Three Boundary Markers - Italian Gardens, London, UK
Posted by: 
OrientGeo
N 51° 30.612 W 000° 10.524
30U E 696001 N 5710346
Three boundary marker stones are set into the pavement at the south end of the Italian Gardens Fountains in Kensington Gardens. Two are parish boundary markers and one a London Borough boundary marker.
Waymark Code: WM13XY8
Location: London, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 03/10/2021
Views: 2
These stones are set to mark the boundary between the parishes of Paddington (to the west) and St George Hanover Square (to the east). The significance of the location is that this is the place where the now-buried River Westbourne enters (or more correctly, entered) Long Water in Kensington Gardens.
The three markers each bear the inscription of their parish/borough as follows: The first stone is inscribed ‘S G H S’ and has a vertical line through it to indicate the course of the boundary. This is an undated marker stone for the parish of St George Hanover Square. The second stone is inscribed ‘9A - P. P - 1866’. This is marker number 9A in a series of boundary markers for Paddington Parish, placed in 1866. The third stone is inscribed ‘No 8 - M B P - 1900’. This then is marker number 8 in a series of markers placed in 1900, indicating the boundary of the Metropolitan Borough of Paddington.
It seems that the Paddington markers were renumbered on the formation of the Borough of Paddington in 1900. Effectively, either the third stone is a replacement for the second stone at this location or it could be viewed as confirming that the parish and borough boundaries are contiguous at this point.
The Italian Gardens date from the 1860s, so it seems likely that all of these markers are at, or close to, their original positions. All three markers look to be made of granite.
Type of survey mark: Boundary Stone.
What indicators are near the mark to help people identify where it is located?:
Set into the pavement at the south end of the Italian Gardens within Kensington Gardens.
What property is this mark defining?:
Placed to mark the boundary between St George Hanover Square and Paddington parishes.
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