Royal Albert Hall – Kensington Palace and Gardens loop from Sloane Square

Hiking trails & Routes

Royal Albert Hall – Kensington Palace and Gardens loop from Sloane Square

Moderate

4.6

(5)

177

hikers

Royal Albert Hall – Kensington Palace and Gardens loop from Sloane Square

02:27

9.53km

50m

Hiking

Moderate hike. Good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels. The starting point of the route is accessible with public transport.

Last updated: August 18, 2026

Waypoints

Start point

Train Station

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2.58 km

Albert Memorial, Kensington Gardens

Highlight • Monument

When Prince Albert died on 14 December 1861, at the age of 42, the thoughts of those in government and public life turned to the form and shape of a suitable memorial, with several possibilities, such as establishing a university or international scholarships, being mentioned. Queen Victoria, however, soon made it clear that she desired a memorial "in the common sense of the word". The initiative was taken by the Lord Mayor of London, William Cubitt, who, at a meeting on 14 January 1862, appointed a committee to raise funds for a design to be approved by the Queen. The control and future course of the project, though, moved away from Mansion House, and ended up being controlled by people close to the Queen, rather than the Mayor. Those who determined the overall direction from that point on were the Queen's secretary, General Charles Grey, and the keeper of the privy purse, Sir Charles Phipps. Later, following the deaths of Grey and Phipps, their roles were taken on by Sir Henry Ponsonby and Sir Thomas Biddulph. Eventually, a four-man steering committee was established, led by Sir Charles Lock Eastlake. Eastlake had overall control for the project until his death in 1865. An initial proposal for an obelisk memorial failed, and this was followed in May 1862 by the appointment of a seven-strong committee of architects. A range of designs were submitted and examined. Two of the designs (those by Philip Charles Hardwick and George Gilbert Scott) were passed to the Queen in February 1863 for a final decision to be made. Two months later, after lengthy deliberations and negotiations with the government over the costs of the memorial, Scott's design was formally approved in April 1863.

(en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Memorial)

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2.72 km

Royal Albert Hall

Highlight • Monument

Iconic concert hall. Home of Last Night of the Proms.

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3.71 km

The Round Pond

Highlight • Lake

The Long Water and the Round Pond are man-made lakes and are key habitats for many water birds including herons, coots, ducks and geese. The Long Water in particular has a rich diversity of invertebrates, fish and amphibians - as well as the birds who eat them.

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3.80 km

Kensington Palace and Gardens

Highlight • Historical Site

One of the Royal Parks of London, Kensington Gardens was originally the private garden of the palace. Today it's a vast area of green space and links together with St James' Park and Green Park.

The gardens are fenced, unlike some of the other parks, and only open during daylight hours. There are more formal aspects to the gardens than other parks and they were once park of Hyde Park. The Italian Garden is one of the most curated areas, with its fountains and classical statues. The gardens are free to enter.

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3.84 km

Statue of Queen Victoria

Highlight • Monument

The statue of Queen Victoria is right in front of Kensington Palace. This dates from 1893 and comes from Victoria's fourth daughter Princess Louise.

Translated by Google •

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5.26 km

Italian Gardens, Kensington Gardens

Highlight • Structure

Created in the 1860s, you can find this ornamental water garden on the north side of park, near Lancaster Gate.

The Italian Gardens are an elaborate mix of four main basins. They feature central rosettes carved in Carrara marble, the Portland stone and white marble Tazza Fountain, and a collection of stone statues and urns. See if you can spot the five main urn designs – a swan's breast, woman's head, ram's head, dolphin and oval.

Did you know?

The gardens are believed to have been a gift from Prince Albert to his beloved Queen Victoria. They are now recognised as being a site of particular importance and are Grade II listed by Historic England.

A brief history of the Italian Gardens

The layout of the Italian Gardens can be traced to Osborne House on The Isle of Wight, where the royal family spent its holidays.

Prince Albert was a keen gardener and took charge of the gardens at Osborne House, where he introduced an Italian garden with large raised terraces, fountains, urns and geometric flower beds.

In 1860 he brought the idea to Kensington Gardens. The design by James Pennethorne includes many features of the Osborne garden.

Look out for Queen Victoria and Prince Albert's initials on one of the walls of the Pump House, at the north of the gardens. This building once contained a steam engine which operated the fountains - the pillar on the roof is a cleverly-disguised chimney. A stoker kept the engine running on Saturday nights to pump water into the Round Pond, so on Sundays there was enough water pressure to run the fountains.
royalparks.org.uk/parks/kensington-gardens/things-to-see-and-do/gardens-and-landscapes/italian-gardens

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