Black Lion Gate

The Black Lion Gate serves as a formal northern entrance to the vast grounds of Kensington Gardens. Its name is not a reference to royal heraldry or ancient legends, but rather a direct nod to a local business that long ago defined this part of the city. In the eighteenth century, an alehouse known as the Black Lion Inn stood on a nearby road that was, for a time, officially named Black Lion Lane. While that road has since been renamed to Queensway, the gate retains the name of the long-vanished tavern that once provided a local landmark for travelers on the fringe of the capital.