Kensington Gardens

A good close-up of a section of Kensington Gardens, which was officially opened to the public by the Lowestoft Borough Council on 8 June 1922. Aimed at use by local people and holidaymakers alike, the area soon became a popular attraction, with its overall layout and thoughtful planting - the latter taking account of the exposed cliff-top site and the salty content of onshore winds. It was named after one of the eight Royal Parks in London, which is some 265 acres in extent and had once been part of Hyde Park. And there any comparison ends, both in terms of size and amenities! The scene shown here is very much one of vegetation, with reeds and grasses in the foreground and trees of varying size and foliage beyond. The red handrails of a bridge crossing water are visible in the middle of the picture, as is the metal representation of an allium, and both of them combine to make an effective focal point. The most distinctive feature here, over the course of the years, was probably the electric boats which were introduced to the lake during the 1930s, with their dodgem-type electrical pick-ups connecting with the live wire-mesh above. They were withdrawn during the 1960s and replaced by canoes (things were never quite the same, after that). Not far from the pond stands the Grade II listed monument to Richard Henry Reeve, local solicitor and lord of the manors of Lowestoft and Lothingland (and of other local titles), who lived at No. 6 The Esplanade. He died in October 1888 and had this elegant, classical, Ionic column surmounted by a winged bronze lion erected in his honour by a cousin, Mary Franey. It originally formed part of a fountain which had stood on Royal Plain in front of the Royal Hotel, but was removed to Kensington Gardens in 1921 to make way for the town’s War Memorial. Richard Reeve’s grandfather, Robert (also, a solicitor), had been steward of the manor of Lowestoft during the late 18th and early 19th century. His office was situated in what is now 48 High Street, with the family home next door at No. 49 - a building which featured in last year’s Advent series - and he was responsible for producing a four-volume, unpublished, handwritten manuscript entitled ‘A History of Lowestoft and Lothingland’ (c. 1810). An aunt of Richard Reeve was the notable Lady Pleasance Smith, who died in February 1877, at the age of 103 - a personal acquaintance of Queen Victoria and renowned throughout the town for her charitable work. In her earlier years, she had been married to James Smith, the famous Norwich botanist, who founded the Linnaean Society and who was knighted for his scientific work. Their marriage lasted from 1796 (when she was in her early twenties) until 1828, the year her husband died. There were no children born to the couple, so Lady Pleasance returned to her family roots and became one of Lowestoft’s most notable citizens of the early-mid Victorian period.

CREDIT:David Butcher