Person    | Male  Born 1830  Died /4/1893

Alexander McKenzie

Categories: Gardens / Agriculture

Countries: Scotland

Landscape designer to the Metropolitan Board of Works. He wrote 'Parks, Open Spaces and Thoroughfares of London' (1869). Was the first Superintendent of Alexandra Palace Park, and was also bailiff of Epping Forest and Burnham Beeches.

Born Scotland. Moved to London in 1851 and working at the Royal Botanical Gardens and on land belonging to the King of Belgium (we wonder where this was).

A member of the Honourable Artillery Company, rising to the rank of Major.

1863 appointed superintendent of Alexandra Palace and Park, and then became the superintendent of open spaces owned by the Metropolitan Board of Works, giving him responsibility for Finsbury Park, Southwark Park, Victoria Embankment, Albert Embankment, Hampstead Heath, Blackheath, Shepherd's Bush, Stepney Green, Hackney Commons and London Fields. To which we can add Victoria Park, Queen's Park and Queen Mary's steps.

From 1879 he was Superintendent of Epping Forest, through until his death, when his son, Frank Fuller McKenzie, took over.

Most of this information comes from the excellent AIM25 page on McKenzie.

That hairstyle doesn't do him any favours, does it?

This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
Alexander McKenzie

Commemorated ati

Alexander Mckenzie at Finsbury Park

Erected in 2019 and vandalised by the time we visited in 2023 - probably impo...

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Wacy 2000

Wacy 2000

Wacy 2000 stands for 'World Association for Celebrating Year 2000'.   It was founded by John Goodman, a children’s entertainer based in Golders Green.  The Montreal Gazette of 19 March 1970 intervi...

Group, Gardens / Agriculture

1 memorial
Finsbury Park

Finsbury Park

The land that makes up Finsbury Park was originally part of the Manor of Brownswood. The New River was built 1609-13. Copt Hall was first recorded in 1649 and was probably built to house the people...

Place, Gardens / Agriculture

1 memorial
Sir John Sinclair

Sir John Sinclair

Founder and president of the first Board of Agriculture. Born Scotland into family of the Earls of Caithness. 1780 entered the House of Commons. Promoted a scientific and statistical approach to ag...

Person, Gardens / Agriculture, Politics & Administration, Science, Scotland

1 memorial
Members of Kew Guild and staff of Royal Botanic Gdns Kew lost in WW1, WW2

Members of Kew Guild and staff of Royal Botanic Gdns Kew lost in WW1, WW2

From the Kew Guild: "The Kew Guild was founded in 1893, as an offshoot of the Kew Mutual Improvement Society (itself created in 1871), with an intention of uniting past and present “Kewites” by mea...

Group, Community / Clubs, Gardens / Agriculture

1 memorial