Marble Arch, the triumphal marble monument which now forms the gateway to Hyde Park, was originally erected to form the entrance to Buckingham Palace. As the Palace was enlarged in the mid 19th century Queen Victoria decided that the Arch should be moved to accommodate the new frontage of the Palace. 

The Arch stands near the site of the old Tyburn gallows, and a plaque can be seen on the north side to mark this. From 1388 to 1793 London's most notorious criminals were hanged here in front of huge crowds of baying spectators who would often bring their families! It was hoped that public hangings would act as a deterrent to law-breakers but they had the opposite effect as criminals were often glamourised by the event and the prisoner’s progress from Newgate Prison to Tyburn, along present-day Oxford Street, could resemble a triumphal procession. 

In 1868 the unseemly behaviour of the crowds finally forced the government to move executions inside Newgate Prison until this was demolished in 1902 (this is now the site of the Old Bailey). Executions continued in other London prisons and the last in the UK took place in 1964.  

Simply known for centuries as 'The Park', this 600 acre plot of land is one of the largest parks in London. The park is steeped in history and consists of Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens. Originally it was one of Henry VIII's deer hunting grounds and it has now become one of the capital’s major venues for concerts and public events. It is an ideal place to enjoy a picnic, sit on a deckchair, or simply enjoy one of London’s great outdoor areas. The Royal Parks are often referred to as ‘the lungs of London’.