Hyde Park Corner

HYDE PARK CORNER

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Hyde Park Corner is better known as one of the largest roundabouts in London, where several of the capital’s busiest roads meet, bringing traffic from the four compass points together in a mêlée of noise, fumes and motion.  In the earlier days of the motor vehicle Hyde Park Corner was, indeed, the busiest roundabout in the world. Finding a gap to pull out into the traffic puts fear into the inexperienced driver and should one ask any cyclist who has braved its lanes of traffic, a hair-raising story usually unfolds. 

It is a shame then, that of the tens of thousands of vehicles that traverse Hyde Park Corner on a daily basis, the drivers are so focused on negotiating their route through, that they are mostly blind to the many buildings, memorials and statues of interest that occupy both the centre of the roundabout and the surrounding area.

Better then, to explore Hyde Park Corner on foot and subterranean walkways link the traffic island with the surrounding roads. The walkways have tiled illustrations detailing the military campaigns of The Duke Of Wellington and on choosing the correct exit, the visitor surfaces at Apsley House, on the northerly side of the roundabout.

Long before the asphalt was laid, a house was built at the south- easterly corner of Hyde Park and was given the distinguished address of, ‘Number One, London.’ This dated to when a tollgate once stood a short way to the west and this was the first property to be encountered after passing through the toll. It is also known as Apsley House, after The Baron Apsley, who built the house in 1771. The most famous resident of Apsley House was The Duke Of Wellington and his descendents still occupy the part of the building which has not been given over to The Wellington Museum. 

Apsley House was used for entertaining on a grand scale and a visit to The Wellington Museum reveals the Waterloo Room, where celebratory victory banquets were held. Elsewhere, dinner services are displayed, one presented by the Prussians another by the Portuguese. A third dinner service to be seen, was a divorce present from Napoleon to the Empress Josephine, but she rejected it and it came to be exhibited in the museum.

The Duke Of Wellington gained his nickname, ‘The Iron Duke’ through the iron bars he placed in front of the windows to protect him from angry crowds during an episode of unpopularity he suffered when he was Prime Minister. The only parts of these fortifications to remain are the gates and railings at the front and sides of the house. 

In 1828 a Corinthian Portico was added to the front of the house, which faces the equestrian statue of The Duke Of Wellington, mounted on Copenhagen, his favourite horse, which was given a full military burial when it died. The Duke was in the unusual and privileged position of seeing his own statue unveiled during his lifetime. Known as The Duke Of Wellington Memorial, it was erected late, when much of the memory of the glory of the campaigns was fading.

Behind the equestrian statue of the Duke, in the very centre of the huge traffic island of Hyde Park Corner is The Wellington Arch. It was designed by Decimus Burton in 1828 and it is surmounted by the statue of Peace, descending into her quadriga, surrounded by four horses. This addition was positioned in 1912 to commemorate the reign of King Edward The Eighth and it is the largest bronze sculpture in England. Previously, there had been a statue of The Duke Of Wellington in its place, but deemed to be too ugly, it was removed to Aldershot, the home of the British Army. 

Others know The Wellington Arch as The Constitution Arch, so called for the simple reason that King Charles The First took his constitutional walks in the area. The United Kingdom has no written constitution, something it shares with only a handful of countries across the globe. The arch once housed the smallest police station in London, which closed in 1975. At certain times, the arch is open to the public and one can climb to the spectators viewing platform at the top, with views over the high wall at the southerly reach of the roundabout, into the gardens of Buckingham Palace.  

Off Hyde Park Corner to the east, lies the long straight avenue of Constitution Hill, which gently descends with Green Park, the smallest of central London’s grand parks, to the north and the high wall shielding the gardens of Buckingham Palace to the south. When observing the height of the wall, it is hard to believe that two young Germans successfully scaled the wall in the last years of the twentieth century and set up a tent in the Queen’s garden. They were only discovered after they had enjoyed a good night’s sleep, believing themselves to be in Hyde Park. Constitution Hill leads towards the entry gates of Buckingham Palace and whilst enjoying the stroll down, lend a thought to the number of assassination attempts made on the life of Queen Victoria, in the 1840’s, one of which took place as her carriage passed along Constitution Hill. Two of the would-be assassins were deemed lunatics. The man who made the second attempt was condemned to death by hanging from the neck until he was dead. Queen Victoria commuted the sentence and he was instead exiled to Tasmania. A few years later in 1850, Sir Robert Peel, the founder of the modern police force, was thrown from his horse and killed whilst riding on Constitution Hill after having made a call at Buckingham Palace.

It is along Constitution Hill that the horse guards approach and depart when the guard changes at Horseguards Parade, located between Whitehall and St James’s Park. The mounted troopers return along The Mall, past Buckingham Palace and onto Constitution Hill, then pass alongside the Constitution Arch, (never directly under it,) cross the busy road and pass through The Screen Gate, just to the west of Apsley House, before entering Hyde Park and heading back to the Knightsbridge Barracks. The Screen Gate was designed by Decimus Burton in 1828 and it marks the formal entrance into Hyde Park. Along the top, can be seen a reproduction of the Parthenon Frieze. The Horseguards consist of The Blues and Royals and The Life Guards and the troopers can be seen passing Hyde Park Corner at a certain point during the hour before and the hour after the guard change. They also pass by at many other important ceremonial occasions, such as the Trooping Of The Colour in June of each year.

Grosvenor Place is another road leading off Hyde Park Corner, heading southeast and linking to the Grosvenor Gardens and Victoria Railway Station beyond. To the west of this busy thoroughfare are the quieter streets of Belgravia with vast, white stuccoed houses, many housing foreign embassies and esteemed institutions.

Standing between Grosvenor Crescent and Knightsbridge on the western side of the roundabout is the Lanesborough Hotel, opened in 1992 and regarded as one of London’s smartest and certainly most expensive. In late 2009 the hotel’s ‘Royal Suite’ cost £7500 a night. It is housed in the former St George’s Hospital, now decamped to new, larger buildings in Tooting, in southwest London. It was in Lanesborough House, the former hospital, where Doctor Gray did much research for the writing of his still relevant, ‘Gray’s Academy.’

The Lanesborough Hotel looks directly across to The Royal Artillery War Memorial, just inside the roundabout. The bronze figures of First World War ‘Tommy’s’, are carefully depicted as sombre men and it is immediately apparent that this memorial does not display war as being in the slightest bit glamorous. Created by C.S.Jagger, he had fought and survived the war and he was clearly perfectly positioned to draw on his experiences to produce this emotive memorial. 

Within the roundabout at the north-easterly end, The Machine Gun Corps Memorial commemorates those who fell in the Great War. It is topped by a statue of a young David, proudly naked, but facing away from the thousands of cars that roar past it on an hourly basis. Behind the traffic is the Four Seasons Hotel, currently undergoing a total renovation and due to re-open in 2010.

On the opposite side to David is another memorial, its contemporary nature betraying that it was constructed as late as 2003, dedicated to those Australians who lost their lives in both The First World War and The Second World War. It lists the names of all the towns in which those who died were born. The two hundred tonnes of granite were brought over from Western Australia and the low curves of the memorial sit comfortably at the south-westerly corner of the roundabout.

More recently still, the New Zealand War Memorial was constructed in 2007 and made up of sixteen large bronze standards, all set into the ground and pointing southwards. It is likely to provide a focus point for Anzac Day and Waitangi Day celebrations for New Zealanders living in London. 

This is intended as a brief introduction to the area of Hyde Park Corner, which barely covers one grid square on a page in the AZ Street Atlas of London. Nevertheless, there is clearly enough to see and do to keep one busy for a long morning or afternoon. 

Travel

Hyde Park Corner is one of the very best locations for bus services in London, with more than a dozen routes passing through. It is also directly served by an Underground (Tube) station, of the same name. 

Food

The London branch of The Hard Rock Café is at the Hyde Park Corner end of Piccadilly, at 150 Old Park Lane, where they do actually serve food as well as sell T-shirts. It was the first branch of the franchise in the world opening in 1971 and traditionally, on the fourteenth of June each year, to celebrate the anniversary, food prices are returned to those from the original menu, just for the day.   The rock memorabilia museum at the restaurant is worth a visit and Eric Clapton’s Lead II Fender guitar, originally donated to reserve a seat at the bar, is still to be seen.  

Alternatively, on the other side of Hyde Park Corner, at 11 Knightsbridge, is Pizza on The Park, where jazz musicians frequently play live. Details are shown on the restaurant website. 

Traditional English afternoon teas can be enjoyed at The Lanesborough Hotel, in the Apsley’s restaurant, between 3.30 and 6.30 pm. Select from teas often purchased at auction and enjoy scones with thick clotted cream, prices start from over thirty pounds. 

Opening times for The Wellington Museum: 1st Apr-31 Oct: Wed-Sun and Bank Holidays 11:00-17:00, 1 Nov-31 Mar: Wed-Sun 11:00-16:00. Closed: Mon, Tues and 24-26 Dec, and 1 Jan. Opening times and admission prices are subject to change each year from 1 Apr.

Opening times for The Constitutional Arch / The Wellington Arch: 1^st Apr-1 Nov: Wed-Sun and Bank Holidays 10:00-5:00, 2 Nov-31 Mar Wed-Sun10:00-16:00. Closed: 24-26 Dec and 1 Jan. Opening times and admission prices are subject to change each year from 1 Apr.

Check with venues for confirmation of the above information before visiting.

Where to view video clips of Hyde Park Corner and video clips of London

London in motion has some of the best London Stock Footage and London Library Footage with moving clips of many of the above mentioned places to see, are available to browse through by simply visiting the ‘Hyde Park Corner’ category of this website.  New additions of London video clips are being frequently uploaded and further categories will be appearing over the coming months.

Copyright: London In Motion 2009

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