Rotten Row from Hyde Park Corner

Rotten Row is a broad track running along the south side of Hyde Park in London, leading from Hyde Park Corner to the west. In its hay day in the 18th century, Rotten Row was a fashionable place to be seen for upper class Londoners. Today it is maintained as a place to ride horses in the centre of London, but it is little used. Hyde Park is one of the largest parks in central London, England, and one of the Royal Parks of London. ... Hyde Park Corner is a place in London, England, at the south-east corner of Hyde Park. ...

Rotten Row was established by William III at the end of the 17th century. Having moved court to Kensington Palace, William wanted a safer way to travel to the previous St. James's Palace. He created the broad avenue through Hyde Park, lit with 300 oil lamps in 1690 — the first artificially lit highway in Britain. The name 'Rotten Row', is a corruption of the French 'Route de Roi' or King's Road. William III and II (14 November 1650–8 March 1702; also known as William Henry and William of Orange) was a Dutch Prince of Orange from his birth, King of England and Ireland from 13 February 1689, and King of Scotland from 11 April 1689, in each case until his... The south facade of the main block of Kensington Palace. ... Main entrance of St Jamess Palace, London St Jamess Palace is one of Londons oldest and most historic palaces. ... Events Giovanni Domenico Cassini observes differential rotation within Jupiters atmosphere. ... In 1986, Australian photographer Robert James Wallace (b. ...

In the 18th century, Rotten Row became a popular meeting place for upper class Londoners. Particularly on weekend evenings, people would dress in their finest clothes in order to ride along the row, on horseback or in carriages, and be seen.

The sand covered avenue of or Rotten Row is still maintained as a bridleway and forms part of Hyde Park's South Ride. It is particularly convenient for the Household Cavalry, stabled near by at Hyde Park Barracks in Knightsbridge, who exercise their horses there. One local public riding school is the Hyde Park and Kensington Stables (http://www.hydeparkstables.com/). In the United Kingdom, a bridleway is a way over which the public have the following, but no other, rights of way: a right of way on foot and a right of way on horseback or leading a horse, with or without a right to drive animals of any description... The term Household Cavalry is used across the Commonwealth of Nations to describe the cavalry of the Household Divisions. ...

High society riding along Rotten Row

References

• Royal Parks (http://www.royalparks.gov.uk/parks/hyde_park/history.cfm) history of Hyde Park

External links

• The Fashionable Hour in Hyde Park (http://www.georgianindex.net/London/parks/fashionable_hour.html) - description of 18th century parading on Rotten Row
• Poem (http://eir.library.utoronto.ca/rpo/display/poem1209.html) by Frederick Lampson on Rotten Row