The Serpentine
Serpentine | |
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AOD
86.6 10⁶ imp Gal | |
Residence time | 10 years before 2012, 5 months after May 2012 |
Islands | 1 |
The Serpentine (also known as the Serpentine River) is a 40-acre (16 ha) recreational lake in Hyde Park, London, England, created in 1730 at the behest of Queen Caroline. Although it is common to refer to the entire body of water as the Serpentine, the name refers in the strict sense only to the eastern half of the lake. Serpentine Bridge, which marks the boundary between Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens, also marks the Serpentine's western boundary; the long and narrow western half of the lake is known as the Long Water. The Serpentine takes its name from its snakelike, curving shape,[1] although it only has one bend.
Originally fed by the
There are many recreational facilities around the Serpentine, as well as boating on the lake itself. In 1860, the Serpentine was to be modified into a skating pond with formal edges. This scheme was not implemented. Among the landmarks near the lake is the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain.
Geography of the lake
Originally the lake was fed by the
The lake has a maximum depth of 17 ft (5.2 m);[citation needed] it is often reported to be deeper, but bathymetric surveys by the Royal Park in 2010 revealed the design of the lake.
There are two lakeside restaurants[5] and various recreational facilities on the lake shore.
History
In 1730 Queen Caroline, wife of George II, ordered the damming of the River Westbourne in Hyde Park as part of a general redevelopment of Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens. Original monastic ponds may have existed in the location and these were modified as part of the 1730–1732 scheme to create a single lake.[6] At that time, the Westbourne formed eleven natural ponds in the park. During the 1730s, the lake filled to its current size and shape. The redevelopment was carried out by Royal Gardener Charles Bridgeman, who dammed the Westbourne to create the artificial lake, and dug a large pond in the centre of Kensington Gardens (The Round Pond) to be a focal point for pathways in the park.[7]
At the time of construction, artificial lakes were typically long and straight
The lake achieved notoriety in December 1816 when Harriet Westbrook, the pregnant wife of the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, was found drowned in the Serpentine[9] having left a suicide note addressed to her father, sister and husband.[10] Shelley married Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin less than two weeks later.
The lake formed a focal point of the 1814 celebrations which marked a century of Hanoverian rule and re-enacted the British victory at
In the 1820s, the park was extensively redesigned by Decimus Burton. At the same time, John Rennie the Younger designed and oversaw the Serpentine Bridge as part of newly built West Carriage Drive bounding Hyde Park against Kensington Gardens, dividing the lake into the Serpentine (east) and the Long Water (west).[8]
In 2011, The Royal Park embarked on the restoration of the Serpentine to combat growing concerns about the status of the water and the quality of the aquatic environment. The project resulted in a substantial change to the hydrology of the lake, which had a
Recreation
Swimming
A rectangular swimming area on the southern bank was opened in 1930. Known as Lansbury's Lido, it is partitioned off from the rest of the lake by a perimeter of buoys.[6] There is a fee for entering the lido, and changing rooms are available. It is normally open only in the summer, typically between 10:00 and 17:30, although members of the Serpentine Swimming Club may swim all the year round from 05:00 to 09:30.[13] The Peter Pan Christmas Day Race is only open to regular participants in the Saturday swimming competitions during the winter.[14]
The Serpentine was used as the venue for the swimming portion of the triathlon and for the marathon swimming events at the 2012 Olympic Games.[12]
Swim Serpentine was created as a two-day open water event in the summer. It is organised by London Marathon events.[15]
Peter Pan Cup
Since 1864, the Serpentine has hosted a 100-yard (91.4 m) swimming competition every Christmas morning at 9 am. In 1904, author J. M. Barrie awarded the Peter Pan Cup to the winner of the race, a tradition which has continued ever since.[16] Owing to the hazards of swimming in freezing water, the race is open only to members of the Serpentine Swimming Club.[14]
Boating
Rowing boats are available for hire. In 2002 the Serpentine hosted the Mercedes Benz
Solarshuttle
In the summer months, (The) Solarshuttle, a solar-powered boat ferries passengers between the northern and southern banks of the Serpentine. At 48 feet (15 m) long and carrying 42 passengers, it is the largest wholly solar-powered passenger boat operating in the UK.[18]
Landmarks
The Hyde Park Holocaust Memorial, unveiled in 1983 stands at the eastern end of the Serpentine, immediately beyond the dam. A memorial on the northern shore of the lake was erected by Norwegian seamen in 1978 in thanks for the safe haven they were given in Britain after their country surrendered to the Germans in 1940, during the Second World War.[19]
The
On the northern side of the lake, opposite The Lido, are two self-contained boat houses. The East Boat House, 1903, erected by the Royal Humane Society and West Boat House, 1952, for the new chlorination launch, to replace a former boat house bombed in 1940.[22] Nearby is a grass amphitheatre known as the Cockpit. This disused gravel pit[23] was the scene of The Rolling Stones' "Stones in the Park" concert in 1969. Concerts here, from 1968, were initially organised by Blackhill Enterprises. This area can also be seen in the 1953 film Genevieve, as the starting point for the annual London to Brighton Veteran Car Run.[24]
Image gallery
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View east from Serpentine Bridge
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The Italian Garden; the fountains are fed by a borehole into the Upper Chalk.
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Fountains in the Italian Garden
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The Italian Garden
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View south across the Serpentine to the Diana Memorial Fountain on the south bank.
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The Serpentine in a rainstorm, looking southeast towards Hyde Park Barracks
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Serpentine Bridge from the north bank
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Lansbury's Lido
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The Serpentine, viewed from the footpath across the dam
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The modernist architecture of the Dell Restaurant, situated on the northern end of the dam, dominates the eastern end of the lake.
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The Holocaust Memorial, immediately east of the dam
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The Serpentine Bridge from below
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The Solarshuttle, moored in front of Hyde Park Barracks
See also
References
Notes
- ^ "Hyde Park & Kensington Gardens Stroll". Urban75. November 2006. Retrieved 11 September 2007.
- ^ "Thomas Hawksley and the Project to Cleanse The Serpentine: 1859–1862". Archived from the original on 16 August 2018. Retrieved 29 January 2010.
- ^ London Parks and Gardens, 1907. "Lord Redesdale and the Dell Garden". Gardenvisit.com. Retrieved 8 March 2023.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ISBN 0-7862-5354-1.
- ^ "Park Cuisine". The Royal Parks. Archived from the original on 3 August 2012. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
- ^ a b c "Hyde Park History & Architecture". The Royal Parks. 2007. Archived from the original on 10 August 2007. Retrieved 5 September 2007.
- ^ "Kensington Gardens – The Queen's gardens". Royal Parks Authority. Archived from the original on 9 October 2007. Retrieved 11 September 2007.
- ^ a b c d "Hyde Park: Park of Pleasure". The Royal Parks. 2007. Archived from the original on 11 September 2007. Retrieved 5 September 2007.
- ^ Ford, David Nash (2005). "Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792–1822)". Royal Berkshire History. Retrieved 5 September 2007.
- ^ "Harriet Shelley". University of Pennsylvania. Archived from the original on 22 February 2007. Retrieved 5 September 2007.
- ^ "Glorious Peace". Georgian Index. Retrieved 20 August 2012.
- ^ a b Henry, Connie. "Where the Olympic Events Would Take Place". BBC. Retrieved 5 September 2007.
- ^ "About The Club". Serpentine Swimming Club. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
- ^ a b "The Peter Pan Cup Christmas Morning Handicap Swim". Serpentine Swimming Club. Archived from the original on 13 August 2007. Retrieved 5 September 2007.
- ^ "Swim Serpentine". London Marathon Events. Archived from the original on 22 November 2017. Retrieved 22 November 2017.
- ^ Mata, William (25 December 2022). "Swimmers brave 4C temperatures for Peter Pan race in Serpentine". Evening Standard. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
- ^ "Rowing Champions Meet in London for Mercedes-Benz World Rowing Sprints". row2k.com. 27 September 2002. Retrieved 21 November 2017.
- ^ "Serpentine solar boat to set sail". BBC News. 18 July 2006. Retrieved 5 September 2007.
- ^ Baker 2002, p. 68.
- ^ "Diana fountain 'poorly managed'". BBC News. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
- ^ "Queen unveils new Diana fountain". BBC News. 6 July 2004. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
- ^ "HYDE PARK MANAGEMENT PLAN" (PDF).
- ^ "The Cockpit". PastScape. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
- ^ "The Park is the star". The Royal Parks. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
Bibliography
- Baker, Margaret (2002). Discovering London Statues and Monuments. Shire Publications. ISBN 978-0-7478-0495-6.
External links
- Hyde Park & the Serpentine official home page Archived 25 September 2010 at the Wayback Machine
- Solarshuttle
- 360° panorama of the Serpentine