The crowns I like

Hyde Park began as Henry VIII’s private deer-hunting ground in 1536 after he seized the land from Westminster Abbey, but it was opened to the public in 1637, making it one of the earliest true public parks in Europe; today it spans about 142 hectares in central London and is split by the Serpentine and Long Water lakes, which were pioneering examples of man‑made pleasure lakes in the 18th century. Over the centuries the park has hosted aristocratic duels, mass protests and the 1851 Great Exhibition, for which Joseph Paxton’s vast glass Crystal Palace briefly rose among the trees before being moved to Sydenham. In its northeast corner lies Speakers’ Corner, formally recognised for public speaking by an 1872 act of Parliament and long associated with figures like Karl Marx and George Orwell, symbolising free speech as anyone may still climb a step and address the crowd on almost any subject.