It was one of Burton's earliest commissions; he was just 25 years old at the time. The gateway is made of cream-coloured Portland stone and was begun in It took three years to complete.
It is decorated with neo-classical friezes copied from the Elgin Marbles in the British Museum. Burton also designed the lodge just inside the gates. Look for the turret clock atop the lodge house. Just a short walk from the Apsley Gates is another, much more modern, set of gates, designed to commemorate the 90th birthday of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother.
The gates were paid for by public subscription and were opened by the Queen in They are made from stainless steel and incorporate the lion of England and the unicorn of Scotland in the central gateway panel. It is fair to say that the gate design did not meet with uniform approval; one critic described them as 'a music hall joke'.
Within sight of the Queen Elizabeth Gate is this huge statue of Achilles, created to commemorate the life of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington and the victor of Waterloo. The gargantuan statue stands feet high and was the very first statue installed in Hyde Park. The sculptor was Sir Richard Westmacott, who melted down 33 French cannons captured by Wellington during his campaigns in France.
The figure of Achilles is based on a Roman statue discovered at Monte Cavallo, but the head is a likeness of Wellington. Westmacott's original statue was completely nude, but when the figure was unveiled it caused an uproar, so the sculptor had to quickly add a fig leaf to preserve the Duke's modesty.
No one seems to know quite why this statue of a naked girl carrying a fish is dubbed 'Little Nell', which suggests a connection to the Charles Dickens character Nell Trent, the heroine of his novel The Old Curiosity Shop. The statue and the fountain on which it stands were sculpted around by William Colton, RA, and seems to have been originally called the Mermaid Fountain, and more recently, The Colton Memorial.
The figure we see today is a copy of the original, made of concrete and erected in This is Rotten Row, and it was a popular area for well-to-do Londoners to ride their horses during the 18th and 19th centuries. To illuminate the route William had oil lamps installed in , making Rotten Row the first artificially illuminated highway in Britain.
During the 18th century, fashionable Londoners made Rotten Row a popular meeting place, a place to see and be seen. Horse riders donned their best outfits and exercised their steeds along the route, while more sedate members of high society drove their carriages along neighbouring South Carriage Drive.
Today you can still see occasional horses being ridden along Rotten Row, but it is no longer heavily used. Look for a plaque beside the track with the inscription,. Its Construction was supervised by the Surveyor of their Majesties' Roads, Captain Michael Studholme and it was the first lamp-lit road in the Kingdom.
Designated as a public bridleway in the s, Rotten Row is one of the most famous urban riding grounds in the world '. This famous area of Hyde Park lies in the north-eastern corner of the park, facing Marble Arch. An Act of Parliament in declared this corner of the park an area for public speaking. Speakers' Corner gained an almost mythical status over the years as a place where anyone could say anything they wanted on any subject, without fear of censure or legal repercussion, making Speakers' Corner an important place in the concept of free speech.
The myth is not strictly true; though speakers are allowed to speak on any subject, their speeches do have to be considered lawful by the police, which is a rather vague term open to interpretation. Speakers usually harangue passing crowds on Sunday mornings, and at other times of the week you will usually find Speakers' Corner to be an unremarkable area of the park.
The history of Speakers' Corner goes back to the year , when the infamous Tyburn Gallows were set up near this spot. You can see a plaque marking the gallows location set into the pavement on the far side of Oxford Street, opposite Marble Arch.
Over the centuries some 50, people were hanged at Tyburn until the Gallows were finally taken down in People condemned to die at Tyburn were permitted to make a speech to the assembled onlookers before their execution. Some used the opportunity to repent their crimes, others protested their innocence, and some criticised the authorities that had condemned them to die.
The connection of Tyburn to public protest was firmly ingrained in the public mind by the time executions were moved from Tyburn to Newgate Prison. The tradition continued after the Gallows were removed, and protest marches often ended at what is now Speakers' Corner. In a march by the Reform League, demanding an extension of voting rights, ended in violence when the government tried to stop protestors from entering Hyde Park.
Three days of rioting ensued. Another protest the following year drew , marchers and forced the Home Secretary to resign. The government saw the wisdom of permitting controlled freedom of speech in a designated area of the park, and in enacted the Parks Regulation Act, granting the right to meet and speak freely in Hyde Park, as long as they didn't use obscene language.
The park continued as a popular destination for protest marchers even after Speakers' Corner was established. From the suffragettes held regular meetings near The Reformers Tree in the south-west corner of the parade ground.
It was a consciously ironic choice of venue, for the tree had gained its name from the fact that the Reform League, demanding the vote for all men , but not women, gathered at the tree in The tree was set on fire during one protest, and its stump became a focal point for further protests and a symbol of people's right to free speech and free assembly.
The stump is long gone, and in its place is a circular mosaic with the outline of a black tree against a white background. The original design called for the archway to be topped by a statue of George IV, Nash's patron, but rising costs and the king's death meant that the finished design was less elaborate and omitted the sculpture completely. It was moved in to its present, rather oddly isolated location on what is now a large traffic island at the junction of Park Lane and Oxford Road.
In theory, only the royal family and the King's Troop, Royal Horse Artillery are allowed to pass through the central archway. I say, in theory , because the archway is open and pedestrians pass through it all the time. It is made of stone faced with Italian marble. During the s and s, the cream of the courtesans rode in their carriages, displaying their charms.
Speakers' Corner stands at the north-eastern edge of Hyde Park, close to the Tyburn 'tree'. Many criminals were executed here from the Middle Ages onwards and especially in the eighteenth century, when, during a twenty-year period, nearly three hundred highwaymen died here. Speakers' Corner is now a symbol of freedom of speech, but the tradition of holding impromptu meetings arose from the last words given by condemned men and women, who were allowed to make a statement before they met their maker.
Tyburn's gallows no longer cast a long shadow, as Marble Arch stands there in its place, although the ghosts of its victims are still believed to haunt the area.
It was the Victorians who truly transformed London's parks into the public spaces as we know and understand them today. Camden Town is the best-known part of Camden made popular thanks to its market and the alternative style of its residents. Hyde Park throughout the years The land originally belonged to Westminster Abbey until , when Henry VIII confiscated it and made it into private royal hunting grounds. During the summer multiple events are held in Hyde Park, especially concerts. Location Central London.
British Museum Camden Town. COVID information. TripAdvisor Traveller Rating Based on 22, reviews. Hyde Park is one of the greatest city parks in the world.
Covering hectares acres with over 4, trees, a large lake, a meadow and ornamental flower gardens. Website Premium Member. About London's Hyde Park is one of the greatest city parks in the world.
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