Hyde Park

The park is so large that you can explore it in several parts: by the Serpentine with the Diana Memorial Fountain, along the Rotten Row bridleway or at Speakers’ Corner, where speakers still wait for an audience on Sunday mornings. On the south bank of the lake there’s a lido for swimming in the lake, and the Serpentine Galleries show contemporary art. In winter a large Christmas market with fairground rides sets up here. Bring comfortable shoes, the paths are long.

Background

Hyde Park is a 350-acre (140-hectare), historic Grade I-listed urban park in Westminster, Greater London. A Royal Park, it is the largest of the parks and green spaces that form a chain from Kensington Palace through Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park, via Hyde Park Corner and Green Park, past Buckingham Palace to St James's Park. Hyde Park is divided by the Serpentine and the Long Water lakes. The park was established by Henry VIII in 1536 when he took the land from Westminster Abbey and used it as a hunting ground. It opened to the public in 1637 and quickly became popular, particularly for May Day parades. Major improvements occurred in the early 18th century under the direction of Queen Caroline. The park also became a place for duels during this time, often involving members of the nobility. In the 19th century, the Great Exhibition of 1851 was held in the park, for which The Crystal Palace, designed by Joseph Paxton, was erected. Free speech and demonstrations have been a key feature of Hyde Park since the 19th century.

From Wikipedia: “Hyde Park, London”, licence CC BY-SA 4.0