The Long Water

The Long Water
The Long Water
	The Long Water from the Italian Garden
	The Long Water
Location	London, England
Coordinates	51°30′27″N0°10′28″W/ 51.507378°N 0.174444°W
Type	Artificial lake
Primary inflows	Three boreholes from the upper chalk
Primary outflows	Storm Relief Sewer
Basincountries	England

TheLong Wateris arecreational lakeinKensington Gardens,London,England, created in 1730 at the behest ofCaroline of Ansbach.The Long Water refers to the long and narrow western half of the lake that is known as theSerpentine.Serpentine Bridge, which marks the boundary betweenHyde Parkand Kensington Gardens, also marks the Long Water's eastern boundary.

The Long Water and the Serpentine are generally considered to be part of one lake.

Geography

Originally the lake was fed by theRiver Westbourneentering at the Italian Garden at the north-western end of the Long Water. The Westbourne ceased to provide the water for the Serpentine in 1834, as the river had become polluted,^[1]and so water was then pumped from the Thames. The water is now supplied by three boreholes drilled into the Upper Chalk. The first borehole is located at the Italian Gardens, the second at the Diana Memorial and the third, drilled in 2012 to a depth of 132m, is within 50m of the Diana Memorial. The Long Water runs south-east from this point to Serpentine Bridge, where the lake curves to the east, following the natural contours of the land. At the eastern end, water flows out of the lake via asluicein the dam, forming a small ornamental waterfall at the Dell. The outflow has not historically maintained the waterfall, and re-circulation pumps were installed in the Dell, below the dam, to sustain this feature. The restoration work in 2012 restored the flows into the Serpentine and this waterfall is now restored as originally designed. Historically the river flowed due south from this point, marking the boundary betweenWestminsterandKensington,but since 1850 it has been diverted into a culvert, running underground to reach theThamesnearChelsea Bridge.

The lake as a whole (including the Serpentine) has a maximum depth of 17 feet (5.3 m). The lake is often reported to be deeper, but bathymetric surveys by the Royal Park in 2010 revealed the design of the lake.^[2]

History

In 1730Queen Caroline,wife ofGeorge II,ordered the damming of theRiver Westbournein Hyde Park as part of a general redevelopment of Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens. Original monastic ponds may have existed in the location; these were modified as part of the 1730–1732 scheme to create a single lake.^[3]At that time, the Westbourne formed eleven natural ponds in the park. During the 1730s, the lake filled to its current size and shape. The redevelopment was carried out by Royal GardenerCharles Bridgeman,who dammed the Westbourne to create the artificial lake, and dug a large pond in the centre of Kensington Gardens (The Round Pond) to be a focal point for pathways in the park.^[4]

At the time of construction, artificial lakes were typically long and straight. The Serpentine was one of the earliest artificial lakes designed to appear natural,^[5]and was widely imitated in parks and gardens nationwide.^[5]

The lake achieved notoriety in December 1816 when Harriet Westbrook, the pregnant wife of the poetPercy Bysshe Shelley,was found drowned in the Serpentine^[6]having left a suicide note addressed to her father, sister and husband.^[7]Shelley marriedMary Wollstonecraft Godwinless than two weeks later.

The lake formed a focal point of the 1814 celebrations which marked a century of Hanoverian rule and re-enacted the British victory atTrafalgarnine years previously,^[8]and of the 1851Great Exhibition,withthe Crystal Palacestanding on its southern shore.^[5]Following the introduction of more stringent regulations to protect the environment in the park, the relocation of the Crystal Palace, and the construction of the nearbyAlbertopoliscomplex of museums and exhibitions, large-scale events ceased to take place on the banks of the Serpentine. However, it was the location for the 1977Silver Jubileecelebrations,^[3]and a venue for the2012 Olympics.^[9]

In the 1820s, the park was extensively redesigned byDecimus Burton.At the same time,John Renniebuilt the Serpentine Bridge to carry the newly builtWest Carriage Drivealong the boundary between Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens, dividing the lake into the Serpentine (east) and the Long Water (west).^[5]

Environs

At the northern end of the Long Water are five fountains surrounded by classical statuary and sculpture in an area officially known as the Italian Gardens.^[10]A large bronze memorial toEdward Jenner,the developer of modernvaccination,dominates the area; it was originally located inTrafalgar Squarein 1858, but four years later was moved to its present site.^[11]In recent years there has been an ongoing campaign for the memorial to be moved to theempty plinthin Trafalgar Square.^[12]^[13]

The Long Water is designated as a bird sanctuary. It has important populations of breeding waterfowls, and in winter there are many migratory visitors.^[14]A 2005 survey showed it as home to 90 species of moth alone.^[15]On the western bank of the Long Water, deliberately hidden in foliage, is a bronzePeter Pan statuebyGeorge Frampton.^[16]The "real world" elements of the play and novel were set in the park and in the surrounding streets.

Image gallery

The Italian Garden; the fountains are fed by a borehole into the Upper Chalk.
Fountains in the Italian Garden
The Italian Garden
Serpentine Bridge from the north bank
Lansbury's Lido
Thebrutalistarchitecture of theDell Restaurant,situated on the northern end of the dam, dominates the eastern end of the lake.
The Holocaust Memorial, immediately east of the dam
Cormorantsfishing from posts in the Long Water
The Serpentine Bridge from below
Birds sitting on poles in the Long Water
TheSolarshuttle,moored in front ofHyde Park Barracks