Green Park or Hyde Park Corner

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WC in Green Park Tube Station

Green Park was first recorded in history in 1554 when Sir Thomas Wyatt led a rebellion in protest against the marriage of Mary I to Philip II of Spain. The Park once contained lodges, a library, an ice house and two vast 'temples' called the Temple of Peace and the Temple of Concord. In 1749 the Temple of Peace, erected to mark the end of the War of Austrian Succession, exploded during a firework display. In 1814 the Temple of Concord, erected to mark 100 years of the Hanoverian Dynasty, was also destroyed in a similar way during the Prince Regent's gala. The Park was enclosed by Charles II in 1668, stocked with deer and provided with a ranger's house.

In 1770, the park was the location of a famous duel involving the Italian dramatist Vittorio Alfieri, the “founder of Italian tragedy”. While visiting London, Alfieri became involved with a married lady of high rank. Her husband found out and challenged Alfieri to a duel in Green Park. Alfieri was wounded, but only slightly, as apparently he was rushed not to get medical help, but to the Haymarket Theatre in time to catch the last act of a play!

Green Park links Hyde Park with St. James's Park, and together with Kensington Gardens and the gardens of Buckingham Palace, these parks form an almost unbroken stretch of open land reaching from Whitehall and Victoria to Kensington and Notting Hill. By contrast with its neighbours, Green Park has no lakes, nor any statues or fountains, but consists entirely of beautiful wooded meadows and trees, with a good show of daffodils in spring.

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