Park railings
Against whatever service the Lord Beaver- brook gave as Minister of Aircraft Produc- tion must be set his abominable naughtiness in cutting down lovely eighteenth- and nine- teenth-century wrought iron and cast iron railings and gates around some of London's gardens and parks. He showed more zest and success in this unholy work than Hitler's planes and even now thirty years later the scars show with rusty chain link netting held up by buckled angle iron stakes.
This week I see that the gardens in Eaton Square are at long last being tackled with permanent fencing but unfortunately of only the same blighted quality as the effort in Kensington Gardens last year. Nasty, mass produced, pointed steel stakes just right for some place of reform, but no substitute for the early Victorian cast iron railings that were there before. The finance committee and architect responsible for Kensington Gardens and Eaton Square should look at what has been achieved at York Terrace fronting Marylebone Road where there are pleasant Empire style garden railings (no doubt a facsimile of Nash's original design though using modern materials) completely. in character with the Regency terraces be- hind. These were erected just a few months ago and are a pleasure to look at as you go by.
Previous page
