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The 'Serpentine' (also known as the 'Serpentine River') is an artificial recreational lake of 11.34 hectares (113,000 m²) in Hyde Park, London, England, created in 1730.

Contents

The lake

History

Recreation

Swimming

The Peter Pan Cup

Boating

Skating and Cycling

Other Places of Interest

The Solarshuttle

External Links

References

The lake

The Serpentine gets its name from its supposedly snakelike, curving shape. Serpentine Bridge, which marks the boundary between Hyde Park and Kensington Palace Gardens, formally marks the western boundary of the lake, although The Long Water, which constitutes part of the same body of water, continues northwest to fountains on the northern edge of Kensington Palace Gardens. There are two lakeside restaurants and various recreational facilities on the shore of the Serpentine, as well as the Serpentine Gallery and the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain.

History

The lake was formed in 1730 when Queen Caroline, wife of George II, ordered the damming of the River Westbourne in Hyde Park.^[1] At that time, the Westbourne formed eleven natural ponds in the park.
At the time of construction, artificial lakes were long and straight; The Serpentine was one of the earliest artificial lakes designed to appear natural.^[2] The lake was widely imitated in parks and gardens nationwide.
The lake achieved notoriety in December 1816 when Harriet Westbrook, the pregnant wife of the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, was found drowned in the Serpentine^[3] having left a suicide note addressed to her father, sister and husband.^[4] Shelley married Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin less than two weeks later.
In the 1820s the park was extensively redesigned by Decimus Burton. At the same time, John Rennie built the Serpentine Bridge to carry the newly built West Carriage Drive along the boundary between Hyde Park and Kensington Palace Gardens, and the lake was formally divided into the Serpentine (east) and the Long Water (west).
The lake formed a focal point for the 1814 celebrations commemorating the British victory at Trafalgar, and of the 1851 Great Exhibition, with The Crystal Palace standing on its southern shore.

Recreation

Lansbury's Lido

Swimming

There is a rectangular area east of the bridge which is partitioned from the rest of the lake by a perimeter of buoys, known as Lansbury's Lido and opened in 1930. It is now normally open only in the summer, typically between 10:00 and 17:30. The water in the swimming area is naturally of the same constituency as that of the remainder of the lake. Persons of a refined nature may object to bathing on the basis of aesthetic concerns, given that the water is a dark green and is shared with many waterfowl. Pike have been spotted in the lake, although it is unlikely they would emerge from the depths when bathers are in the water.
The Serpentine will be used for the swimming leg of the triathlon at the London 2012 Olympics.^[5]
There is a fee for entering the lido, and changing rooms are provided.

The Serpentine in a rainstorm, looking northeast towards Knightsbridge Barracks

The Peter Pan Cup

Since 1864, the Serpentine has hosted a 100 yards swimming competition every Christmas morning at 9am. In 1904 author J. M. Barrie awarded the Peter Pan Cup to the winner of the race, a tradition which has continued ever since. Due to the hazards of swimming in frozen water, the race is open only to members of the Serpentine Swimming Club.^[6]

Boating

Rowing boats are available for hire. In 2002, the Serpentine hosted the World Rowing Sprints where several international crews raced over 547 yards (500 m).

Skating and Cycling

Serpentine Road, alongside the lake and not open to motor traffic, is a haven for London's inline skaters; and there are numerous other facilities for formal and informal sports nearby.

Other Places of Interest

''Hyde Park'' by Camille Pissarro, 1890, showing the footpath along the southern bank of the Serpentine

London's Holocaust Memorial is situated at the eastern end of the Serpentine, immediately beyond the dam which forms the lake, while a memorial on the northern shore of the lake commemorates the Norwegian Defence Forces' role in World War II.
The controversial Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain is on the southern shore of the Serpentine near West Carriage Drive. It currently receives approximately one million visitors per year.^[7]
The Serpentine Gallery, one of London's leading art galleries, is not in fact located on the Serpentine, but in Kensington Palace Gardens, on the western side of West Carriage Drive.
Ranger's Lodge, immediately to the north of the lake, was the former head office of the Royal Parks Constabulary. Following the RPC's abolition in 2004, it is now the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Service's Royal Parks Operational Command Unit, although as with the rest of the MPS, command and control of day-to-day incidents has been centralised to the Metcall complex.
The Rose Gardens at the southeastern corner of the Serpentine have in recent years become a popular meeting place for London's gay community.^[8] It has been alleged that their popularity as a cottaging location is due to their proximity to Knightsbridge Barracks.^[9]

The Solarshuttle

The Serpentine, viewed from the eastern end.

In the summer months, the pioneering "Solarshuttle" solar powered boat ferries passengers between the northern and southern banks of the Serpentine. 14m (48ft) long and carrying 42 passengers, it is the largest wholly solar powered passenger boat currently in operation in the UK.^[10]

External Links

★ Royal Parks Authority

★ Serpentine Running Club

★ Serpentine Swimming Club

★ Solarshuttle

★ 360º panorama of the Serpentine

References

1. Hyde Park History & Architecture
2. Hyde Park: Park of Pleasure
3. Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822)
4. Harriet Shelley
5. Where the Olympic Events Would Take Place
6. The Peter Pan Cup Christmas Morning Handicap Swim
7. Hyde Park
8. Police Help Park Cruisers
9.
10. Serpentine solar boat to set sail