skip to main content
The Royal Parks web site uses cookies. By browsing you are agreeing to our use of cookies. Read our cookie policy
  • Home
  • Media Centre
  • Careers
  • Shop
  • Contact us
  • searchsearch
The Royal Parks menu
  • Help Nature Thrive
    • Nature and Wildlife
    • Climate and Conservation
    • How to get involved
    • Sign up to The Royal Parks’ Nature News
  • Parks
    • Hyde Park
    • Kensington Gardens
    • Richmond Park
    • Bushy Park
    • St James's Park
    • The Green Park
    • The Regent's Park and Primrose Hill
    • Greenwich Park
    • Brompton Cemetery
    • Victoria Tower Gardens
  • What's on
    • Upcoming events
    • Latest news
    • Blog
    • The Royal Parks Podcast
    • Self guided walks
    • Learn Online
    • The Great Exhibition Virtual Tour
    • Sign up to our Newsletter
    • Event Feedback
  • Managing the parks
    • Park management plans
    • Park regulations, legislation and policies
    • Park strategies
    • Holding events in the Royal Parks
    • Cycling in the Royal Parks
    • Conservation and improvement projects
    • Consultations
    • Licences and permits
    • Policing in the Royal Parks
    • Visitor satisfaction research
  • Support
    • Make a donation
    • Philanthropy and major giving
    • Leave a gift in your Will 
    • Run, cycle or swim for the parks
    • Hire The LookOut, Hyde Park
    • Become a partner
    • Corporate volunteering
    • Dedications in your local park
  • Learn
    • Learn in our Central London parks
    • Learn in The Regent's Park
    • Learn in Greenwich Park
    • Learn in Richmond Park
    • Learn in Bushy Park
    • Learn in Brompton Cemetery
    • Learn Online
    • Urban Tree Festival School Challenge
    • Green Futures project
  • Get involved
    • Careers
    • The Royal Parks Horticultural Apprenticeship Scheme
    • Volunteer with us
    • Mission Invertebrate
    • The Royal Parks in World War I
    • Play in the Park
    • Photo competition winners
    • Green Flag Awards
  • About us
    • Who we are
    • What we do
    • Procurement
    • Partner organisations
    • Publications
    • Friends of The Royal Parks
    • Contact us
    • Modern Slavery Statement
  • Donate
searchSearch
  • The Royal Parks
  • Help Nature Thrive
    arrow_drop_down
    • Nature and Wildlife
    • Climate and Conservation
    • How to get involved
    • Sign up to The Royal Parks’ Nature News
  • Parks
    arrow_drop_down
    • Hyde Park
    • Kensington Gardens
    • Richmond Park
    • Bushy Park
    • St James's Park
    • The Green Park
    • The Regent's Park and Primrose Hill
    • Greenwich Park
    • Brompton Cemetery
    • Victoria Tower Gardens
  • What's on
    arrow_drop_down
    • Upcoming events
    • Latest news
    • Blog
    • The Royal Parks Podcast
    • Self guided walks
    • Learn Online
    • The Great Exhibition Virtual Tour
    • Sign up to our Newsletter
    • Event Feedback
  • Managing the parks
    arrow_drop_down
    • Park management plans
    • Park regulations, legislation and policies
    • Park strategies
    • Holding events in the Royal Parks
    • Cycling in the Royal Parks
    • Conservation and improvement projects
    • Consultations
    • Licences and permits
    • Policing in the Royal Parks
    • Visitor satisfaction research
  • Support
    arrow_drop_down
    • Make a donation
    • Philanthropy and major giving
    • Leave a gift in your Will 
    • Run, cycle or swim for the parks
    • Hire The LookOut, Hyde Park
    • Become a partner
    • Corporate volunteering
    • Dedications in your local park
  • Learn
    arrow_drop_down
    • Learn in our Central London parks
    • Learn in The Regent's Park
    • Learn in Greenwich Park
    • Learn in Richmond Park
    • Learn in Bushy Park
    • Learn in Brompton Cemetery
    • Learn Online
    • Urban Tree Festival School Challenge
    • Green Futures project
  • Get involved
    arrow_drop_down
    • Careers
    • The Royal Parks Horticultural Apprenticeship Scheme
    • Volunteer with us
    • Mission Invertebrate
    • The Royal Parks in World War I
    • Play in the Park
    • Photo competition winners
    • Green Flag Awards
  • About us
    arrow_drop_down
    • Who we are
    • What we do
    • Procurement
    • Partner organisations
    • Publications
    • Friends of The Royal Parks
    • Contact us
    • Modern Slavery Statement
  •  
  • Donate
    • Home
    • Media Centre
    • Careers
    • Shop
    • Contact us

Monuments in Hyde Park

On this page:

  • Achilles or the Wellington Monument
  • Boy and Dolphin Fountain
  • Cavalry Memorial
  • Diana, Princess of Wales' Memorial Fountain
  • Holocaust Memorial
  • Joy of Life Fountain
  • Norwegian War Memorial
  • Queen Caroline Memorial
  • Reformers' Tree
  • 7/7 Memorial

Achilles or the Wellington Monument

Name of monument  Achilles or the Wellington Monument
Description   An 18ft bronze statue of Achilles, the Greek hero of the Trojan War, carrying a sword and shield with his armour beside him. It stands on a plinth of Dartmoor granite.
Location   Near Hyde Park Corner, between the Broad Walk and Lovers' Walk.
History\background   Dedicated to the Duke of Wellington and his victories in the Peninsular War and later stages of the Napoleonic Wars and installed by order of King George III. Modelled on a Roman soldier but the head is said to be based on that of Wellington.
Designer   Richard Westmacott.
Dates   Sculpted 1822. Inaugurated 18th June 1822.
Maintenance\care   The Royal Parks.
Interesting facts   The cost of £10,000 was donated by British women. The bronze came from cannons captured in military campaigns by the Duke of Wellington at Salamanca, Vittoria, Toulouse and Waterloo. This was London's first public nude statue since antiquity and despite its fig leaf it was still controversial. The entrance gates to Hyde Park were too low to get it through and a hole had to be knocked in the adjoining wall.

[^ Back to top]

Boy and Dolphin Fountain

Name of monument  Boy and Dolphin Fountain
Description   Pre-Raphaelite marble sculpture of a cherub and dolphin on a rock in a basin.
Location   The Rose Garden.
History\background   Once the centrepiece of the Victorian sunken garden that was demolished to make way for widening of Park Lane. Moved to The Regent's Park Broad Walk 1960-1993 and returned to Hyde Park in 1995.
Designer   Alexander Munro.
Dates   1862.
Maintenance\care   The Royal Parks.
Interesting facts   The water flows from the nostrils of the dolphin, not the mouth.

[^ Back to top]

Cavalry Memorial

Name of monument  Cavalry Memorial
Description   Bronze of St George on horseback stepping over a vanquished dragon with a frieze of galloping horsemen around the base.
Location   North side of Serpentine Road between the Bandstand and Achilles.
History\background   Unveiled by Field Marshal Lord Ypres in memory of members of Cavalry Regiments killed in World War I. An inscription was added to include casualties of World War II.
Designer   Sculpture by Adrian Jones; base by Sir John Burnet.
Dates   1924.
Maintenance\care   The Royal Parks.
Interesting facts   Cast from guns captured in World War I. Originally it stood at Stanhope Gate which was altered to accommodate it. Moved to present site in 1961 when Park Lane was widened. Adrian Jones also designed the Peace Quadriga on the Wellington Arch.

[^ Back to top]

Diana, Princess of Wales' Memorial Fountain

Name of monument  Diana, Princess of Wales' Memorial Fountain
Description   Oval stone ring of moving water, measuring 210m in circumference.
Location   West of the Lido restaurant and swimming pool; east of West Carriage Drive.
History\background   Commemorates the life of Diana Princess of Wales who died in a car crash in 1997.The fountain was the winning design from 10,000 submitted in a competition in 2002. Water flows from the highest point of the fountain in two directions, bubbling along a gentle slope on one side and cascading down the other before meeting in a calm reflecting pool. The water's journey echoes Diana's life, from joy and energy through turbulence to tranquillity.
Designer   Kathryn Gustafson and Neil Porter.
Dates   Unveiled by HM The Queen on 6 July 2004.
Maintenance\care   The Royal Parks.
Interesting facts   Contains 545 pieces of Cornish granite each shaped by computer-controlled machinery.Contains 545 pieces of Cornish granite each shaped by computer-controlled machinery.

[^ Back to top]

Holocaust Memorial

Name of monument  Holocaust Memorial
Description   Two boulders set in raked gravel and surrounded by silver birch trees.
Location   East of The Dell.
History\background   The first public memorial in Britain to victims of the Holocaust. Paid for by the Board of Deputies of British Jews.
Designer   Mark Badger, Richard Seifert and Derek Lovejoy and Partners.
Dates   1983.
Maintenance\care   The Royal Parks.
Interesting facts   The largest boulder is inscribed with the words: "For these I weep. Streams of tears flow from my eyes because of the destruction of my people".

[^ Back to top]

Joy of Life Fountain

Name of monument  Joy of Life Fountain
Description   Two bronze figures holding hands and appearing to dance above the water. Four bronze children emerging from the pool.
Location   Next to Aldford Street North Gate, alongside Park Lane.
History\background   Donated by the Constance Fund to replace the Boy and Dolphin Fountain which stood on this spot before the widening of Park Lane.
Designer   T B Huxley-Jones.
Dates   1963
Maintenance\care   The Royal Parks.
Interesting facts   Marie Curie Cancer Care planted 60,000 daffodil bulbs around the fountain to celebrate its 60th anniversary in 2008.

[^ Back to top]

Norwegian War Memorial

Name of monument  Norwegian War Memorial
Description   Boulder of pre-Cambrian granite mounted on three smaller stones.
Location   West of Ranger's Lodge.
History\background   Presented by the Norwegian Navy and merchant fleet as thanks for Britain's support during World War II.
Designer   
Dates   1978
Maintenance\care   The Royal Parks.
Interesting facts   Inscribed with the words: "You gave us a safe haven in our common struggle for freedom and peace"

[^ Back to top]

Queen Caroline Memorial

Name of monument  Queen Caroline Memorial
Description   Stone urn mounted on a plinth.
Location   Overlooking the East end of the Serpentine lake.
History\background   Unveiled by HM The Queen to commemorate the creation of The Serpentine in 1727-1731 by Queen Caroline, the wife of King George II.
Designer   
Dates   1990
Maintenance\care   The Royal Parks.
Interesting facts   Before creation of The Serpentine, there were six natural ponds in Hyde Park.

[^ Back to top]

Reformers' Tree

Name of monument  Reformers' Tree
Description   Circular black and white floor mosaic of a tree, surrounded by a sandstone ring.
Location   South west corner of the Parade Ground.
History\background   Commemorates a tree that burnt down during the Reform League Riots in 1866. The remaining stump became a notice board for political demonstrations.
Designer   Harry Gray and Roz Flint of Colvin and Moggeridge Landscape Architects.
Dates   2001
Maintenance\care   The Royal Parks.
Interesting facts   In 1977 James Callaghan planted a new oak on the site of the Reformers Tree.

[^ Back to top]

7/7 Memorial

Name of monument  7/7 Memorial
Description   52 closely spaced stainless steel columns representing each of the people who died in four bombs detonated in London on 7 July 2005.
Location   South east corner, north of Achilles statue and east of Lovers Walk.
History\background   The design was the winning entrant in a memorial competition held in 2007.
Designer   Architects: Carmody Groake; Engineers Arup; landscape architect Colvin & Muggridge; casting by the Sheffield foundry Norton Cast Products.
Dates   Unveiled 7 July 2009 by TRH The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall.
Maintenance\care   The Royal Parks.
Interesting facts   The columns are 3.5m (11½ft) tall and each one is unique. They are in four groups, with the number of columns corresponding to the people who died in the four explosions. A stainless steel plaque on a grass bank at the eastern end of the memorial lists the names of all the victims.

[^ Back to top]

No results were found

Help us improve our website by providing your feedback.

Website user survey

close

search
Explore the Royal Parks
  • Hyde Park
  • Kensington Gardens
  • Richmond Park
  • Bushy Park
  • St James's Park
  • The Green Park
  • The Regent's Park and Primrose Hill
  • Greenwich Park
  • Greenwich Park Revealed - Park Restoration Project
  • Brompton Cemetery
  • Victoria Tower Gardens
  • Grosvenor Square Garden
Support the parks
  • Make a donation
  • Philanthropy and major giving
  • Leave a gift in your Will 
  • Run, cycle or swim for the parks
  • Hire The LookOut, Hyde Park
  • Become a partner
  • Corporate volunteering
  • Dedications in your local park
Media Centre
  • Press Releases
  • Royal Parks News Permit
  • Filming and photography
  • Royal Parks Image Library
  • News Archive
  • Trooping the Colour media accreditation
About us
  • Who we are
  • What we do
  • Procurement
  • Partner organisations
  • Publications
  • Friends of The Royal Parks
  • Contact us
  • Modern Slavery Statement
Connect with us
Follow us on Twitter
Follow us on Facebook
Follow us on Instagram
Watch our videos on YouTube
The Royal Parks

The Royal Parks is a registered charity (No. 1172042) and a company limited by guarantee registered in England & Wales no. 10016100 (VAT No. 261 4640 19)

Copyright © The Royal Parks 2016-2022 | Head Office: The Old Police House, Hyde Park, London. W2 2UHTerms & Conditions | Privacy Policy

close

Subscribe to our eNewsletter today

Be the first to hear our latest news and read about upcoming events, learning and volunteering opportunities, fundraising and park improvement projects when you sign up to our mailing list.

Aerial view of Regents