<P> The park is bounded by Buckingham Palace to the west, the Mall to the north, Horse Guards to the east, and Birdcage Walk to the south . It meets Green Park at Queen's Gardens with the Victoria Memorial at its centre, opposite the entrance to Buckingham Palace . St James's Palace is on the opposite side of The Mall . The closest London Underground stations are St James's Park, Green Park, Victoria, and Westminster . </P> <P> The park is Grade I listed on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens . </P> <P> The park has a small lake, St James's Park Lake, with two islands, West Island, and Duck Island, named for the lake's collection of waterfowl . A resident colony of pelicans has been a feature of the park since pelicans were donated by a Russian ambassador in 1664 to Charles II . While most of the time the wings are clipped, there is a pelican who can be seen flying to the London Zoo in hopes of another meal . The Blue Bridge across the lake affords a view west towards Buckingham Palace framed by trees . Looking east the view includes the Swire Fountain to the north of Duck Island and, past the lake, the grounds of Horse Guards Parade, with Horse Guards, the Old War Office and Whitehall Court behind . To the south of Duck Island is the Tiffany Fountain on Pelican Rock, and past the lake is the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, with the London Eye, the Shell Tower, and the Shard behind . The park has a children's playground including a large sandpit . </P> <P> In 1532, Henry VIII bought an area of marshland through which the Tyburn flowed from Eton College . It lies to the west of York Place acquired by Henry from Cardinal Wolsey; it was purchased in order to turn York Palace, subsequently renamed Whitehall, into a dwelling fit for a king . On James I's accession to the throne in 1603, he ordered that the park be drained and landscaped, and exotic animals were kept in the park, including camels, crocodiles, an elephant and exotic birds were kept in aviaries . </P>

Where did the pelicans in st james park come from