The Albert Memorial Kiosk
- Status
- Completed 2017
- Client
- The Royal Parks Agency
- Procurement Method
- Traditional
- Services
- Architect and Lead Consultant
- Scale
- 9m²
David Morley Architects were appointed by The Royal Parks to build a new refreshment kiosk in Kensington Gardens adjacent to the Grade I listed Albert Memorial and the Grade I listed Royal Albert Hall.
- Status
- Completed 2017
- Client
- The Royal Parks Agency
- Procurement Method
- Traditional
- Services
- Architect and Lead Consultant
- Scale
- 9m²
The Albert Memorial Kiosk is located on the edge of the formal landscape surrounding The Albert Memorial in Kensington Gardens, close to the historic South Flower Walk, and replaces an earlier refreshments kiosk that was little more than a painted garden shed.
Inspired by an antique treasure cabinet and acknowledging the seasonal operating hours, the new Kiosk presents a discreet charred timber exterior when closed but opens up along two sides to reveal a warm wood interior with a sloping polished gold ceiling creating reflections of the customers, staff and goods for sale.
“Opened in 2017, the Albert Memorial Kiosk is a triumph in bespoke architectural design and has taken its inspiration from the adjacent Grade I listed Albert Memorial. Both the café and kiosk continue to delight our visitors.”
The kiosk utilises a steel frame to create a cantilevered roof that allows two sides of the square plan to open fully without a corner post, maximising the sense of openness. Charred larch cladding to the exterior creates an unobtrusive form nestled within the plants when viewed from South Flower Walk, and contrasts with the lacquered larch cladding of the interior. The black exterior and gold ceiling are both nods to the statue of Prince Albert at the centre of The Albert Memorial, currently finished is shining gold leaf but previously painted black for 80 years until it was restored in the late 1990s.
Extensive landscape works were also carried out to provide an attractive seating area adjacent to the Kiosk and the newly restored Police Box (which provides storage and sanitary facilities for the Kiosk), removing the visual clutter from the formal landscaping of The Albert Memorial, and to open up the views between the South Flower Walk and The Albert Memorial.
