Introduction
Hyde Park is London’s largest park (630 acres) with a perimeter of four miles. Initially owned by the monks of Westminster Abbey, it came into the hands of Henry VIII at the time of the Dissolution. Henry made it a deer park and one of his hunting forests, as well as a place for military reviews. A century later Charles I opened the park to the public. A fashionable hour (actually three hours, from 4:30–7:30 p.m.) became a tradition with the rich coming to promenade in the park—women usually did not make their appearance until after 5:00 p.m. When Charles II returned from exile in the Restoration, he also turned his attention to the park, making it a fashionable place to be seen, as “the beautiful people” came to promenade round “the ring” on horse back “pausing to gossip and admire each other’s equipage.” It was reported that a thousand well appointed equipages could be seen during an afternoon in the height of the London season. Charles II also had a brick wall constructed around the park. During the Great Plague of 1665, several people came from the city and Westminster to camp out in the park, thinking its open spaces a safe place to escape the plague.When William III moved to Kensington Palace he established a route between St. James and Kensington and lighted it at night with three hundred oil lamps because of its reputation for robbers and muggers—thus creating the first artificially lighted highway in Britain. George IV (the former Regent) also made his contribution to the face of the park by taking down the brick wall and replacing it with an iron railing at the time of his coronation.When Victoria moved into Buckingham, the northern part of the park was developed extensively, with the addition of two major arches: Constitution (Wellington) Arch as a ceremonial entranceway to Buckingham from the west, and Marble Arch, initially by Buckingham, provided a ceremonial entranceway from the east. Marble Arch was later moved to Speaker’s Corner. During the Victorian era the park was often used for military musters, demonstrations, and political rallies, the most famous of which were rallies in support of the Chartist Movement. This working class movement sought parliamentary reform and fought for rights such as universal manhood suffrage (all men have the right to vote), equal electoral districts, vote by ballot, annual parliamentary elections, and the abolition of property requirements for membership in parliament.Also in the nineteenth century, the famous Crystal Palace, the first World’s Fair, was constructed on the southwest corner of the park. This was largely the brain-child of Prince Albert, Queen Victoria’s consort, and was created to bring together the new developments of the century from all over the globe. All nations were invited to set up an exhibition in the Crystal Palace and nearly fourteen thousand exhibitors participated. The building was called the Crystal Palace because it was largely made out of iron and glass—some called it “the Giant Hot House,” for so it appeared. It was sixteen hundred feet in length (over five football fields long), with two transepts intersecting it. It was tall enough to contain full grown trees from the park, which were incorporated into its interior. Some were afraid that the Crystal Palace would not bear the stress of thousands of people walking back and forth on its floors, but it stood the test admirably and became one of the most important structures of the century. Proceeds from the Great Exhibition (as it was also known) were used to build much of the complex of university facilities and museums that now are in the “block” between the Royal Albert Hall and the Natural History Museum.Three years after the fair, in 1854, the building was moved (foundations and all) to Sydenham (Bromley) and reconstructed in a segment of London known still as Crystal Palace area, where it became an entertainment center. A new rail station was constructed to take people there, and many of the rich moved to the area. In 1936, the palace burned. Two giant water towers (one at each end) survived the fire, but were demolished in the first years of World War II, for fear of their serving as landmarks for enemy bombers. The palace itself was replaced with a major recreational center, complete with a museum, an Olympic-size indoor swimming pool, and a sports stadium, complete with a ski-training slope—shades of Eddie “the Eagle” Edwards. Edwards gained this nickname in his role as the sole British entry in the ski-jumping contest in the 1988 Winter Olympics. The idea of a British ski jumper was only slightly less ludicrous than that of the Jamaican bobsled team. Although he always landed several metres short of the other entries, Eddie won the hearts of the crowd, and became one of the most popular participants in the Olympics. He was invited at the time to appear on several television talk shows such as the Johnny Carson Show and Entertainment Tonight. A concert bowl, a boating lake with a series of artificial islands, complete with twenty-nine monstrous, life-size models of prehistoric animals (and one gorilla) completed the center. Crystal Palace Park is now home to the National Sports Centre in London.
#1 Start: Marble Arch Tube Stop
Begin this walk at the Marble Arch tube station on the Central Line. When you come out of the tube station, you will find a series of underground passages. Take the #3 exit and make your way into that part of Hyde Park.Marble Arch was designed in 1827 as a monument marking the royal entrance to Buckingham. However, when the new east front was added to the palace in 1851, the arch, which proved too narrow for the grand coaches, was reconstructed in its present location. Now only senior members of the royal family and the King’s troop of the Royal Horse Artillery can pass beneath the arch.Not far from the present location of Marble Arch was the site of the infamous Tyburn gallows, where criminals were publicly hanged (and often drawn and quartered as well) from 1196 until 1783. A small round plaque on an island where Edgware Road joins Bayswater Road (just west of the Odeon cinema) commemorates the location of the gallows. While in London, you may see the triad of “hung, drawn, and quartered” (as in the pub name mentioned in the City walk). This refers to the rather gruesome practice of hanging a victim until he was nearly dead, then taking him from the gallows while he was still barely alive, disembowelling him and burning his entrails before his eyes, and then dividing the body into quarters—sometimes by tying horses to the arms and legs and sending them off in different directions, using a knife if required to complete the process. The term “drawing” has been under dispute recently. Originally thought to refer to the process of disembowelling, now it is generally agreed by reputable historians that it refers to the victim’s being drawn to the gallows on a sled behind a horse.Hangings were major public spectacles, attracting crowds from 10,000 upwards to 100,000. Often the executions were more like a public celebration as prisoners were hauled through the streets in public humiliation from Newgate Prison (see Legal London walk) to the gallows. This process was almost ritualized, as the victims (often dressed in their best clothes) would pass along a predetermined route, accompanied by mounted officers to keep back the cheering or taunting crowds. En route to the gallows, the procession would pause long enough at St. Giles-in-the-Field for prisoners to receive as much ale as they cared to consume.Because of the large crowds attracted to hangings, and the problems such crowds present, the authorities decided in 1783 to perform the hangings at Newgate Prison, and do away with the public parade—much to the disappointment of the attendant mobs. However, large assemblages continued to gather at Newgate for hangings. Farther west on Bayswater Road (in Hyde Park Place) is the Shrine of the Martyrs where twenty-five nuns say mass in memory of the Catholics who were “martyred” at Tyburn between 1535 and 1681 in defense of the Catholic faith.On the corner inside the park is the famous Speakers’ Corner. Each Sunday, when the weather is good, orators and hecklers assemble and mount soap boxes to address issues from religion to politics—and anything else that comes to mind as long as they are not “seditious or blasphemous.” One can choose from a variety of speakers, who unfortunately have come more and more from the extremist and eccentric wings of society. Missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were once part of this activity; until the 1960s, every new missionary coming into the British Isles was greeted his first night with an opportunity to address the public at Speakers’ Corner.
#2 Hyde Park Corner
Two major roads converge at Marble Arch: Bayswater Road and Park Lane. As you face Marble Arch, Park Lane is the road that comes in on your right. Find a path inside the park that parallels Park Lane, and make your way across the east end of the park on that path. Your next destination is Hyde Park Corner, and the area around the Wellington Arch.As you near Hyde Park Corner, find the statue of Achilles. This statue was created in honor of the Duke of Wellington and his troops who defeated the armies of Napoleon at Waterloo. It was paid for by “the women of England,” who were said to have been mortified when they found their names associated with such a scantily-clad statue. Looking across the lane, you might be able to see a little inaccessible park in the middle of Park Lane. Inside that park isBo’sunby Belt, a statue of the English poet, Lord Byron, sitting alone with his dog. The area on the other side of Park Lane is known as Mayfair, one of the more elite areas of London. You might be interested in taking the Mayfair Walk.While close to Park Lane, take note of the Joy of Life fountain and statue. Designed by T. B. Huxley-Jones, this statue replaced the Boy and Dolphin statue previously in that spot when Park Lane was widened.
#3 Apsley House
Eventually you will come to Apsley House (which you can recognize by its brownish color). Pass through the fanciful gateway to the side of the house and move to the front of Apsley House.This gateway is of more recent origin (1993), constructed and dedicated to the wife of King George VI: Elizabeth, “the Queen Mum” (the mother of Elizabeth II), on the occasion of her 93rd birthday. The Queen Mother, one of the most beloved monarchs of England, inspired Brits everywhere during World War II by her indomitable spirit and her refusal to leave London and her people during the blitz. She died in 2002, at the age of 102.Hyde Park Corner is considered the official entrance into central London from the west. There was at one time a toll gate here, where a fee was paid by those coming from the country in the west to the city in the east. Because of its location, the first house after the toll gate coming into London from the country, the Duke of Wellington’s house (Apsley House) is designated as #1 London.Apsley House is worth a visit or two later. There is a charge for admission. It contains the many trophies and gifts given to “the Iron Duke” (so-called, supposedly, for the iron shutters [long gone] he had placed on his windows after they were smashed in 1830 because of an unpopular stance he took as the Prime Minister against the Reform Bill). In this museum are also significant art pieces such as Antonio Canova’s massive statue of Napoleon, which Napoleon is said to have rejected because the small gold statue of Victory in his hand is turned away from him, and Velazquez’s painting of the Water-Seller of Seville.Standing in front of the house with your back to it, look across the road to the equestrian statue of Wellington. It’s very difficult to see much of London without running into some memorial to Wellington. He is treated almost as if he were Britain’s savior, which in some ways he may well have been. In the context of this statue, he sits astride his faithful horse, Copenhagen, who, on the occasion of his death, was buried with full military honors. Wellington is flanked by a Grenadier, a Royal Highlander, a Welsh Fusilier, and an Inniskilling Dragoon—cast from captured guns.
#4 Wellington (Constitution) Arch
Make your way out onto the island where the monument is.The dominating Wellington Arch (or Constitution Arch as it is known–for its position at the top of Constitution Hill), is a triumphal arch (Britain’s answer to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris?) commemorating the defeat of Napolean in the Battle of Waterloo by the Duke of Wellington's troops. It is surmounted by a large statue of Peace Descending on the Chariot of War, with her quadriga—a two-wheeled chariot driven by four horses abreast. The arch was first erected in 1826 as an entrance to Hyde Park, about 200 feet from where it now stands. There it stood for over half a century, topped by a massive equestrian statue (added in 1846) of Wellington. In 1883, the arch was moved to its present location at the entrance to Constitution Hill, where it serves as a symbolic entrance way into London from the west (and more particularly to Buckingham Palace, which is just down the road). The oversized statue of Wellington was sent elsewhere (to Aldershot).Peace (the largest statue in the UK) replaced the statue of Wellington on the triumphal arch in 1912 (ironically just two years before the beginning of World War I).In earlier years, Wellington Arch, which is hollow inside, contained the second smallest police station in London (ten constables, two sergeants, and a cat). Since 2001, the arch has been open to the public. One may purchase a ticket and go up into the arch and out on a balcony for a wonderful view of central London.Two other statues can be found on the island, in the midst of London traffic: David Leaning on Goliath’s Sword (the Machine Gun Corps War Memorial) and the Royal Artillery War Memorial—in front of the Lanesborough Hotel.
#5 Rotten Row
Leave the island and go through the arches to the backside of Apsley House. With your back to the house, make your way into the park along Rotten Row—the wide dirt path that passes between Knightsbridge Road on your left and (eventually) the Serpentine on your right. After passing the Diana statue to your right (the huntress, not Lady Diana), you should be able to see a flower garden a short distance ahead of you. This is the Holocaust Memorial Garden, which you can pass through and enjoy on your way to the other end of Hyde Park, if you are fortunate enough to be in London spring or summer. If you go through the garden, be sure to exit back out onto Rotten Row. Make your way along this pathway to the far end of the park.The derivation of the name Rotten Row is likely lost to history. It may have come from rotteran meaning “to muster”—as it may have been a mustering ground during the time of the English Civil War. However, a more popular theory is that it may derive from the fact that it was “the king’s way”—or in French “route de roi” (The English have an almost perverse sense of satisfaction in slaughtering the French language.). If it were in fact the “king’s way,” it probably was designed to connect either St. James or Whitehall on the east to Kensington (or even farther to Hampton Court) on the west. It is still one of the “smart” places in London to be seen, especially on horseback. You can purchase riding lessons for approximately £109–139 an hour. Many duels were once staged along this road. You might try to eliminate the present in your mind and imagine yourself back in the last century, walking the road at dawn and coming upon a duel.Take time to stroll leisurely along Rotten Row so that you can enjoy the scenery on both sides of you. To your right is one of the busiest parts of the park during the summer (The Lido). Boating, wading, or swimming are allowed in designated parts of the Serpentine. Refreshment stands will dominate much of the area in the summer—along with the crowds. On the other side is a restaurant and a place to rent boats.To your left, across the road, you will see some red brick buildings on both sides of a high rise. These are the Knightsbridge Barracks of the Mounted Regiment of the Household Cavalry and the stables for their horses—you may have wondered where all the horses were kept that are constantly appearing in parades of the Cavalry. If you are lucky, you may even see some of the Horse Guards running their horses through their paces on the horse path in the park. Fresh troops depart from here around 10:30 in the morning for duty at Buckingham Palace and Horse Guards parade ground, and others return from duty around noon.Farther along, if you look to your left, where the buildings front onto Kensington Road, (the extension of Knightsbridge), you can see a blue plaque on 14 Prince’s Gate. This is where President John F. Kennedy lived while he was here in London, attending the London School of Economics in the mid-1930s—a stint that was cut short by a disabling attack of jaundice in 1936. His father, Joseph, was the American Ambassador to the Court of St. James at the time.As you near the end of Rotten Row (by the tennis courts and bowling greens), you are in the section of Hyde Park where the famous Crystal Palace stood during the Great Exhibition of 1851. If you know what the “Palace” looked like, you might also try to reconstruct this structure and its environment in your imagination. The name Exhibition Road to the south (on which the Latter-day Saints’ Hyde Park Chapel is situated) derives from this event.Just across the road from the Serpentine Gallery, near where the original Crystal Palace stood, is the Lady Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain, constructed to honor the late Princess Di. A fountain was chosen for her memorial because of its sense of life and simplicity. Unfortunately, the fountain suffered the same fate as so many of the London projects of late and had to be shut down within days of its official opening in July 2004 to undergo modifications, because of injuries received by some wading in the water. It is now fixed and ready to provide its designated purpose.
#6 The End: Return to the BYU Centre
When you get to the end of Rotten Row, you have two major options in returning back to the BYU Centre. You can either walk home across Kensington Gardens or you can cross Kensington Road at the intersection and go a little way to your left and catch a #52 bus, which will take you to the Notting Hill end of Kensington Church Street. Make sure you are on the opposite side of Kensington Road from the park, so that the bus is aimed to go past the front of the Royal Albert Hall.
