Urban Parks – Hyde Park
Line BreakAuthor: Kathryn Frengs (264 Articles)
Travelfusion's Social Media Officer, I manage all of our online marketing and presence on Twitter, Facebook, our blog and more. I love my job!
Urban parks are always on my list of places to explore whilst traveling. There’s something really appealing about learning more about a city through its open spaces. Also, I’ve found that urban parks are a fantastic place to see the locals and observe the things that they get up to in their time off.
I’ve written previously about City Park in Budapest, but today I’ll be focusing on a massive urban park closer to home – Hyde Park in Central London. Since moving to London, I have been extremely impressed not only by the number of urban parks in this city but also by their size. Coming from Paris, home to a handful of small-ish parks, I was astounded to learn how many parks are here and how huge they can be. Hyde Park is one of the largest in London and in fact is larger than the entire Principality of Monaco!
Photo credit: gailf548
Divided in half by the Serpentine River, a non-natural “lake” which was ordered to be constructed by Queen Caroline in the 1700’s as a part of the general development of the park, Hyde Park has become a meeting place for many in London and is a magnificent spot for rest and reflection. The park has come a long way from its early days as a deer park and hunting grounds closed to all but the royalty back in the 1500’s. In fact, the park remained closed to the public until 1637. Today all are welcome and the park is home to many different activities.
Photo credit: garryknight
Walking and cycling paths criss-cross the park and make the space ideal for those who enjoy exercising in the fresh air. The immense open green spaces have also made Hyde Park a sought-after venue for rock concerts. One of Queen’s most popular shows was performed in the park in 1976 in front of a reported 150-200,000 spectators, a record that still stands today.
Photo credit: Olivier Bruchez
In 2008, I was lucky enough to attend the Hark Rock Calling concert in Hyde Park and enjoyed stretching out on the grass and singing along to Sheryl Crow and Eric Clapton. Surrounded by thousands of fellow fans and under a bright blue London summer sky, Hyde Park came alive with music as it has for years. This is definitely my favourite “Hyde Park memory” so far but I look forward to making more memories soon.
Photo credit: Gruntzooki
Perhaps the most famous part of Hyde Park today is Speaker’s Corner on the northeast corner of the park. This area, known as a place where public speaking is allowed and encouraged on any topic, is a lively and unpredictable place that is definitely worth visiting on your next trip to Hyde Park. Originally a place for workers to gather and speak out, Speaker’s Corner has had some famous speakers throughout the years including George Orwell and Karl Marx, though most speakers are unknown. Whether the speakers are reading their original poetry, speaking out against “the man” or preaching, this spot is always entertaining and lively.
Definitely check out Hyde Park on your next stop in London, and watch this space for more posts about urban parks! Let us know if there are certain parks you’d like to learn about before others!
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