Hyde Park, London
Photo: Panos Asproulis, Creative Commons Attribution 2.0
Hyde Park is one of the largest parks in central London. It covers 350 acres (1.4 sq km). Hyde Park continues into Kensington Gardens, which adds an additional 275 acres of parkland.
The founding of Hyde Park goes back to 1536, when King Henry VIII the manor of Hyde from Westminster Abbey, and used it as a deer park. It was a private hunting ground until King James I allowed limited access to gentlefolk. King Charles I opened the park to the general public in 1637.
In 1689, King William III moved into Notthingham House on the far side of Hyde Park. He renamed it Kensington Palace. He laid a road linking the palace to St James's Palace, and called the road Route du Roi. However it was mispronounced in English, and became known as Rotten Row instead.
The first landscaping on Hyde Park was done by Charles Bridgeman for Queen Caroline. It was under the supervision of Charles Withers, Surveyor-General of Woods and Forest, who took some credit for it. Bridgeman's creation includes the waterway called The Serpentine, formed by damming the Westbourne stream that flowed through the park.
Places of interest in and around Hyde Park
- Speaker's Corner
- Marble Arch
- Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain
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