London Parks
Hyde Park
Hyde Park’s origins can be traced back to the early 16th century when it was established as a private hunting ground for King Henry VIII. The present day park took shape during the 17th and 18th centuries including the creation of the Serpentine. In the 19th century, it became a popular site for public demonstrations, protests, and speeches with prominent figures such as Karl Marx and George Orwell addressing crowds, advocating for social and political change. The park’s Speakers’ Corner, established in the mid-19th century, has been a platform for free speech and public debates ever since.
The Regent's Park
Named after the Prince Regent (later became King George IV), the Regent’s Park is one of London’s eight Royal Parks. Occupying 410 acres in north-west Inner London, construction of the present day park began in 1811 and was completed in 1828. It wasn’t until 1835, during the reign of King William IV, that the general public were actually allowed into the sections of the park and this was only for two days of the week. Of the buildings and monuments within the park, only two villas, St John’s Lodge and The Holme, remain from John Nash’s original conception of the park.
Tavistock Square Garden
The Square and garden is located in the London suburb of Bloomsbury. This relatively small parcel of real estate has both an interesting and tragic history. The garden has a range of memorials, most notably to Mahatma Ghandi who studied law at the nearby University College, London. Other memorials to be featured are to the writer Virginia Woolf, Louisa Aldrich-Blake (first female surgeon). On the 7th July 2005, Tavistock Square was the scene of one of four suicide bombings detonated in London by Muslim extremists (the other 3 were set off in Tube Stations). The events of that day which saw 13 passengers die is remembered with a plaque in the square.
