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St James's Park was once marsh and meadowland. King Henry VIII acquired the land for deer hunting along with Hyde Park. King Charles II after his return from exile in France landscaped the St James's in the formal French style. His father had been led through the park to his execution in 1649. In the 18th century cows were kept tethered in the park and visitors could buy mugs of fresh milk for one penney. Formation of the lake from a straight canal was overseen by the architect and landscaper John Nash in the 1820s, and at the same time he had the formal avenues rerouted to give winding pathways. Duck Island Cottage, seen here in the distance, was built in 1841 as the home of the park's bird-keeper. It also had a club room for the Ornithological Society of London which once helped to look after the park's ducks and geese.