Hyde Park, London

Hyde Park, London Hyde Park is one of the largest parks in London, and one I permitted limited access to gentlefolk,[6] appointing a of the Royal Parks of London, famous for its Speakers’ ranger to take charge. Charles I created the Ring (north Corner. of the present Serpentine boathouses), and in 1637 he [7] The park was the site of the Great Exhibition of 1851, opened the park to the general public. for which the Crystal Palace was designed by Joseph Pax- ton. The park has become a traditional location for mass demonstrations. The Chartists, the Reform League, the Suffragettes, and the Stop the War Coalition have all held protests in the park. Many protesters on the Liberty and Livelihood March in 2002 started their march from Hyde Park. On 20 July 1982 in the Hyde Park and Regents Park bombings, two bombs linked to the Provisional Irish Republican Army caused the death of eight members of the Household Cavalry and the Royal Green Jackets and seven horses. The park is divided in two by the Serpentine and the Long Water. The park is contiguous with Kensington Gardens; although often still assumed to be part of Hyde Park, Hyde Park c. 1833: Rotten Row is “The King’s Private Road” Kensington Gardens has been technically separate since 1728, when Queen Caroline made a division between the two. Hyde Park covers 142 hectares (350 acres)[2] and Kensington Gardens covers 111 hectares (275 acres),[3] giving an overall area of 253 hectares (625 acres), making the combined area larger than the Principality of Monaco (196 hectares or 480 acres), though smaller than the Bois de Boulogne in Paris (845 hectares, or 2090 acres), New York City's Central Park (341 hectares or 840 acres), and Dublin’s Phoenix Park (707 hectares, or 1,750 acres). To the southeast, outside the park, is Hyde Park Corner. Al- though, during daylight, the two parks merge seamlessly into each other, Kensington Gardens closes at dusk but Hyde Park remains open throughout the year from 5 a.m. until midnight. Hyde Park is the largest of four parks which form a chain from the entrance of Kensington Palace through Kens- A map showing the Hyde Park ward of Paddington Metropolitan ington Gardens and Hyde Park, via Hyde Park Corner Borough as it appeared in 1916. and Green Park (19 hectares), past the main entrance to Buckingham Palace and then on through Saint James’s In 1689, when William III moved his residence to Park (23 hectares) to Horse Guards Parade in Whitehall. Kensington Palace on the far side of Hyde Park, he had a drive laid out across its south edge, formerly known as “The King’s Private Road”, which still exists as a wide straight gravelled carriage track leading west from Hyde 1 History Park Corner across the south boundary of Hyde Park towards Kensington Palace. The drive is now known Hyde Park was created in 1536 by Henry Vill for as Rotten Row, possibly a corruption of rotteran (to hunting.[4] He acquired the manor of Hyde from the muster),[8] Ratten Row (roundabout way), Route du roi, or canons of Westminster Abbey, who had held it since be- rotten (the soft material with which the road is covered).[9] fore the Norman Conquest;[5] it was enclosed as a deer Public transport entering London from the west paralleled park and remained a private hunting ground until James the King’s private road along Kensington Gore, just out- 1 2 3 FEATURES side the park. In the late 1800s, the row was used by the archways, two foot entrances, a lodge, etc. The wealthy for horseback rides.[10] extent of the whole frontage is about 107 ft The first coherent landscaping was undertaken by Charles (33 m). The central entrance has a bold pro- Bridgeman for Queen Caroline;[11] under the supervision jection: the entablature is supported by four of Charles Withers, the Surveyor-General of Woods and columns; and the volutes of the capitals of the Forests, who took some credit for it. It was completed outside column on each side of the gateway are in 1733 at a cost to the public purse of £20,000. Bridge- formed in an angular direction, so as to exhibit man’s piece of water called The Serpentine, formed by two complete faces to view. The two side gate- ways, in their elevations, present two insulated damming the little Westbourne that flowed through the park, was not truly in the Serpentine “line of beauty” Ionic columns, flanked by antae. All these entrances are finished by a blocking, the sides of that William Hogarth described, but merely irregular on a modest curve. The 2nd Viscount Weymouth was made the central one being decorated with a beauti- ful frieze, representing a naval and military tri- Ranger of Hyde Park in 1739 and shortly began digging the Serpentine lakes at Longleat.[12] The Serpentine is umphal procession. This frieze was designed by Mr. Henning, junior, the son of Mr. Hen- divided from the Long Water by a bridge designed by George Rennie (1826). ning who was well known for his models of the Elgin marbles. “The gates were manufac- One of the most important events to take place in the park tured by Messrs. Bramah. They are of iron, was the Great Exhibition of 1851. The Crystal Palace was bronzed, and fixed or hung to the piers by rings constructed on the south side of the park. The public in of gun-metal. The design consists of a beauti- general did not want the building to remain in the park af- ful arrangement of the Greek honeysuckle or- ter the closure of the exhibition, and the design architect, nament; the parts being well defined, and the Joseph Paxton, raised funds and purchased it. He had it raffles of the leaves brought out in a most ex- [13] moved to Sydenham Hill in South London. traordinary manner.”[16] Another significant event held in Hyde Park was the first Victoria Cross investiture, on 26 June 1857, when 62 men were decorated by Queen Victoria in the presence 3 Features of Prince Albert and other members of the Royal Family, including their future son-in-law Crown Prince Frederick of Prussia, later Emperor Frederick III.[14] 2 Grand Entrance The 7 July Memorial to the victims of the 7 July 2005 London bombings Sites of interest in the park include Speakers’ Corner (lo- cated in the northeast corner near Marble Arch), close to the former site of the Tyburn gallows, and Rotten Row, which is the northern boundary of the site of the Crys- tal Palace. South of the Serpentine is the Diana, Princess The Grand Entrance to Hyde Park of Wales memorial, an oval stone ring fountain opened on 6 July 2004. To the east of the Serpentine, just be- The Grand Entrance to the park, also known as Apsley yond the dam, is London’s Holocaust Memorial. The 7 Gate, at Hyde Park Corner next to Apsley House, was July Memorial in the park commemorates the victims of erected from the designs of Decimus Burton in 1824– 7 July 2005 London bombings. [15] 25. An early description reports: A botanical curiosity is the Weeping Beech, Fagus sylvat- ica pendula, cherished as “the upside-down tree”. Oppo- “It consists of a screen of handsome fluted site Hyde Park Corner stands one of the grandest hotels Ionic columns, with three carriage entrance in London, The Lanesborough (Formerly—until the early 3 1970s—St George’s Hospital). Stanhope Lodge (Dec- 5 Events imus Burton, 1824–25) at Stanhope Gate,[17] demolished to widen Park Lane, was the home of Samuel Parkes who won the Victoria Cross in the Charge of the Light Brigade. After leaving the army, Parkes became inspec- tor of the park’s constables, and died in the lodge on 14 November 1864. A rose garden, designed by Colvin & Moggridge Landscape Architects, was added in 1994.[18] An assortment of unusual sculptures are scattered around the park, including Drinking Horse, made in the shape of a massive horse head lapping up water, a family of Jelly Babies standing on top of a large black cube, and Vroom Vroom,[19] which resembles a giant human hand pushing a toy car along the ground. Live 8 concert on 2 July 2005 4 Debates Hyde Park has been the venue for some famous rock concerts, including the major location for the Live 8 string of benefit concerts where Pink Floyd reunited their classic line up for the first time in over 30 years. Queen played here in one of their most popular shows, in 1976. It is estimated that 150–200 thousand people turned up for the event.[24] However, the record concert attendance is prob- ably for the 1969 concert by the Rolling Stones. Accord- ing to much of the press, the crowd then was estimated between 250,000 and 500,000.[25] Blur played here as part of their reunion. They have released two live albums recorded at the park called All the People: Blur Live at Hyde Park (2009) and Parklive (2012). Local residents have become critical of Hyde Park as a concert venue, due to the sound levels, and have cam- A Protestant Christian protesting at Speakers’ Corner in 2010 paigned for a maximum sound level of 73 decibels.[26] In June 2012, Bruce Springsteen and Paul McCartney found their microphones switched off after Springsteen had Hyde Park’s Speakers’ Corner has acquired an interna- [20] played a three-hour set during the Park’s Hard Rock Call- tional reputation for demonstrations and other protests ing festival, and overshot the 10:30pm curfew time.[27] due to its tolerance of free speech.[21] In 1855, a protest at the park was organised to demonstrate against Robert In 2013, Hyde Park hosted “Barclaycard presents British Grosvenor's attempt to ban Sunday trading, including a Summer Time Hyde Park”, the first of a five-year concert restriction on pub opening times.

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