Hyde is a London Royal Park which Henry VIII acquired in 1536 (it had been owned by the monks of Westminster Abbey before that). A large area of open space in the city centre of   630 acres and a perimeter of 4 miles. It has the memorials at Marble Arch at the east side and Kensington palace at the west. Also within its environs is the Albert Memorial, Queen Victoria's monument to her husband.

The Serpentine Lake is popular for boating, sailing and even bathing. To the south of the Serpentine runs Rotten Row, the fashionable riding track through the park.

While up by Speaker's Corner at Marble Arch you can hear Briton's exercise their right to free speech. There may be a dozen or more at any one time, each standing on a soap box, and spouting (usually) controversial views, strongly held on any topic you can think of - religion, politics, fox hunting, trade unions, Europe, tourists.