on the Queen’s official birthday in June. Horse Guards is the A striking black and white bird, the Great building with a clock tower over an archway, and remains the official entrance to Spotted Woodpecker can be seen in St St James’s and Buckingham Palace. James’s Park clinging to tree trunks and branches. It has a very distinctive bouncing flight and feeds mainly on insects, using its powerful beak to peck away at tree bark to retrieve hidden prey with its long tongue. St James’s Park Shaped like a five pointed star, London The avenue of London Plane Plane leaves are tough, trees has been a feature of The Tree Walk glossy and turn a rich Mall for many years as shown in orange-yellow before this map from the 1800's. falling in autumn. Hairs B The Churchill War Rooms - dedicated to on the surface help to Winston Churchill, the 'greatest Briton'. These trap pollution particles. secret underground headquarters were the nerve centre of Britain's war effort. London Plane trees were extensively planted during the Victorian era when London was black with soot from the Industrial Revolution. They were one of the few trees that could thrive in such polluted air. Today this species makes E Queen Victoria reigned from 1837 up 4% of the inner until her death in 1901. The outer rows of London Planes along The Mall London tree population are thought to be around 120 years old meaning they were in situ when but accounts for 9% of Queen Victoria was alive! The Queen C Victoria Memorial is located in front of Pelican Rock - pelicans have a long history in the total leaf area. St James’s Park; they first arrived in 1664, when Buckingham Palace. As well as Victoria, they were gifted to King Charles II by the Russian there are statues representing courage, ambassador. Since then, the pelicans have become constancy, victory, charity, truth long-term, much loved residents of the park, with and motherhood. new generations of birds added over the years. You can often see them resting on Pelican Rock and they are fed daily between 2.30pm – 3.30pm. 1500 1532 Acquired by Henry VIII as a deer park and Court of St James established 1603 James I laid out F The Mall is the iconic London Plane lined the park with a road leading from Trafalgar Square to Buckingham menagerie and 1600 Palace. It has seen innumerable historic Royal duck decoys processions including coronations and openings of Parliament. The Mall plays an important part 1660 in ceremonies such as Changing the Guard Park relandscaped D Blue Bridge - this low-arched concrete bridge is the third to span the and Trooping the Colour. for Charles II in lake. The first was designed by John Nash which was replaced by an iron formal French style suspension bridge in 1857. The current bridge dates from 1957 and from it you will be treated to spectacular views across the lake to Buckingham 1663 Palace to the west and Horse Guards Parade towards the east. Horse Guards Parade constructed 1700 1664 Exotic birds introduced, including pelicans 1703 G Nelson Mandela planted a Buckingham House London Plane tree on his visit to developed which later the park in July 1996. The tree was became the official officially named 'The Mandela Tree' Royal residence and the Chairman of the Prince of Wales' Tree Appeal said at the time 1800 "It's special in a world of pollution. 1827 It thrives, it's strong, and it's John Nash appointed dependable. It will live for a very to carry out present long time. It is a Mandela tree'. landscape in a more romantic, informal style St James’s Park is a great place to watch bats as dusk falls. You’re most 1905 likely to see the Common Pipistrelle, The Queen Victoria growing 3-5cm in length and with a Memorial and garden wingspan of 19-25cm, it can fit inside were created 1900 a matchbox when its wings are Khaki camouflage- A distinctive characteristic folded. A single Pipistrelle can 1916 patterned bark regularly is the spiky brown seed feed on 3,000 insects in one During WW1 the lake With thanks to our sheds and replaces itself, to ball which hang together on night – flying consumes was drained to allow for WHO DO I CONTACT FOR conservation partner: prevent the tree becoming a single stalk and remain a lot of energy! temporary government FURTHER INFORMATION? stifled under sooty layers. throughout winter. From March buildings to May seeds are released causing issues for hay fever The Royal Parks, Present day The Old Police House, and allergy sufferers. St James's Park D Hyde Park, welcomes over The view westwards from the Blue Bridge . London W2 2UH Roots tolerate small spaces with soil 5 million visitors 2000 www.royalparks.org.uk compaction, making them ideal for Park of St James's Brief history per year Printed on FSC Certified roadsides and other urban areas where Registered Charity Number 1172042 100% recycled paper space is limited. *Please note: illustrations are not to scale KEY: A Heritage features of interest Tibetan Cherry Swamp Cypress London Plane Prunus serrula Taxodium distichum Platanus x hispanica 03 Originally from the mangrove swamps of the Florida Everglades, this tree is often found planted near rivers and lakes. 02 A distinctive and prized ornamental tree due to its eye catchingly shiny, Unlike most other conifers, this tree drops its 06 As you walk down The Mall mahogany coloured bark, which peels as the foliage in winter living up to its nickname, 'the you will notice it is flanked tree matures. The horizontal bands running bald cypress’. The needles turn a stunning by rows of London Planes. These across the trunk are known as 'lenticels' - fiery red in colour just before they fall. The large deciduous trees provide visual these allow gas to exchange between the timber is very resistant to water meaning it’s interest in winter and shade in air and the internal tissues of the tree. They great for making barrels and window frames. Silver Birch Ginkgo summer. A crossbreed of American appear on all trees but are pronounced in Betula pendula Ginkgo biloba Sycamore and Oriental Plane, it can Cherry species. withstand the rigours of urban life Indian Bean Tree See if you can spot the unusual, and is widely considered to be one Catalpa bignonioides Royal Parks apprentices were once said to knobbly roots around the base of the world's more reliable be told to polish the bark to make it shine! of the tree. These are called city trees. pneumatophores. They are thought to stabilise the tree and act like There are over 500 London Plane snorkels to help it ‘breathe’ in waterlogged soil. trees in St James's Park and they make up 49% of the parks tree population. You can find out 04 This British tree is recognised 05 Also known as the by the white, papery bark, Maidenhair tree the Ginkgo more about this true 'Londoner' ‘drooping’ branches and triangular is the world's oldest tree species overleaf and what makes it such is one of the park’s most a brilliant urban tree. 01 It doesn’t come from India and it doesn’t St James's Lake leaves with jagged teeth that and can be traced back 270 produce beans, but this tree is a favourite prominent features. It is home to a wide range St James's Palace grow from hairless leaf stalks. It’s million years, when dinosaurs for its character and decorative appeal. of bird life and has two islands which serve as a favourite of insects, providing walked the planet. It is a hardy, Originally from the United States, the tree nesting sites. food and habitat for more than 300 long-lived tree, ideal for the produces very distinctive long, slim, cylindrical Clarence species. In spring, the male catkins modern environment. In China, seed pods that look rather like beans. White House (or 'lamb's tails') turn yellow and the tree is believed to have blossom, with yellow and purples flecks, shed their pollen, which is carried healing properties; this is also adorns the tree in July. by the wind to the short, green, where the oldest living tree Italian Maple Acer opalus Marlborough female catkins that appear on the is found, thought to be The leaves are large and heart shaped, The Memorial Gate same tree. over 3,000 years old. being 20–30 cm long and 15–20 cm broad. Gardens The Can you locate the largest leaf on the tree? Green Artillery Park Bandstand Memorial Buckingham The Mall F Palace 06 While St James’s Park is famed for its planting beds, these change every year; 07 The Mediterranean equivalent of the Victorians saw many of the same the familiar Sycamore, having a trees that we see today, this also adds more plated bark and darker, rounder leaves. The winged seeds know as an irreplaceable continuity and link to the The Queen 02 ‘samaras’ emerge earlier in the year past, present and future. Victoria E 05 and it provides a nice contrast to other Memorial 03 Mandela 07 trees, with the crimson coloured seeds. G The tree also has a very attractive Tree pinky red autumn colour. Weeping Beech West 04 St James's Fagus sylvatica ‘pendula' Island Park Café D Blue Bridge A 01 15 Duck Island Horse Guards Parade 08 15 Irregularly shaped in its younger Duck life, this drooping tree develops a 14 Pelican C Island more stately weeping form as it matures.