Hyde Park

Hyde Park is one of London's finest landscapes and is a focal point for public events of all sizes.

Unusually for a Royal Park, its landscape has been shaped more by the demands of the public than by royalty. A tradition of hosting large scale popular events began with the hosting of the Great Exhibition in 1851, and is still going strong. From popular concerts that attract hundreds of thousands of visitors each year to national celebrations and sporting spectacles there are an estimated 5 million visits per annum. This makes it one of London's most frequented green spaces.

Hyde Park is a key walking link in the 'green chain' that runs from the Palace of Westminster to Kensington Palace. The park has many interesting features, including The Serpentine Lake and the Diana Memorial Fountain, each visited by hundreds of thousands of people every year. If you would like to escape the hustle and bustle, there are also places for quiet contemplation; the Holocaust Memorial and the Rose Garden are perhaps the best known.

History still plays a part: Speakers' Corner at the north-east end of the Park is known as the 'cradle of free speech' and orators still speak on all manner of subjects on Sunday mornings. Park facilities include The Dell and Lido cafes, a tennis school, the LookOut education centre, various sports pitches, tracks for horse riding, children's playgrounds and rowing boats and pedaloes on the Serpentine.