Designed by a Queen
The 140 ha (360 acres) of Hyde Park, once the manor of Hyde, was taken by King Henry VIII at the Dissolution of the Monasteries and converted into a deer park. King Charles I opened Hyde Park to the public, King George II's Queen Caroline had it landscaped and created the Serpentine lake in its centre. The Serpentine offers swimming (including the 2012 Olympic Triathlon) and boating. Rotten Row offers riding. Other sports facilities include football, tennis, bowls and cycle routes. There are refreshment facilities, politics at Speakers' Corner, wildlife and of course many beautiful trees, shrubs and flower gardens. Recent additions to Hyde Park's many monuments and memorials are the 7/7 bombings memorial and the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain.
