Hyde Park

Henry VIII took it from Westminster Abbey in 1536 to hunt deer, and Charles I opened it to the public in 1637. The Serpentine lake, cutting across it diagonally, was dug for Queen Caroline in 1730; you can hire boats and swim at the Lido in summer.

In the north-east corner is Speakers' Corner, where anyone can stand on a box and speak in public, especially on Sundays. To the west, with no fence in between, are Kensington Gardens, with the palace and the Peter Pan statue.