Plan of Regents Park, 1826

In 1815 James Burton was approached by John Nash who was experiencing financial difficulties in carrying out his plan to link Carlton House with the newly created Regents Park. Burton agreed to build the remainder of Regents Street and took the prime site in Regents Park  for his own family villa, The Holme. This was completed in 1818 to a design by his 18 year old son, Decimus.

Museum Accession No: HASMG 903.2.13
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Design for The Holme, garden elevation By Decimus Burton c.1816

The grateful Nash then invited James Burton to build some of the terraces around Regents Park and commissioned Decimus, now in his early 20s, as the architect of Cornwall and then Clarence Terrace. Decimus went on to design seven further villas in Regents Park. A number of the Hastings drawings relate to these schemes, with early designs for The Holme and Albany and Grove Lodges

Museum Accession No: HASMG 903.2.28
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Design for 2nd villa, Regents Park By Decimus Burton c.1818

In 1823 Decimus designed for the outer circle of the Park the grandiose Colosseum, a circular building which housed a panorama of London painted from the dome of St. Pauls by the artist Thomas Horner. This ambitious project was financially unsuccessful and was pulled down in 1875.

Museum Accession No: HASMG 983.1.2
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Design for Albany House, Regents Park By Decimus Burton c. 1826

He was also involved with the layout, and design of the animal houses, at London Zoo which opened in 1828 at the northern end of the Park. Many of the buildings were constructed in the cottage orne style fashionable for garden structures. Decimus’ last project in Regents Park was the creation of the Royal Botanic Gardens in association with Curator, Richard Marnock, in 1840. This included a conservatory built with the engineer, Richard Turner of Dublin who was also working with Burton at Kew.

Museum Accession No: HASMG 903.2.24
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Plan of the grounds surrounding The Holme By Decimus Burton, c. 1816

Museum Accession No: HASMG 903.2.31
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Design for the Royal Botanical Society Gardens in Regents Park By Decimus Burton, 1840

Museum Accession No: HASMG 950.38.10
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