Monday, January 05, 2009

A bit of London: Hyde Park Corner

A day out in London, I went to Hyde park Corner situated in the heart of Royal of London at the south-east corner of Hyde Park. It acts as a roundabout serves to major intersection where Park Lane, Knightsbridge, Piccadilly, Grosvenor Place and Constitution Hill converge. 



In the centre of the roundabout stands Wellington Arch, also known as Constitution Arch or (originally) the Green Park Arch. The arch, and Marble Arch to the north of Hyde Park, were both planned in 1825 by George IV to commemorate Britain's victories in the Napoleonic Wars. 

The Wellington Arch is also an outer gateway to Constitution Hill and therefore a grand entrance into central London from the west. The arch was designed by Decimus Burton as a memorial to the Duke of Wellington. It was built as a northern gate to the grounds of Buckingham Palace. Originally the arch was topped with an equestrian statue of the Duke by Matthew Cotes Wyatt, but it was replaced with the current work, The Quadriga (1912) by Adrian Jones. "Hyde Park Corner" was also used as a code to announce to the Government the death of King George VI in 1952.

In 1846 the Arch was selected as a suitable location for a statue of Sir Arthur Wellesley, the first Duke of Wellington, soldier and Prime Minister.

To the north of the roundabout is Apsley House, the home of the first Duke of Wellington. The house and the statue of Wellington are facing each other.

The Apsley Gate, the entrance to Hyde Park. In addition to the Arch other features include the Monument to Machine Gun Corps, a statue of Byron and the Royal Artillery Memorial.






An Australian War Memorial was added in 2003 and a New Zealand War Memorial on 11th November 2006. Designed by architect John Hardwick-Smith and sculptor Paul Dibble, the New Zealand memorial consists of 16 cross-shaped vertical bronze 'standards' set out in formation on a grassy slope. Each standard is adorned with text, patterns and small sculptures. 






10 comments:

Anonymous said...

grey weather just like here.jelesnya tgk u ada ms nk jln2.I smpt jln blog org sj la.

scOotBerry said...

i wish i cOuld be there One day..hOpefully.

Ms B said...

hey danial,

are u in london now? meeting kak teh?

ps: hyde park is walking distance to my home. should meet up!

[danial][ma] said...

hej! lyna...just steal the time between the unaccomplished mission...;-)

[danial][ma] said...

hej! intan...you will do...;-)

[danial][ma] said...

hej! Ms B...a few days ago...now in my cosy home in NCL...hope next time we can meet, and also kak teh & AG too...;-)

Inah said...

and me?? lets meet up too :)

[danial][ma] said...

hej! inah...can, can...just come over here...london is waiting...;-)

Enche' Adykasyah said...

Ha.. Went there last few years.. I'm sweating like a pig strolling around the park with a bunch of company mates. We are all strangers in Britton..

[danial][ma] said...

hej! enche' adykasyah...must be in summer...;-)

Snow Effect