hyde park—the place to be seen

Picture
Rotten Row, Hyde Park, Circa 1890
​Hyde Park, Mayfair
Hyde Park was originally part of Westminster Abbey until Henry VIII turned it into a royal hunting preserve in 1536. With over 350 acres of green space that merges with Kensington Gardens, the Park opened to the public in 1637. Hyde Park, which lies north of the Thames, is bounded on the north by Bayswater Road, to the east by Park Lane, and the south by Knightsbridge. To the east is the affluent area of Mayfair, and south is Belgravia.

In the early 18th century, under the direction of Queen Caroline, the Park underwent significant improvements that attracted the wealthiest of London society, including the creation of the Serpentine, an artificial lake fed by the Thames. On the north side of the Serpentine stood a bandstand that hosted lively musicians and a boathouse from which many Victorian parkgoers rented pleasure boats by the hour. The water froze in the winter, and skaters took to the ice.

A tall iron railing surrounded the Park, with nine carriage entrances. On the northeastern end of the Park, visitors could, and still can, find the Marble Arch, faced with white Carrera stone. In the early 19th century, the triumphal arch first stood as a formal gateway to Buckingham Palace but was moved in 1850 to the Cumberland Gate of Hyde Park just in time for the Great Exhibition of 1851. All gates shut at midnight, and the park rules forbade carts and wagons from coming in at any time.
Picture
The Marble Arch, 1897
​Hyde Park, Mayfair
Hyde Park was originally part of Westminster Abbey until Henry VIII turned it into a royal hunting preserve in 1536. With over 350 acres of green space that merges with Kensington Gardens, the Park opened to the public in 1637. Hyde Park, which lies north of the Thames, is bounded on the north by Bayswater Road, to the east by Park Lane, and the south by Knightsbridge. To the east is the affluent area of Mayfair, and south is Belgravia.

In the early 18th century, under the direction of Queen Caroline, the Park underwent significant improvements that attracted the wealthiest of London society, including the creation of the Serpentine, an artificial lake fed by the Thames. On the north side of the Serpentine stood a bandstand that hosted lively musicians and a boathouse from which many Victorian parkgoers rented pleasure boats by the hour. The water froze in the winter, and skaters took to the ice.

A tall iron railing surrounded the Park, with nine carriage entrances. On the northeastern end of the Park, visitors could, and still can, find the Marble Arch, faced with white Carrera stone. In the early 19th century, the triumphal arch first stood as a formal gateway to Buckingham Palace but was moved in 1850 to the Cumberland Gate of Hyde Park just in time for the Great Exhibition of 1851. All gates shut at midnight, and the park rules forbade carts and wagons from coming in at any time.

During the London Season, the fashionable crowd assembled near the Serpentine. They walked, rode, and drove their carriages. Between 5 and 7 pm, lines of elegant carriages with high-bred horses, occupied by exquisitely dressed women and driven by handsomely liveried coachmen, drove along the broad, southern avenue that leads from Hyde Park Corner to the west past the Albert Gate. The drive on the north side of the Serpentine was called Ladies' Mile. The Coaching and Four-in-Hand Clubs met there during the season, and as many as thirty "drags," or vehicles, often gathered.


Picture
A meeting of the Coaching Club in Hyde Park, 1897
​Hyde Park, Mayfair
Hyde Park was originally part of Westminster Abbey until Henry VIII turned it into a royal hunting preserve in 1536. With over 350 acres of green space that merges with Kensington Gardens, the Park opened to the public in 1637. Hyde Park, which lies north of the Thames, is bounded on the north by Bayswater Road, to the east by Park Lane, and the south by Knightsbridge. To the east is the affluent area of Mayfair, and south is Belgravia.

In the early 18th century, under the direction of Queen Caroline, the Park underwent significant improvements that attracted the wealthiest of London society, including the creation of the Serpentine, an artificial lake fed by the Thames. On the north side of the Serpentine stood a bandstand that hosted lively musicians and a boathouse from which many Victorian parkgoers rented pleasure boats by the hour. The water froze in the winter, and skaters took to the ice.

A tall iron railing surrounded the Park, with nine carriage entrances. On the northeastern end of the Park, visitors could, and still can, find the Marble Arch, faced with white Carrera stone. In the early 19th century, the triumphal arch first stood as a formal gateway to Buckingham Palace but was moved in 1850 to the Cumberland Gate of Hyde Park just in time for the Great Exhibition of 1851. All gates shut at midnight, and the park rules forbade carts and wagons from coming in at any time.

During the London Season, the fashionable crowd assembled near the Serpentine. They walked, rode, and drove their carriages. Between 5 and 7 pm, lines of elegant carriages with high-bred horses, occupied by exquisitely dressed women and driven by handsomely liveried coachmen, drove along the broad, southern avenue that leads from Hyde Park Corner to the west past the Albert Gate. The drive on the north side of the Serpentine was called Ladies' Mile. The Coaching and Four-in-Hand Clubs met there during the season, and as many as thirty "drags," or vehicles, often gathered.

Equestrians rode during early mornings and again in late afternoons along Rotten Row, a track exclusively reserved for riders on spirited and glossy steeds. In the late 1800s, walking by the Row on Sundays became 'the thing.' On a fine Sunday, the 'Church Parade,' between morning service and early afternoon luncheon, was one of London's best dress and fashion displays. The Church Parade, the after-church faithful sauntered in the Stanhope Gate area of Hyde Park and, as the season progressed, became more thickly attended each week. On Sunday evenings, the before-dinner walkers could hear a band of Life Guards who were part of the Household Calvary.

Cycling in Hyde Park also became a fashionable amusement by 1895, and competed for space with carriages along the drives. Most roads were closed to the sometimes-unwieldy vehicles between 3 and 7 pm to avoid accidents during the late afternoon crush.

Hyde Park wasn't just for the fashionable. In the summer, after 8 pm and before 8 am, the park officials hoisted a flag, and a crowd of men would bathe in the Serpentine. After an hour, the flag lowered, and the men exited the area.

Picture
Playing along the Serpentine, 1897