“The Bill should provide, as part of the improvement, for a
continuation of the Ornamental Garden, called the Victoria
Tower Garden, as far south as Lambeth Bridge, over the space
between the new roadway of Millbank Street and the
Embankment. This public benefit, as in the first place
proposed to the First Commissioner, was one of the principal
considerations in his mind in favour of giving up a strip of the
existing garden, to maintain which as a public recreation
ground the Government are pledged by an agreement with the
late Rt. Hon. W.H. Smith M.P. who contributed a great part of
the cost of laying it out.”
“As regards the future maintenance of the garden, the First
Commissioner considers it essential, in order to ensure
uniformity in appearance and regulation between the present
garden and its continuation, that both should be under one
management… to be maintained by this Board as a garden for
public recreation”.
(First Commissioner of Works’ letter dated 23 February 1900)
(emphasis added).
92. On 28 February 1900, the Council’s Improvements Committee advised the Council’s
Parliamentary Committee of the First Commissioner’s proposed amendments. The
Improvements Committee agreed with the First Commissioner, on the basis the
Council had approved plans showing the land as a garden in July and October 1899
which had been the basis for negotiation:
“(1) The First Commissioner contends that the Bill should
make it clear that the land between the new road of Millbank
Street and the Embankment is to be kept as a garden and is
not to be built upon as this was the understanding upon which
he agreed to give up the strip of the Victoria Tower Garden.
The Improvements Committee fully concur with the insertion
in the Bill of such a clause, particularly as the Council, on 4 th
July and 24th October, 1899, decided that the application to
Parliament should be made in accordance with the plan
submitted to the Council on those dates. On each occasion the
plan shewed the land between the new Millbank Street and the
river as intended to be kept as a garden. This, in fact, formed
the basis of the negotiations with the Government and with the
local authority in regard to the improvement, and a condition
attached to the offer of the local authority to contribute
£100,000 towards the cost of the scheme.”
(Minutes of Improvements Committee Meeting, 25 February
1900) (emphasis added)
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