Victorian features in the park have been restored

Original designs from the Victorian era and the 1950s were officially unveiled by the Duke of Edinburgh.

Newly restored features at the south London park include water fountains designed to create rainbows and public sub-tropical gardens.

The park's kilometre-long promenade along the River Thames has also been refurbished and widened.

The Duke met Buddhist monk Reverend Nagase, who lives in the park, and took the reins of two Shire horses pulling a dray.

Bursts of water

At the opening he said: "I would like to pay tribute to everyone who has had a hand in restoring the park and returning it to something of its former splendour."

New work at the park includes a boathouse for the boating lake and glass-block designer toilets.

Sixty jets push water 25ft into the air to create a backdrop for the main Crystal Fountains.

The five-year project returns the park to the way it would have looked when it was opened in 1854.

Much of the original horticulture was lost during both World Wars when the park was used for allotments, troop dispersal areas, bomb shelters and anti-aircraft emplacements.