Hyde Park is a park in west London containing about 400 acres. Formerly the ancient manor of Hyde, and belonging to the abbey of Westminster, it became crown property at the dissolution in 1535, before being sold by Parliament in 1652 and resumed by the king at the restoration in 1660.
Hyde Park abounds with fine trees, and was the great fashionable promenade and public lounge of western London during the 19th century and Edwardian period. It contains the Rotten Row, a piece of road formerly set apart for equestrians; the Serpentine, a large sheet of ornamental water, much frequented in summer for bathing, and during frosts for skating; and the Albert Memorial, a structure in memory of the Prince Consort.
Abbreviations
Gazetteer
Research Hyde Park
