The following extracts come from a compilation of news items from Present State: The Newsletter of the Pugin Society, giving the background to the plans for these gardens — currently an open green space which affords unique views of Charles Barry and A.W.N. Pugin's Palace of Westminster and the Victoria Tower. Details of the costs of the proposed building, parliamentary process leading up to the passing of the January 2026 bill, and current concerns and efforts of the campaign against it have been omitted, as being outside our scope, but see the bibliography for a link to the campaign.
We are grateful to the editor of Present State, Judith Al-Seffar, and the Pugin Society for allowing us to reproduce the extracts here, as part of our shared aim to promote the wider appreciation of Pugin as an inspirational architect — and one whose legacy should be protected. — JB
Victoria Tower Gardens. [Click on the image for more information.]
The origins of the Victoria Tower Gardens date back to Victorian times, after the building of the embankment of the river Thames (see Gerhold). In 1879, W.H. Smith, MP, First Lord of the Admiralty, and newspaper retailer, donated £1,000 towards "laying out the ground for the use of inhabitants, and children especially, of Westminster." He had a "'morbid desire' to prevent open spaces being built on." His aim was to protect the park in perpetuity for the local community in a congested part of London. His wishes were incorporated into the original protection for this much needed small London park with the London County Council (Improvements) Act of 1900 (Gerhold 29-34, and 63n.)
In 2015 the government of the day gave its support for the building of a Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre. In 2016 David Cameron, then Prime Minister, stated that it would be built in Victoria Tower Gardens, which are adjacent to Black Rod’s garden and the Palace of Westminster. However, there was no consultation on the potential site for the building, and this has been the main problem. Very strong views are held both for and against the memorial being built in the gardens. There have been many objections, not about the memorial itself, but about its location - a frequently used Statement is: it’s the right idea in the wrong location. There are two published timelines for the Victoria Tower Campaign (see Gerhold 65 and the London Gardens Trust).
The planned building for the entrance to the underground learning centre is quite large. Many people, including the Pugin Society, are of the opinion that this would spoil the views across the lawns to the Palace of Westminster and the Victoria Tower. Also, more of the park is likely to be lost than that stated by the planners, to the detriment of local park users....
The government's plan to build on the Victoria Tower Gardens has been challenged since 2016, including a court case which held that the government would be breaking the law if it built on the Victoria Tower Gardens due to the 1900 Act's protection of the park. However an appeal by the government was ultimately successful and enabled the introduction of this Bill which has now [since January 2026] become law, allowing the building to go ahead.
It is so very sad that the documented wishes of W.H. Smith, incorporated into the Act of Parliament of 1900, would no longer be honoured, 125 years later, if the building goes ahead. The views of the Palace of Westminster and Victoria Tower from this previously tranquil park would be spoilt forever.
Related Material
Bibliography
Gerhold, Dorian. The Prehistory, Creation and Planned Destruction of a London Park. London: Gerhold, 2020.
London Parks & Gardens Trust - Record of Events (a timeline for the campaign to prevent the park from being built on, which ran from July 2017 to 25 June 2025). https://londongardenstrust.org/campaigns/victoria-tower-gardens/record-of-events/
Present State, the Newsletter of the Pugin Society.
Save Victoria Tower Gardens Campaign: https://www.savevictoriatowergardens.co.uk/the-campaign
Created 27 April 2026