yde Park has always been noted for its springs. In 1725 the Chelsea
Waterworks Company obtained a license to supply the surrounding
districts, and built a reservoir and engine-house near Grosvenor Gate,
which existed until 1835, when, on the recall of the license, the
engine-house was demolished and the basin laid out with flower-beds and
a fountain. The present reservoir stands in the centre of the Park,
while opposite Stanhope Place on the north side is a Gothic drinking
fountain, the gift of the Maharajah of Vizianagram. The oldest of the
present roads in Hyde Park is Rotten Row, made by William III.; it is
now reserved for riding only, while under the trees on either side rank
and fashion have lounged and gossiped since the days of the Ring. The
popular derivation of the name is from Route du Roi, since it was known
first as the King's or Lamp Road; but possibly it has its origin in the
soft soil of which the ride since 1734 has been composed. The south
road, now the fashionable drive, was made by George II. about 1732, as a
short way to Kensington Park. The road from Alexandra Gate to Victoria
Gate crosses the Serpentine by a stone bridge built by Rennie in 1826,
and is the only one open to hired vehicles, which were first forbidden
the use of the Park in 1695. From the Serpentine a soft ride runs
parallel to the roadway as far as the Marble Arch; from this point Hyde
Park Corner is reached by a broad drive bordered with flower-beds and
trees, which replace the famous double avenue of walnuts cut down in
1811. It is much patronized by society, who congregate opposite Hyde
Park Corner, near the Achilles statue, by Sir R. Westmacott, R.A., cast
from captured French cannon, and erected at a cost of L10,000 by the
women of England in 1820, "in honour of the Duke of Wellington and his
brave companions in arms." It is copied from a Roman antique, but the
name is a misnomer. The road along the north side of the Serpentine is
now thronged every day with bicyclists, to whom the Park has been lately
thrown open. Here also are held the annual meets of the Four-in-Hand and
Coaching Club during the season. This road was widened in 1852. Of past
and present buildings in Hyde Park the following may be noted: When the
Serpentine was made, an old lodge was demolished which may have been the
tavern known in the reign of James I. as the "Grave Maurice's Head," and
which later became Price's Lodge. Up to 1836, on the bank of the
Serpent