In the heart of St James’s Park, a stone’s throw from Buckingham Palace, a new memorial dedicated to Elizabeth II will take shape. Two years after the death of the longest-serving sovereign in British history, five firms have been invited to interpret the memory of a figure who symbolised the institutional continuity of the United Kingdom.
Foster + Partners, Heatherwick Studio, WilkinsonEyre, Tom Stuart-Smith and J&L Gibbons each propose an idea that combines crossing and contemplation, with a new bridge over the park's lake at its centre. The shared goal: to celebrate a life of service through a space for public reflection.
Heatherwick Studio, in collaboration with sculptor Halima Cassell and MRG Studio, imagines the Bridge of Togetherness, where eight sculptural lilies protect a statue of the Queen. The idea of “unity” guides a project that interprets the bridge as a social and inclusive symbol.
Led by Domus 2024 guest editor Norman Foster, Foster + Partners has collaborated with landscape architect Michel Desvigne and artist Yinka Shonibare to propose a stone path that culminates in the Unity Bridge. On the Mall, a statue of Elizabeth II marks the start of a series of landscapes that includes a Commonwealth garden and Shonibare's wind sculpture.
WilkinsonEyre, with Andy Sturgeon and artists Lisa Vandy and Fiona Clark, opts for a pair of overlapping bridges. A network of paths insinuates itself into the existing landscape, enhancing its naturalness and creating a silent narrative of the seventy-year reign. Landscape architect Tom Stuart-Smith, teaming up with Jamie Fobert Architects and artist Adam Lowe, chose a full-scale cast of an oak tree from Windsor Great Park as the centrepiece. A symbol of strength and continuity, the tree emerges from the lake, accompanied by a curved bridge that serves as a belvedere and civic space.
Finally, J&L Gibbons with William Matthews Associates and Michael Levine propose a more material and sensorial crossing. The bridge is conceived as a geological section intertwined with roots, water and seasonal blooms: an installation under the tree canopy.
The public consultation is ongoing and the final proposal will be unveiled in April 2026. The five proposals offer different approaches to commemorating the figure of Elizabeth II, with solutions integrating landscape, art and engineering. The memorial will be a new permanent element within St James’s Park, designed to welcome visitors and citizens in an accessible space dedicated to reflection.