Hyde Park Corner, London

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In the 1820s, the Commissioners of Woods and Forests, with the backing of King George IV, set out a plan to renovate Hyde Park and the surrounding area. The intention was to mirror the splendour of other major European cities and to create a triumphal approach to the recently completed Buckingham Palace.  Lord Liverpool (the Prime Minister) and the committee responsible for the project chose Decimus Burton to be the project’s architect. Burton’s goal was to create an urban space in which the nation’s heroes and (in deference to his Royal patron) the House of Hanover could be celebrated.
Work started in 1825 after the King had accepted Burton’s proposal to construct a gateway, a classical screen, and a triumphal arch (Wellington Arch) – all designed to impress visitors to Buckingham Palace.
To the right of the screen is Apsley House which was originally built in the 1770s (by Robert Adam) for Lord Apsley. The house was popularly known as ‘Number One, London’, as it was the first house visitors from the countryside would have seen after passing the Knightsbridge toll gates. Originally, it was part of a row of great houses, the majority of which were demolished to aid the widening of Park Lane.
In 1807, Apsley House was bought by Richard Wellesley. However, some ten years later, financial difficulties forced him to sell the house to Sir Arthur Wellesley (his brother). Arthur was (at that point) the Duke of Wellington. The house became his London base.
Image: Photographer unknown (1896)
From the same position in May 2018. The screen and Apsley house remain while the changes to Park Lane (extreme right) can be seen.
Image: © Steven Miell (TimeViews)
A merged version of the two photographs. Use the slider in the centre.
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