Welcome

The Society was formed in 1985 to save from demolition Old Westminster public library in Great Smith Street (above right).  Since then we have kept a watchful eye on developments in this area, which includes the World Heritage Site encompassing the Abbey and Houses of Parliament. We respond on behalf of residents and businesses to local planning applications. Our 400+ members enjoy local visits & talks & more recently virtual on-line talks, of historic and other interest, social events and an archive of books, prints, plans and ephemera.

The Rise and Fall of the Westminster Gasworks

16 July 2026

In June author and local resident Linda Hantrais presented the second talk of a three-part series exploring the history and surroundings of Monck Street, following on from her November 2025 talk about the Westminster Tobacco Box. (The third talk is being planned for later this year!)

With readings by actor and playwright James Knudsen, the talk discusses the gasworks which were situated between Monck Street and Marsham Street, where the Home Office stands today. Linda explains how, in 1813, with the mission of reducing the amount of criminality “greatly owing to the insufficient lighting of the streets”, the Gas Light and Coke Company came to be constructed in the heart of the City of Westminster, providing “the first public supply of gas in the world”.

You can either play the video in the embedded video player below, or you can view it in a standalone browser tab (or the YouTube app, if you have it installed) here.

Note: some parts of the audio recording from the evening might be a little difficult to make out, so we recommend turning on the subtitles (captions). If they obscure anything on screen, you can always toggle them off and on again, combining with pause and rewind if needed!

Many thanks again to Linda for her support and research, and to Westminster Archives, who hosted the event (as well as providing a lot of the source material).

New Pelican Arrivals!

On 18 June 2026, the Royal Parks officially announced that the pelicans of St James’s Park had successfully bred – for the first time ever!

As the friends group for St James’s Park and the Green Park, the Thorney Island Society were keen to find out more, so we were delighted when Nick Burnham, Senior Wildlife Officer, agreed to answer some of the questions we’ve been asked.

Read the full article here.

Rt Hon Lord Hattersley PC FRSL: 28 December 1932 – 13 June 2026

We were saddened to learn of the death of Roy Hattersley this month, and offer our condolences to his family. He was made a patron of the Thorney Island Society in recognition of his support for the Society’s aims, particularly in the early years, when the initial focus was on saving the old Westminster Library in Great Smith Street.

For a sense of the origins of the Thorney Island Society, you may enjoy this article, which Roy Hatterlsey wrote for the Guardian’s 15 February 1986 “Endpiece” column, concerning the proposed destruction of the library building.

A Royal Audience: Shaping the Future of St James’s Park

By Glenn Murphy, Chair, 2 May 2026

On a recent afternoon the British Museum fell unusually still. Closed to the public for a special reception, its grand halls provided a focused backdrop for a landmark moment in our local history: the unveiling of the final recommendations for the Queen Elizabeth II Memorial. I was honoured to represent The Thorney Island Society, joining a small group of guests including the Prime Minister and key project stakeholders to witness the future of our royal parkland take shape.

The centrepiece of the afternoon was the presentation of the designs for the new memorial statues and, crucially for our membership, the replacement for the Blue Bridge. The statues, which many of you will be eager to see, are being designed by the renowned sculptor Martin Jennings, whose ability to capture character and gravity is well known.

As the Society has long highlighted, the existing Blue Bridge has neared the end of its functional life. I am delighted to report that the proposed replacement is a stunning glass design, a vast improvement that manages to be both contemporary and ethereal. Significantly, the new design increases the bridge’s width to better accommodate the ever-growing footfall, ensuring that this vital artery of the park remains functional for decades to come while preserving the iconic views of the lake.

Our invitation to this reception was a direct result of the Society’s long-standing engagement as a key local stakeholder. Over years of consultation, we have worked positively to influence the outcomes of this project, ensuring that the voices of those who steward Westminster’s heritage were not just heard, but listened to.

A personal highlight was the opportunity to speak with His Majesty The King. I was able to outline the vital role our Society plays as a steward of this historic area. In my conversation with Her Majesty The Queen, we discussed the specific part the Society played in the consultation process. It was a proud moment to present Their Majesties with a formal letter on behalf of the Society, emphasising our continued dedication to the area, alongside our latest Newsletter. By happy coincidence, that issue highlighted our involvement in the very Memorial and Blue Bridge replacement under discussion. We look forward with great anticipation to a response from the Palace.

The event also allowed for a fascinating exchange with Michel Desvigne, the leading global landscape artist who will be working on St James’s Park. His passion for Nash’s original Regency garden design was striking; it is clear the park’s future is in hands that deeply respect its historical DNA.

Included with this article are photographs from the day, including my meetings with The King and Queen, as well as the detailed models of the statues and the park layout. These images represent the culmination of years of hard work by our Society. It was a day of profound appreciation for our collective efforts, and a reminder that our dedication to Thorney Island remains vital to the local and national narrative.

Spring/Summer 2026 Newsletter

 Click on the front page to read our latest newsletter in PDF format:

The Queen Elizabeth II Memorial – Update 22 March 2026

The Thorney Island Society recently hosted a presentation by Foster + Partners, held in our newly refurbished Archives, on the proposed Queen Elizabeth II Memorial in St James’s Park. The event was attended by the Society's members, as well as members of the public, and formed part of the wider consultation process on the design and development of the memorial.

The presentation outlined key elements of the emerging scheme, including proposed statues of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, the creation of a new meadow landscape, and a distinctive glass bridge intended to provide a new viewing route within the park.

A planning application for the proposals was submitted to Westminster City Council in February. Subject to the outcome of this process, the next stage will see the development of the final design, which is expected to be available in April.

The Society is supportive of the proposal in principle and will continue to monitor progress and keep members informed of further developments.

Events 2026

Below is our latest events programme (updated July 2026).

Please note that some events are for members only.

Please view further details and book via our Eventbrite page, or click on the individual event names in the list below to visit the Eventbrite booking page for that specific event.

The Story of the Henry Monck Tobacco Box and the Silver Collection

A happy 2026 to all our members!

On 13 November 2025 we enjoyed a talk on the 19th floor of Westminster City Hall, presented by Linda Hantrais, Alan Kraven and Nigel Israel, about the Westminster Tobacco Box (“the world’s largest”) and other items of silver which are looked after by the Past Overseers’ Society, and about how Monck Street in SW1 came to be named after Henry Monck. The event was hosted by the Lord Mayor of Westminster, Paul Dimoldenburg.

Linda has kindly worked with us to share the slides from the event, incorporating additional research, and readings by James Knudsen. You can either play the video in the embedded video player below, or you can view it in a standalone browser tab (or the YouTube app, if you have it installed) here.

Please note that there is no audio until about 2:10, at which point there are readings by James Knudsen, through till about 9:40.

We have included an amount of time per slide which feels reasonable for reading the slide contents, but of course if it’s too quick you can use the Pause function.

Many thanks to Linda for her support and research!

Proposed changes to our Constitution

The Committee has taken the opportunity, during our fortieth year, to consider some potential changes to our Constitution, to ensure it reflects current best practice.

At our recent AGM, on 4 November 2025, we initiated a consultation by circulating a document detailing the suggested changes.

We invite current members of the Society to provide feedback by 28 February 2026 (details on how to do so are at the end of the document). For reference, the existing constitution can be viewed here.