A Visit to the Dell on a walk through Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens

All of the stock pictures call this area the waterfall in Hyde Park.  I thought that the sign in this fenced in area said it was the dell.  I think we'll have to take a walk in the park and find out if my memory is accurate. This is a beautiful spot that looks as if it just fell here untouched by human hand or gardener. 

Forsythia with the church on Petersburgh Place in the background

Saint Matthew's on St Peterburgh Place

We can hear the bells chime at from the church at our flat two blocks away.

The last large patch of blooming daffodils. 

Shopping at the Whiteley

My London Girl

Selling from 89 to 99 Pounds

While Earl shopped at M & S Food I sat on an old church pew and waited with our bag full of groceries from Tesco across the street.

 Whiteleys shopping center is where we had milk shakes with John and Melanie while they were in London.

A window display of shoes. The boxes with shoes on display had a mirror behind the shoes.

The result was not only the reflection from the window but the mirrors as well.

At the Tesco across the street there is an employee who wears shoes just like these black ones.  She can be seen helping customers and stocking shelves.  We are pretty sure that some day this young woman is destined to have surgery on her feet.

Running in the parks

Serpentine Running Club

Sights and history

Hyde Park was enclosed by Henry VIII in 1536 to be used as a deer chase. In 1637, it was opened as a public park, and the crowds came to watch horse-racing and other sports. Deer were still hunted here during the 18th century, and finally disappeared in about 1840. The Great Exhibition took place here in 1851, between Rotten Row and Knightsbridge, and the profit was used to establish the museums in South Kensington. Hyde Park has an area of 361 acres, and Kensington Gardens around 274 acres. Marble Arch was designed by John Nash in 1827. Made of white Italian marble, it was intended to stand in front of Buckingham Palace to celebrate the end of the Napoleonic Wars. But the arch was too narrow for the Gold Stage Coach, and in 1837, the arch was dismantled and moved to its present position, which is the site of the Tyburn gallows. Speakers' Corner was established in 1872. Contrary to the urban legend, there is no particular right of free speech at Speakers' Corner: there is, however, a right of assembly. At Victoria Gate, where you cross the road leading out of the park, is the famous pet cemetery established in 1880. The gravestones can be seen from the Bayswater Road. Across the road is Kensington Gardens. These were once the private gardens of Kensington Palace. Their design is due to Queen Caroline, wife of George II. Kensington Palace Gardens – often known as "millionaires' row" – is guarded at either end. This private avenue is almost exclusively for embassies and ambassadorial residences. The original houses were planned in 1843 when the palace kitchen gardens were sold for development. At the top, on the left, is the remarkable modern building which used to be the Czechoslovakia Embassy. Further down, No.8 was the primary interrogation centre for German prisoners during the Battle of Britain. Kensington Palace was built in 1605, and bought in 1689 by William III (of whom there is a statue behind the front gates). From then until the death of George II in 1760 it was a residence of the reigning sovereign. The old house was altered and extended by Sir Christopher Wren. In recent years it has been used as a high class apartment block for the minor royals, most notably Princess Diana. The Albert Memorial (1864-1872) is a mid-Victorian monument to Albert, consort of Queen Victoria. Designed by Sir Gilbert Scott, the centrepiece is a 14ft statue of the Prince Consort made of gun metal, surrounded by statues. The Royal Albert Hall was build in 1867-1871. The round hall was designed by Captain Fowke, a Royal Engineer. It is almost a quarter of a mile in circumference. The Royal Albert Hall is the site of the annual Proms concerts, including the Last Night of the Proms. At three miles, you pass the Knightsbridge Barracks and stables on your right. These were built in 1970. 270 horses are stabled in the East Wing. In 1984, the IRA planted a bomb which killed several guardsmen and horses, not far from the Cavalry Memorial near the bandstand. At Edinburgh Gate on the right, admire the Pan sculpture by Jacob Epstein, finished in 1959. This was his last work. The Triumphal Arch at Hyde Park Corner was built in 1828, designed by Decimus Burton. The Wellington Monument (the statue of Wellington on the back of his favourite horse, Copenhagen) is by Boehm. When Diana, Princess of Wales died in a car crash in 1997, her funeral procession began at her apartments at Kensington Palace. It passed through Hyde Park, down Constitution Hill, The Mall, Horse Guards, Whitehall then to Westminster Abbey for a funeral service. In Hyde Park Corner, glance to your right at Apsley House on the other side of the road, the London home of the "Iron" Duke of Wellington, victor at Waterloo and later Prime Minister. This was the site of a pub, and then the old lodge of Hyde Park. The house was built in the 1780s, and bought by Wellington in 1817. In 1947, the 7th Duke of Wellington presented the house to the nation. The museum contains mainly artefacts associated with the Duke of Wellington including his death mask and his and Napoleon's swords from Waterloo. As you leave Hyde Park on to Park Lane, you pass through the over-ornate Queen Elizabeth Gate, erected in 1993 to celebrate the Queen Mother's 93rd birthday, and paid for by public subscription. The stainless steel and bronze gates were designed by Giuseppe Lund, and the lion and unicorn panels were sculpted by David Wynne. Then to your left is the Achilles Statue by Richard Westmacott, cast from captured cannon, in honour of the Duke of Wellington. It was the first nude statue in England, and said to have embarrassed the women who presented it to Wellington. Opposite, in the centre of the road, is a bust of the poet Byron and his dog, Bo'sun, by Belt. As you return to Speakers' Corner, spare a thought for the victims of the Tyburn Gallows, commemorated by a stone in the railings in Bayswater Road. The gallows here were first a tree, then a gibbet and finally an iron triangle for multiple executions. 72,000 people died here during the reign of Henry VIII alone. The condemned were drawn through the streets from the Tower or from Newgate, and then hanged (and often drawn and quartered too) before the huge crowds which gathered to hear the last words, and to enjoy the side shows. Popular victims were toasted in gin or beer as they passed. Owen Barder

Bird watching

The weed growing out of the concrete balastrade on our balcony seems to be flourishing despite the cold and the snow. 

On Sunday morning Earl walked across the park to the church.  Snow had accumulated overnight.  The sidewalks were clear but the grass was covered with snow. Although the cold snap was not as severe as expected, earmuffs and scarves and gloves were needed to make walking across the park endurable.

Kensington Palace surrounded by snow.

Our destination was Saint Pancras station.  Just opposite it is the British Library.

You can probably guess that the Beast from the East whether it was 2.0 or mini still left London very cold even after the snow had melted. 

Since we were passing the British Library, I suggested that we stop off to visit Sir Isaac Newton.  However, we discovered that the entire "piazza" around the statue was roped off because of icy surfaces. 

Sir Isaac Newton

Statue of Newton outside the British Library

Newton

The British Library with Sir Isaac Newton in the foreground

This print is for sale online

The British Library with Saint Pancras station in the background

...the libraries. But they’re dangerous places. Even with the assiduous application of the Dewey Decimal System, staying on track is impossible. My pals over at the Londonist have published an excellent guide to London libraries here. But here’s the problem; if you don’t know exactly what you’re looking for, you’ll get lost in stories within stories, and sidetracked endlessly.

A fun article about getting lost in research and a library.  Books at the London Library date back as far as 1067

On the 26th of March we are taking the Eurostar from Saint Pancras station in London to Paris.  We bought Eurorail tickets for 12 days of travel in Europe.  In order to travel on the Eurostar we have to have paid-for reservations.  The way to get reservations made is either online or in person at St Pancras Station.  We took the bus and walked a few blocks to the Eurostar ticket office at the station. 

Saint Pancras Station

Definitely not a modern building. 

In 1968 the frist train pulled into St Pancras station.  The elaborate building was the Midland Grand Hotel that was built to accompany the train stations and the passengers' needs.  In 1935 the hotel failed and was purchased by the Midland and Scotland Railway as offices and an extentison to the railroad station.  On our way to the station we passed the British Library.

Saint Pancras (Latin: Sanctus Pancratius) was a Roman citizen who converted to Christianity, and was beheaded for his faith at the age of fourteen, around the year 304. His name is Greek (Παγκράτιος) and means "the one that holds everything".

Thackeray Street

Near Thackeray Street

On Thackeray Street

One of the interesting aspects of wandering along these streets was that we saw parking spots for one small car in the front gardens of many of the houses.  We also walked along a Mews that had car garages instead of the old carriage houses of long ago years or modern converted flats.

A place to park your car

Mews

Kensington Square Garden

We decided that we were going to walk to the Holiday Inn where Kristi and her family have a reservation.  While they are here in London for a few days at the first of April.  We had a vague idea of where the hotel was located on Cromwell.  We thought that we needed to go off to the right.We found ourselves on streets that were dead ends with small walkways leading from one square to another.  Naturally it did not occur to me that we should be taking photographs at the time.  It is very 

unlikely that we will ever find our way into the same neighborhood.

How to find Maria Assumpta Chapel

Maria Assumpta Chapel

Website

Directions

Church in London, England

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Address: 21 Kensington Square, Kensington, London W8 5HH

Phone: 020 7361 4756

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Holiday Inn on Cromwell Road.  The entrance is a long block away on the opposite from Cromwell Road.

Gloucester Road Tube Station close to the Cromwell Road Holiday Inn

Not quite as cold today.  

Map of the garden

London running routes with a list of interesting places along the way...Speakers corner to Albert Memorial

Cormarant

Grey Heron

Male Mandarin duck

Male and female

Cormorant

Most of the posts are occupied by seagulls

The seagulls are much smaller than California seagulls that we are used to in Southern California.

The fast few mornings we have heard them squacking from our apartment on Palace Court.

Birding Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens

Ducks and Seagulls

 Birds in the Italian Garden

I have been trying to find out what a small round black waterfowl is called.  I think we solved the mystery today with all of our pictures of bird posters at the park. Earl has suggested that they were common mudhens.  Apparently the English version is a moorhen.  This royal garden site has a lot of fun pictures of baby birds besides these moorhens.



The Moorhens in the Italian Garden have moved their chicks into another clump of plants at a safe distance from the Grey Heron's usual fishing station.

Black Lion Lodge

Strange as it may seem this is apparently a privately rented/leased dwelling place within the parks and maintained by the Royal Parks. In order to see any of the information or photographs please click on the link. 

This property is located at Black Lion Lodge, Kensington Gardens, London W2 4RU and has an estimated current value of £4,093,000. Kensington Gardens, W2 has 4 houses and flats on it, compared to an average property value of £1,381,512 for W2. There are currently 1,052 houses and flats for sale in W2 with an average asking price of £1,655,453 and 2,466 properties to rent in W2 with an average asking rent of £841 pw.

You are here

The entrance area where we enter the park.  Orme Square Gate has a lodge as well, but it is modern in appearance...a bit like the old salt box architecture that was popular in the 1960s.

Forsythia in Kensington Gardens

In Kensington Gardens, London, one can find
an inscription with the name William Forsythia,
1737-1804. This gardener gives it name to this shrub.

Forsythia

I have always welcomed the early blooming forsythia on the side of the house on Cherokee Lane. Daffodils and forsythia blooming in the yard were sure signs that spring was on the way. 





Random pictures

Kensington Palace from the southeast.
The wing containing Apartment No. 1A
overlooks a private garden to the south.





Queen Victoria

The gardens now contains several statues and memorials including:

• A statue of Queen Victoria, sculpted by her daughter Princess Louise, which was erected outside Kensington Palace to celebrate her golden jubilee.

• The Albert Memorial, in remembrance of Prince Albert, Queen Victoria’s husband.

• Peter Pan.

• Diana, Princess of Wales, Memorial Playground.

For sale on our street - a flat for 2,350.000 pounds

I thought you might want to take a look at this property for sale on PrimeLocation. http://www.primelocation.com/for-sale/details/44863944 £2,350,000   -   Flat for sale Palace Court, London W2 A splendid and refined two double bedroom, two bathroom raised ground floor apartment situated within a handsome Queen Anne Revival ... View more details

http://www.primelocation.com/for-sale/details/44286349

£3,000,000   -   Flat for sale Moscow Road W2, A bright and very spacious 4 bedroom, 3 bathroom lateral flat on the 5th floor of this grand red-brick mansion block with porter and lift. View more details

Down the street on Moscow Road - 3,000,000 pounds

This apartment building is at one end of our street.  This is the private road way at the other end.

STANDARD OF LIVING IN KENSINGTON

There are some lovely parks in Kensington and the surrounding areas; there is Kensington Gardens which links with Hyde Park and Holland Park, Kensington benefits from lots of green spaces. The population of the area is affluent, with mainly middle and upper classes residing here. It is a well-populated and diverse area.

Kensington is home to some of the City’s most expensive areas and streets to live on. There is a variety of shopping and nightlife in the area, with an abundance of culture, it is home to the spectacular Royal Albert Hall and the Serpentine Gallery among other museums.