Hyde Park- Origins
In Westminster London, it is a major park that is known for being one of the largest royal parks in London. The entrance starts at Kensington Palace and goes all the way to Buckingham Palace, which houses the royal family. This park also houses serval Long Water lakes and the Serpentine river. These bodies of water are known to attract ducks, which are popular sightseeing animals in the park.
The park was founded and established by Henry VIII in 1536. He took land from Westminster Abbey as a hunting ground. Thus, the park became public in 1637 and grew in popularity having May Day Parades annually. The park underwent major renovations under the rule of Queen Caroline in the 18th century, allowing it to be used in the Great Exhibition of 1851. This exhibition was to show off the innovation and grew crowds of many important people to Hyde Park.
In more recent times, the park has utilized the free speech movement and has been a breeding ground for demonstrations. Some notably being: Performances by Pink Floyd and The Rolling Stones, Stop War Collision, and Reform League. Hyde Park has made its mark as a common ground for the people of London to utilize the city's nature and gather with others.
Hyde Park- Relevance to BL
In excerpts from Brick Lane from chapter 14, Chanu is quoted stating, “Queen Victoria added a fourth wing to the building because of an absence of nurseries and too few bedrooms for visitors. Marble Arch had to be relocated to the northeast corner of Hyde Park.”
The reference to Hyde Park itself references when the park was utilized by the royal families, in this case, Queen Victoria. In the chapter, they are remarking on how beautiful the architecture is and its historical context of it. In this context, the park itself was utilized by the queen to move her arch.
Sources
Royal Parks- Hyde Park https://www.royalparks.org.uk/parks/hyde-park
Hyde Park- History https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyde_Park,_London
Images
Hyde Park Overview
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyde_Park,_London#/media/File:Hyde_Park_London_from_the_air.jpg 