All the royal parks are managed by a special agency – The Royal Parks. London residents and tourists can use the parks for recreational purposes such as relaxing and walking, but they have no right to break the established order.

Hyde Park stands out among the rest by the fact that since ancient times there have been various rallies (there is even a specially designated place called “Speakers’ Corner”) and holidays. Now it is quite a popular and favorite recreation place for London residents.

Hyde Park Attractions in London

Speakers Corner

This is probably the main attraction of the park. It appeared in 1872. Anyone could take the floor on an improvised podium and freely express his thoughts. Sometimes not only workers, but also famous people, such as Karl Marx and George Orwell became orators. By the way, long before these events there was a gallows where the death penalty was carried out. Convicts were given the last word, allowed to say whatever they wanted.

To this day, Orators’ Corner is a symbol of freedom and the struggle for one’s rights. Even now, the place is practically never empty: someone is bound to take the floor here. There are a few interesting points: it is forbidden to insult the Queen, blaspheme, call for violence; the speaker must stand on a chair, box or other object and only then begin to speak (it is forbidden to swear while standing with your feet on the kings land).

Wellington’s Arch

The Arch was erected in 1830 to commemorate the victory of troops led by the Duke of Wellington at the Battle of Waterloo. It was first established in Green Park (the smallest of London’s Royal Parks), then moved to Hyde Park because of road widening.

The arch was designed by architect Decimus Burton to feature a bronze horse and several small sculptures. However, it was adorned with a sculpture of the Duke of Wellington. Decimus disliked it so much that he offered a large sum for the demolition of his own brainchild. He did not succeed in carrying it out. The arch stood in this form for more than a decade. In 1912, instead of the sculpture of Wellington, a chariot appeared there, drawn by four horses, ruled by an angel with a crown of victory in his hand.

Statue of Achilles

The largest statue in Hyde Park. It was created to commemorate the victory over Napoleon at Waterloo. The statue is cast from the cannons taken from the battlefield. Installed the statue in 1822.

Apsley House

At the southeastern end of Hyde Park is the residence of the Dukes of Wellington. It is one of London’s most famous houses. Apsley House was built between 1771 and 1778. Now the northern part of the building is closed to the public, and in the other half is the Arthur Wellington Museum (there is a rich collection of paintings).

Princess Diana Memorial Complex

This monument opened in Hyde Park in 2004. The fountain was designed by the world-famous artist and landscape designer Catherine Gustafson. The shape of the fountain is unusual, like a bowl: one trough the water flows slowly, symbolizing a calm and bright period in the life of Diana, the other – swiftly, like a mountain stream, recalling the difficult trial of the princess and her death.

Lake Serpentine

In English “serpentine” means snake. The lake did not get such a name by accident. In shape, it really resembles a writhing snake. This irregular shape (oblong, with uneven banks) was specially given to the lake to make it seem more natural.

There is a very sad story connected with this lake: in 1816 the pregnant wife of famous poet Percy Bisha Shelley drowned there.

Serpentine Gallery

The gallery is located in central London, Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park. All the exhibits are works of art of the 20th and 21st centuries. At various times it has hosted exhibitions of Henry Moore, Andy Warhol, Bridget Riley, Jeff Koons and other famous artists, photographers, designers and sculptors.

Pet cemetery.

It’s true: there is a pet cemetery in Hyde Park. It is now, of course, inactive. Only slabs dating back to the 19th century remain there. In 1881 the curator of the park decided to bury on the request of a head of a London family, their beloved dog Charlie. The place was chosen secluded. However such a small memorial did not go unnoticed and soon there were several more tombstones in the cemetery. Representatives of noble families buried their favorites here. In total there are about 300 burials. In 1903, the cemetery was closed.

In Hyde Park you can see some more interesting art objects and sculptures. Admission to one of the most famous Royal Parks is free. The gates open daily at 5 a.m. and close at midnight.

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Regent’s Park is a beautiful park complex in central London. It includes many areas for active recreation and sports. The area of the park is 188 hectares.

Regent’s Park used to be called Marylebone Park and, like many other royal parks, was once a royal hunting reserve. Here in the 16th century Henry VIII hunted deer, but then the park was used until the 19th century, first as a source of timber, then as land for fields and vegetable gardens. The situation changed in the early 19th century, when King George III became seriously ill and his son became regent. He wanted a new palace for himself and, accordingly, a new park. The realization of the project was entrusted to the famous architect John Nash, who called the new park – Regent’s park. The new attraction was finished in 1835, and only ten years later the entrance was made free for all Londoners. Since then, new buildings and places of interest have appeared in the park, but its layout has remained the original – a complex system of rings connected by vectors of alleys.

The area of the park is about two hundred hectares. Most of it is devoted to sectors-flowers, which are called gardens. They are separated from each other by internal gilded gates. The most beautiful of these is the garden of Queen Mary, or the garden of the roses. It was laid out in 1932. Here grows more than thirty thousand roses of four hundred varieties. Many of them belong to the climbing varieties, and special supports were made precisely in order to be wrapped around the shoots of roses and form not only horizontal but also vertical rose garden. In the garden of Queen Mary a wonderful strong fragrance of roses, which combines the most subtle shades of scents of rare varieties, is constantly fragrant. By the way, all varieties of roses are marked with plaques with their names.

In Regent’s Park is located the central London mosque, from a distance its building looks like a water tower. So do not be surprised to meet here and there in the park people in Muslim clothes and with a Koran in their hands – they are worshippers of the mosque, which can accommodate five thousand people.

Finally if you just want to sit in the grass and enjoy the view then head to the north of Regent’s Park, to Primrose Hill. It’s a hill where Londoners like to picnic because of its large open, sunny spaces. There’s also a large playground.

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