Hyde Park

Hyde Park is the largest of London’s Royal Parks, having been turned into a royal hunting ground by King Henry VIII in 1536. It was originally inhabited by wild bulls and owned by the monks of Westminster Abbey. The park remained a private hunting ground until James I permitted limited access to gentlefolk, and later Charles I fully opened the park to the general public in 1631.

Fashionable Rotten Row by Thomas Blinks c1900

In 1822 the first nude statue in London was erected in Hyde Park. The figure of Achilles was dedicated to the Duke of Wellington and cast from cannons captured during his military campaigns. A fig leaf was added to spare the blushes of “country women”. For those wishing to see a completely nude statue, nearby Hyde Park Corner is a life-size statue of David who fought Goliath in 1 Samuel 17; a memorial to the Machine Gun Corps.

Hyde Park is a well known duelling ground, with the most violent duel taking place in 1712 between the 4th Duke of Hamilton and 4th Lord Mohun. A dispute over a property in the North of England led to the death of both men from stab wounds. In 1792, the “petticoat duel” took place between Lady Braddock and Mrs Elphinstone in a dispute over the ladies age! A hat was blown off with a pistol shot and an arm wounded with a sword before the ladies apologised and retired for a cup of tea.

A classic duel

In 1730 Queen Caroline, the wife of George II, had the Westbourne River dammed to convert 11 natural ponds into one artificial lake, known as the Serpentine. At the time of construction, artificial lakes were long and straight, but the Serpentine was one of the earliest artificial lakes designed to appear natural, and was widely imitated in other parks and gardens. The lake was used for royal bathing and boating. Boats can still be hired from the North Bank and a swimming area is partitioned off from the rest of the lake.

The Serpentine

Near the Serpentine Lake you will find the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain, a circular ring of flowing water, surrounded by a landscaped area; said to express Diana's spirit and love of children. The fountain originally allowed people access to the structure and to the water for quiet wading and contemplation. However, after 3 hospitalisations caused by people slipping in the water, the fountain was closed. It reopened, surrounded by a new fence, and people are now prevented from walking or running in the water by six wardens.

Photo by Colin Gregory Palmer

In 1851 Hyde Park played host to the Great Exhibition, housed inside Joseph Paxton’s Crystal Palace, the largest cast-iron and glass building in the world. The exhibition celebrated industry, technology and the expanding British Empire. Over 14,000 exhibitors came from all over the world and the exhibition was attended by around 6 million people. Following the exhibition, the building was dismantled and reassembled in south London where it remained until it was destroyed by fire in 1936.

In 1872 a law made it legal to assemble an audience and address them on any topic; since then the north-east corner of Hyde Park has become an established venue for public speaking, known as Speakers Corner. Particularly on Sunday afternoons, speakers pull up a soap box and sound off about anything to a host of onlookers who heckle without mercy.

Danny Lambert at Speakers Corner

Hyde Park has been the venue for some famous rock concerts including Aerosmith (2007), Foo Fighters (2006), Live 8 (2005), Red Hot Chili Peppers (2004), Bon Jovi (2003) and also the Rolling Stones, The Who and Pink Floyd.