Catalogue description Records of the Royal Parks Division

Details of Division within WORK
Reference: Division within WORK
Title: Records of the Royal Parks Division
Description:

Correspondence and papers, registered files and maps, plans and drawings relating to the various royal parks and gardens in and around London for which the Office of Works and its successors were responsible.

Files are in WORK 16. Plans and drawings are in WORK 32.

Records of the Brompton Cemetery are in WORK 97, WORK 98 and WORK 100.

Royal Parks and Pleasure Gardens: London Region estate management registered files (prefix LRE/D), WORK 99.

Date: 1653-2001
Related material:

See also the Records of the Royal Parks Agency in: KW

Related records of Ancient Monuments and Historic Buildings are in Division within AT
Legal status: Public Record(s)
Language: English
Creator:

Department of the Environment, 1970-1997

Department of the Environment, Royal Parks and Palaces Division, 1981-1992

Ministry of Public Building and Works, Royal Parks Division, 1962-1970

Ministry of Works and Buildings, Royal Parks Division, 1940-1942

Ministry of Works and Planning, Royal Parks Division, 1942-1943

Ministry of Works, Royal Parks Division, 1943-1962

Office of Woods, Forests, Land Revenues, Works and Buildings, Works Department, 1832-1851

Office of Works, 1378-1832

Office of Works, 1851-1940

Office of Works, Royal Parks Division, 1902-1940
Physical description: 6 series
Administrative / biographical background:

Prior to 1831, the management and administration of the royal parks and pleasure gardens lay with the Commissioners of Woods, Forests and Land Revenues and their predecessors. Upon the amalgamation of the Office of Woods, Forests and Land Revenues and the Office of Works in 1832, the Surveyor General of the Works was made responsible to Parliament for the maintenance of all royal parks and gardens. When the Office of Works was revived as a separate institution in 1851 its Commissioners took over from the Commissioners of Woods all duties relating to the maintenance of royal parks and gardens. The First Commissioner had specialised powers in connection with the regulation of certain commons and open spaces.

Royal parks continued to be administered as a distinct unit within the Office of Works and its successors, headed by the Bailiff of the Royal Parks.

Responsibilities passed to the Department of the Environment in 1970 and the Property Services Agency in 1972. In 1993 maintenance of the royal parks was taken over by the Royal Parks Agency. The Royal Parks were created as a Next Steps Agency in 1993 sponsored by Department of National Heritage, to be known as The Royal Parks. Responsibility for the agency rests now with DCMS. Although the title given is the one commonly used, the full title is the Royal Parks Agency.

Have you found an error with this catalogue description?

Help with your research