Is King George VII an auspicious name for urban design and open space planning?

Will King George VII be good for urban design and landscape architecture?

So the Royal Babe will be called George. Most of Britain’s King Georges have been uninterested in parks, gardens and urban design. The significant exception is King George IV, about whom the BBC comments ‘The real George was certainly both a drinker and womaniser who ate too much – the Times labelled him an “inveterate voluptuary” – but also an imaginative town planner, an ambitious patron of the arts and, most probably, not an idiot.’ As Prince Regent he supported and promoted London’s most ambitious urban landscape design scheme: the route from St James’s Park to Regent’s Park – which influenced the planning of Adelaide’s park belt. So let us pray that George VII takes after George IV in some respects but not in other respects!

12 thoughts on “Is King George VII an auspicious name for urban design and open space planning?

  1. Christine

    It is good to see little George sleeping soundly in the city of London. I am hoping he develops an interest in townplanning and the arts too!

    Is he going to be baptised at St George’s chapel at Windsor Castle?

    Reply
    1. Tom Turner Post author

      I think St George’s chapel would be much better for his artistic taste than the music room (or, indeed, any other room) in Buckingham Palace. Charles has a great idea to make BP into a tourist attraction, so that he can find somewhere better to live. When Charles married Di were married in the year the London Docklands Development Corporation was set up. The problem at the time was that developers regarded Docklands has being beyond the back of beyond. My suggestion was to build a new palace for them in Docklands – and just think how different history might have been if they had taken up the idea.

      Reply
  2. Jerry

    It is impolite to put a baby in a map. Royal baby want freedom too. He does not want to think what he is going to do at the moment. He needs sleep, milk and mum.

    Reply
    1. Tom Turner Post author

      You are right about babies’ needs but it is traditional to have expectations of royal babes. If the royal family want to have their freedom, and stop being royal, all they need do is abdicate.

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  3. Christine

    I am thinking that the baby looks very content and peaceful in the map, now that Tom has put him on the map to his future as a Royal patron of the arts. London is the city of his birth, or his birthplace, so I am sure he will take more than a passing interest in its future as a great city.

    The George’s seem to have been generally a chequed lot – with Queen Anne’s husband being a very devoted husband – but there being little success with children.

    Let’s hope that Prince George becomes George the Great or George the Glorious!

    Reply
    1. Tom Turner Post author

      I expect the tabloids will label him ‘great and glorious. almost whatever he does so it may be time to go for more descriptive accolades – in the style of Edward Longshanks and Vlad the Impaler. So what about George the Town Designer as a moniker? Most of us have to be content with Urban Design, suggesting we can only have a mild influence on the end product. But if George would like to take a degree in Landscape Architecture at the University of Greenwich, instead of following his parents (who followed me) to St Andrews, then we could give him an excellent landscape education and would make sure that he learns about the work of his forebears in contributing to London’s design. As an added attraction we can say that the new school building (opening in 2014) will be only about 100m from the place where London’s most effective open space planner was born (Henry VIII in Placentia in Greenwich). We are expecting the school to be much more popular in its new location so it might be a good idea to put in an application at the same time as putting his name down for Eton (another good place for learning to appreciate good landscapes).

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  4. jerry

    If it is a tradition to give a royal baby a best wishes for future. I hope he could be a politics who has a very strong view of “masculism”. Though, it is hard to be agreed, but it is widely known that Englishman is generally feminine, in contrast, the women in this countries seems become very masculine. It obeys the ‘Yin-Yang’ System, which will not be good to a country for a sustainable future.

    Also, I wish him to encouraged western people to work, rather than drinking in pubs. If he is powerful enough, I hope him to influence the American politics to be polite to return their debt to China ASAP (10% , we will appreciate).

    In conclusion, this baby is better to take a degree in LSE and a second BA in Wuhan University where the best economic/law department in China is.

    Reply
    1. Tom Turner Post author

      Edith Cresson, speaking as Prime Minister of France, said that 25% of British, German and American men are homosexual. What we think she meant is that we tolerate homosexuality and no longer hide it. But she may also have meant that we do not beat our wives or bind their feet as often as in other countries. Maybe this is a mistake! As for pubs, I am sorry to say that they are in steep decline. And as for British influence on America – it has gone. We might have held on, as the Russians have held onto Siberia and the Chinese have held onto Tibet – but it did not happen, so we cannot help the Chinese with having lent the Americans too much money. Sorry. Part of the reason for ‘losing’ America is that although the Americans call it the War of Independence there was so much opposition to it in Britain that it could almost be called the British Civil War.

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  5. Christine

    Whatever can be said for the young prince’s future one thing can be certain, he will ‘live in interesting times.’ Perhaps the male/female gender debate will be further progressed and there will have been another British female Prime Minister to complement the male royal heirs.

    Henry VIII was certainly not known for his feminine qualities, but rather the number of his wives! Elizabeth Taylor is the nearest English rival for her number of husbands.

    Although Britain does not try to hang onto America, America remains very fond of Britain.

    Reply
    1. Tom Turner Post author

      An interviewer asked Peggy Guggenheim ‘how many husbands have you had?’ and she returned ‘do you mean my own or other peoples’?’ But we should remember her, more, for collecting skills and Henry VIII for his contribution to Central London’s open space system. Just imagine what a dreary place London would be without his parks. Very, very regrettably, republics are less good at urban design.

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  6. Christine

    Gosh. True there is a distinction between ones own husbands and someone elses! And whether it is an issue of serial monogamy or polygamy. It is unfortuneate, but Henry VIII is extraordinarily famous for his wives and very little known, beyond expert circles, for his contribution to Central London’s open space system. His parks would have to have been fantastical to eclipse the fame of his reputation for many wives. Elizabeth Taylor, however, is more famous for her acting, then her marriages and her diamonds!

    I am pretty sure you are right that republics are less good at urban design. My only reservation would be the ancient republics of greece [ http://www.ghsd-curriculum.com/inquiry/projects/greece/research_text/article_government.html ] and rome? [ http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/romr/hd_romr.htm ]

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