During the Great Plague of 1665, Londoners fled the city streets for Hyde Park in hopes of escaping the disease. 355 years later, the plague has returned and everyone is again fleeing to the park. Honestly, with the city locked down, most people have nowhere else to go.
As a born and raised city girl, parks have always been a haven for me; a way to get away from the noise and speed of the metropolis, a big backyard filled with trees and fields, ponds and charming bridges. Hyde Park is about half the size of Central Park in my hometown of Manhattan, and during our current situation I find myself spending a lot of time there with Harry, our 4-year old labradoodle. London parks–unlike most American city parks–allow dogs off-lead so he runs and plays as I walk and explore.
Hyde Park was created by Henry VIII as a deer park and was opened to the public in 1637 by Charles I, so it’s got some history and it’s a fascinating place to take a stroll. To begin with, it’s really two parks that are connected. Kensington Gardens, the vast gardens surrounding Kensington Palace were created by Queen Caroline, wife of King George II in 1728. They were private gardens for most of the 18th century and slowly opened (to those dressed appropriately of course). West Carriage Drive separates Kensington Gardens to the west from Hyde Park to the east.
A Few of my Favourite Spots:
Kensington Palace
The Broad Walk takes you straight across Kensington Gardens, passing Kensington Palace smack in the middle of the walk. Queen Victoria’s statue, designed by her daughter Louise, greets you in front of her childhood home. Her nose was amputated by shrapnel during WWII, and its replacement is unfortunately not quite a match. As if that were not bad enough, in 2019 an American tourist climbed the statue and stole her sceptre with the help of a hammer while onlookers filmed him on their iPhones. Poor Vicky. But we always say hello to her when we pass. The main parts of the palace are open to the public and it is a fascinating tour through history. William & Mary, Queen Anne, and Kings George I & II all lived there during their reigns. Members of the current royal family, the Cambridges, etc. live in the private apartments. It also has a fantastic gift shop and café and a tea pavilion in warmer months.
The Round Pond
Just across the walk from the palace, The Round Pond is just that and is a haven for birds, among them swans, geese, ducks, red kites, turtle doves, nightingales, egrets, sandpipers and skylarks, to name a few. It is a spectacular spot for picnicking and bird watching.
The Ring-Necked Parakeets of London
London’s parakeet population numbers in the tens of thousands, and in some places are as ubiquitous as pigeons. No one knows where they came from, as they are certainly not indigenous. Stories range from birds escaping from the set of the Katherine Hepburn film ‘The African Queen’, to Jimi Hendrix setting a pair of mating birds free on Carnaby Street in the 60s, to an aviary being damaged, letting them loose during the great storm of 1987. No one knows for sure where they came from, but they are here to stay, and Hyde Park is one of their sanctuaries. Bring an apple with you and they will come and sit on your hand, two at a time to feast. They can be seen in most boroughs of London, but if you want an intimate encounter, head over to the Peter Pan statue, just off the Long Water, they are steps away, filling the trees with their song. They are colorful, they are loud, they are a site to behold and kids especially love them (dogs not so much).
Italian Gardens
A gift from Prince Albert to his beloved Queen Victoria, the Italian Gardens and fountains are a short walk from my house and I stop for a latte at the gardens café there most mornings. The design is based on the fountains at Osbourne House, Albert and Victoria’s summer estate on the Isle of Wight. It is a serene place with 4 basins, just at the foot of the Long Water. We made the mistake of bringing our dog off-lead here once and he jumped into one of the fountains after a duck. We had to fish him out, dripping and defeated.
Rotten Row
Rotten Row, is likely a mangling of the French ‘Route du Roi’ (Road of the King). In the 17th century it was a dangerous road leading from Kensington Palace to Whitehall, so William III had oil lamps installed along the path, making it the first lamp-lit highway in England. In the 18th and 19th centuries, Rotten Row became the place for members of the aristocracy to gather and ride in their carriages; a place to see and be seen. Most period films set in London in the 19th century will have a scene on Rotten Row and the adjacent drive. These days, you can go for a run or rent horses from a couple local stables including Hyde Park Stables and Ross Nye Stables.
The Serpentine and The Long Water
Taking up a substantial portion of the parks, from the southeast winding up to the north end, this is all one body of water, created in 1730 at the request of Queen Caroline, but it changes name where The Serpentine in Hyde Park meets The Long Water in Kensington Gardens, with Serpentine Bridge dividing the two. As with the Round Pond, birds flock to this lake, the most prominent being the swans, ducks and geese. They are not concerned with humans, and you can get in close to take pictures. The lakes get their names from their long winding shape that stretches across the park. In warmer, (non-lockdown) days you can rent a paddle boat or row boat for a few pounds and go out onto the lake. The gift shop sells duck food which draws the birds to you as you throw it into the water—a good photo opp. Afterwards, lunch at the Serpentine Bar & Kitchen at the south end of the lake is a lovely spot to enjoy the scenery, especially on a warm, sunny day.
Serpentine Galleries
The Serpentine Galleries, in two buildings flanking the Serpentine, opened in 1970 with a focus on contemporary art; they present free programming of exhibitions and live events year-round. They showcase both emerging and established artists, including past exhibits with Francis Bacon, Sophie Calle, Alexander Calder, John Baldessari, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Leonora Carrington, Christo and Jeanne-Claude, and Olafur Eliasson.
Speakers' Corner
A traditional site for public speaking since the 19th century, Speakers’ Corner is situated next to Marble Arch at the north-east corner of the park. It is a non-descript site, with a few signs and a café to mark it; you might just walk right past if you didn’t know better, but its history is rich. Karl Marx, George Orwell and Vladimir Lenin often used the spot to demonstrate free speech; it continues today. From the 12th century to the 18th, the spot was the location of public hangings; the condemned prisoners were allowed to make a final speech before their sentence was enforced. Once the hangings were moved to a nearby prison, the tradition of speeches continued in this spot. An Act of Parliament in 1872 made this an official spot for public speaking.
Peter Pan Statue
There are many statues in the park, but Peter Pan is my favorite. It stands at the spot where Peter lands his boat in the story “The Little White Bird”. It was commissioned by the book’s author J.M. Barrie and erected in 1912. They now have a ‘Talking Statues’ sign with a QR code that allows you to hear Peter speaking to you from your phone.
Hyde Park Corner
At the Southeast tip of the park, Hyde Park Corner invites you to cross over into Green Park, where the Queen resides (when in town) at Buckingham Palace, just a short stroll down Constitution Hill. It’s a beautiful walk, through Wellington Arch, named for the famed Duke of Wellington who defeated Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo. Wellington’s home, Apsley House stands at Hyde Park Corner. The family of the current Duke still occupies half the house and the other half, now a museum run by English Heritage is a wonderful example of a 19th century aristocratic townhouse. If you are a fan of the juicy period dramas Belgravia (ITV) or Bridgerton (Netflix), like me, you are familiar with the Duke of Wellington and Apsley House is well worth a visit.
The Albert Memorial
Sitting on the south end of Kensington Gardens, across from Royal Albert Hall (my favourite concert hall in London), the Albert Memorial was erected to commemorate the death of Queen Victoria’s beloved husband, Albert, who died at the age of 42 of typhoid fever. It is a spectacular gothic monument celebrating the issues and topics that Albert was passionate about.
Princess Diana Memorial Playground, Fountain and Path
While Queen Victoria and Prince Albert hold a place of prominence throughout the park, with memorials, statues and fountains in their memory, so too, does Princess Diana. At the time of her death, she still resided at Kensington Palace, and her love of children is celebrated through the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain, the Diana Memorial Playground and the Princess Diana Memorial Walk.
The Princess Diana Playground, just to the north of the palace, is a magnet for kids and my 9-year old adores it. It is a wonderland of activities and is completely gated with a security guard offering peace of mind to parents whose children run off as soon as they enter (like mine). This is the Michelangelo of playgrounds, a masterpiece. I have never seen a better one, with its tee pees, pirate ship and hideaways the kids create their own adventures while I can sit in a sheltered hut with my latte and read.
Opened by the Queen in 2004, the oval, stone fountain, situated next to the Serpentine, was designed ‘to reflect Diana’s life and her open personality’. During the warm summer months, children flock here to splash in the fountain, running and playing in the water.
The seven-mile walk through Hyde Park, as well as Kensington Gardens, St. James Park and Green Park, takes you past buildings and locations associated with Diana’s life, including Kensington Palace, Buckingham Palace, Clarence House and Spencer House. The path is charted by 90 plaques set in the ground, guiding you along the route. It’s a lovely and easy walking tour of the parks.
The Arch by Henry Moore
A gift to the nation by the artist Henry Moore after his exhibit at the Serpentine Gallery in 1978, the travertine marble sculpture, was installed on the North Bank of the Long Water in 1980, and as Moore said, can be reflected in the water. I am a big fan of Moore’s work, I particularly love the juxtaposition of his ‘Large Reclining Figure’ with Salisbury Cathedral.
As much as I wish to venture farther than the park, these days that’s as adventurous as I’m allowed. We have been ordered by law to stay close to home if we venture out for exercise. It’s not too shabby though, spending my mornings in the place where Queen Victoria grew up, George Orwell spoke his mind and Henry VIII hunted deer. I may not be able to travel outside my little nook of London, but I’m not complaining.
Al. & Arlene
So enjoyable! Thanks, Ariane.
Liv
wow! I learned a lot about these parks. I wouldnt know that they were different if it werent for you!