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Hyde Park, London The Serpentine
Hyde Park began life as a deer park for Henry VIII. Wanting a place to go hunting conveniently near his London palace at Whitehall, Henry seized an attractive area of land around the Westbourne Stream from the monks of Westminster Abbey in 1536. To create drinking ponds for deer he dammed the Westbourne Stream, and began a process that would eventually create the Serpentine. The appearance of Henry's deer park remained much the same until Charles I created a circular ring road, on which members of the royal court could ride in their carriages. In 1637 Charles I opened the park to the public, and with its royal connection it was fashionable to be seen there. As a very early tourist destination Hyde Park was a sign of things to come. But then following the Civil War in the 1640s the puritans came to power, and had no time for people enjoying themselves. Rather than a place of relaxation and enjoyment, Hyde Park became a place of fortification. Earth works were built to defend Westminster from Royalist attack. A raised bank running along Park Lane is a reminder of these defensive works. It wasn't until Charles II was restored to the throne in 1660 that Hyde Park returned to its former role as a pleasure ground.
Kensington Gardens
After Charles II's death the Glorious Revolution put Hyde Park much more at the centre of the royal stage. When James II was deposed, the new king and queen, William and Mary, purchased a grand property called Nottingham House on the park's eastern edge, renaming it Kensington Palace. A route from Kensington Palace to Westminster was then created, lit by oil lamps. This was the first illuminated road in Britain, and was originally called Route De Roi, or the Road of the King. Over the centuries the name Route De Roi was corrupted, and is now known, ironically, as Rotten Row. Then in the eighteenth century Hyde Park became one of the earliest forms of idealised rural havens that were to become so popular in the Industrial Revolution of the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Caroline, queen to George II, was an enthusiastic gardener. In 1728 she created Kensington Gardens in the eastern end of Hyde Park near Kensington Palace, and extended Henry VIII's damming of the Westbourne Stream. This resulted in the Serpentine. The unusual thing about Caroline's work was the naturalness of her design. Artificial lakes until this time were usually regular, elongated rectangles. A lake of this type existed in St James's Park until the nineteenth century. The Serpentine is one of the first artificial lakes in Britain designed to look like a real lake. When the time came for London's royal parks to have their nineteenth century naturalistic makeovers, Hyde Park did not have to be changed much. Decimus Burton's redesign of 1820 mainly involved building a monumental entrance, and a bridge over the Serpentine, which formally divided Kensington Gardens from Hyde Park. The Hyde Park created by Queen Caroline remains largely unchanged today.
Some of Britain's most significant national celebrations have taken place in Hyde Park. At the beginning of Queen Victoria's reign in 1837, it was decided to make the coronation more of a national event than it had been in the past. The traditional banquet attended only by rich and privileged guests was cancelled. But the procession which anyone could attend, was lengthened. There were public firework displays in Green Park and Hyde Park. Hyde Park was also used for a four day fair. Victoria's future husband, Albert of Saxe Coburg, was to have a vision for a new monarchy as giving cultural and social leadership, and Hyde Park was in many ways the setting for his vision. With Albert's energetic support, 1851 saw an enormous Crystal Palace built in Hyde Park housing the Great Exhibition. This massively successful event celebrated the new industrial expertise of Britain and her Empire. Hyde Park ever since has been the setting for major national cultural and sporting events. In 1907 there was the "Mud March" when thousands of supporters of women's suffrage walked through torrential rain to Hyde Park to register their opposition to Britain's voting system which excluded women. The following year on 21st June Emmeline Pankhurst led seven processions to Hyde Park where 250,000 women gathered for the largest mass meeting that London had ever seen. Since then Hyde Park has become a traditional place of gathering. Speakers Corner in the north east area of the park is still a place where people can get up and talk on any topic that is close to their heart. There have also been mass fun runs, classical concerts and huge rock music events, such as a famous free concert involving the Rolling Stones in 1969, and the Live 8 concert in 2005. Fittingly, the "People's Princess" Princess Diana, is remembered in Hyde Park with the lovely Diana Memorial Fountain.
The park has a wide range of refreshment facilities, ranging from ice cream kiosks to restaurants. The Lido has views of the Serpentine. There is a children's playground, and deck chair hire May to September.
Opening Times: 5am to midnight all the year round.
Directions: Hyde Park is in west London, bordering Westminster and Kensington. Nearest Underground stations are: Lancaster Gate, Marble Arch, Hyde Park Corner, and Knightsbridge. Click here for an interactive map centred on Hyde Park.
Access: The park is generally flat, and has many well maintained paths. There is a half hourly electric buggy service with wheelchair access, which offers tours of the park. Contact: 07767 498 096. Adapted toilet facilities are available.
Contact: The Park Office
telephone: 020 7298 2100
web site: http://www.royalparks.org.uk/parks/hyde_park/