Park Lane (road)
Encyclopedia
Road
A road is a thoroughfare, route, or way on land between two places, which typically has been paved or otherwise improved to allow travel by some conveyance, including a horse, cart, or motor vehicle. Roads consist of one, or sometimes two, roadways each with one or more lanes and also any...
(designated A4202) in the City of Westminster
City of Westminster
The City of Westminster is a London borough occupying much of the central area of London, England, including most of the West End. It is located to the west of and adjoining the ancient City of London, directly to the east of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, and its southern boundary...
, in Central London
Central London
Central London is the innermost part of London, England. There is no official or commonly accepted definition of its area, but its characteristics are understood to include a high density built environment, high land values, an elevated daytime population and a concentration of regionally,...
.
History
Originally a country lane running north-south along what is now the eastern boundary of Hyde ParkHyde Park, London
Hyde Park is one of the largest parks in central London, United Kingdom, and one of the Royal Parks of London, famous for its Speakers' Corner.The park is divided in two by the Serpentine...
, it became a fashionable residential address from the eighteenth century onwards, offering both views across Hyde Park and a position at the most fashionable western edge of London. It became lined with some of the largest privately owned mansions in London, including the Duke of Westminster
Duke of Westminster
The title Duke of Westminster was created by Queen Victoria in 1874 and bestowed upon Hugh Grosvenor, 3rd Marquess of Westminster. The current holder of the title is Gerald Grosvenor, 6th Duke of Westminster....
's Grosvenor House
Grosvenor House
Grosvenor House was one of the largest private townhouses situated on London's exclusive Park Lane in the district of Mayfair. The house was the home of the Grosvenor family for more than a century...
and the Holford family's Dorchester House
Dorchester House
Dorchester House was a stately mansion in Park Lane, London built in 1853 by Robert Stayner Holford. It was demolished in 1929 to make way for the present Dorchester Hotel.-Overview:...
(demolished in 1929 and replaced by 1931 with The Dorchester), which are now both hotels, and the Marquess of Londonderry's Londonderry House
Londonderry House
Londonderry House was an aristocratic townhouse situated on Park Lane in the Mayfair district of London, England.The house was the home to the Irish, titled family called the Stewarts who are better known as the Marquesses of Londonderry....
, which has been demolished.
On a corner with Oxford Street
Oxford Street
Oxford Street is a major thoroughfare in the City of Westminster in the West End of London, United Kingdom. It is Europe's busiest shopping street, as well as its most dense, and currently has approximately 300 shops. The street was formerly part of the London-Oxford road which began at Newgate,...
, Somerset House
Somerset House, Park Lane
Somerset House, Park Lane , was an 18th century town house on the east side of Park Lane, where it meets Oxford Street, in the Mayfair area of London, England...
(No. 40), built in 1769-70, was successively the town house
Townhouse
A townhouse is the term historically used in the United Kingdom, Ireland and in many other countries to describe a residence of a peer or member of the aristocracy in the capital or major city. Most such figures owned one or more country houses in which they lived for much of the year...
of Warren Hastings
Warren Hastings
Warren Hastings PC was the first Governor-General of India, from 1773 to 1785. He was famously accused of corruption in an impeachment in 1787, but was acquitted in 1795. He was made a Privy Councillor in 1814.-Early life:...
, a former Governor-General of India
Governor-General of India
The Governor-General of India was the head of the British administration in India, and later, after Indian independence, the representative of the monarch and de facto head of state. The office was created in 1773, with the title of Governor-General of the Presidency of Fort William...
, the third Earl of Rosebery
Earl of Rosebery
Earl of Rosebery is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1703 for Archibald Primrose, 1st Viscount of Rosebery, with remainder to his issue male and female successively...
, and the Dukes of Somerset
Duke of Somerset
Duke of Somerset is a title in the peerage of England that has been created several times. Derived from Somerset, it is particularly associated with two families; the Beauforts who held the title from the creation of 1448 and the Seymours, from the creation of 1547 and in whose name the title is...
.
In the 1960s the Lane was widened to three lanes each way either side of a central reservation. This required the demolition of a number of houses at Hyde Park Corner
Hyde Park Corner
Hyde Park Corner is a place in London, at the south-east corner of Hyde Park. It is a major intersection where Park Lane, Knightsbridge, Piccadilly, Grosvenor Place and Constitution Hill converge...
which had previously formed a line east of Apsley House
Apsley House
Apsley House, also known as Number One, London, is the former London residence of the Dukes of Wellington. It stands alone at Hyde Park Corner, on the south-east corner of Hyde Park, facing south towards the busy traffic interchange and Wellington Arch...
in Piccadilly
Piccadilly
Piccadilly is a major street in central London, running from Hyde Park Corner in the west to Piccadilly Circus in the east. It is completely within the city of Westminster. The street is part of the A4 road, London's second most important western artery. St...
. It also meant claiming land previously in Hyde Park
Hyde Park, London
Hyde Park is one of the largest parks in central London, United Kingdom, and one of the Royal Parks of London, famous for its Speakers' Corner.The park is divided in two by the Serpentine...
to make room for the multi-lane carriageway. The result was substantially to diminish the appeal of Park Lane as a residential address, since it became one of the busiest and noisiest roads in central London, retaining little or none of the pastoral atmosphere that once made it popular. The widening of the road distanced the houses on the east side of Park Lane from Hyde Park itself, access to which is now by underpass.
Memorials
In 2004 a memorial to Animals in WarAnimals in War Memorial
The Animals in War Memorial is located at Brook Gate, Park Lane, on the edge of London’s Hyde Park and was designed by leading English sculptor, David Backhouse...
opened in Park Lane.
At the south end of Park Lane, on the west side, gates in honour of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother (widow of George VI) have been erected, bearing motifs in a freely modern interpretation from her coat of arms.
Length and location
Park Lane is about three quarters of a mile (1.2 km) in length, and runs north from Hyde Park CornerHyde Park Corner
Hyde Park Corner is a place in London, at the south-east corner of Hyde Park. It is a major intersection where Park Lane, Knightsbridge, Piccadilly, Grosvenor Place and Constitution Hill converge...
to Marble Arch
Marble Arch
Marble Arch is a white Carrara marble monument that now stands on a large traffic island at the junction of Oxford Street, Park Lane, and Edgware Road, almost directly opposite Speakers' Corner in Hyde Park in London, England...
, along the length of the eastern flank of Hyde Park
Hyde Park, London
Hyde Park is one of the largest parks in central London, United Kingdom, and one of the Royal Parks of London, famous for its Speakers' Corner.The park is divided in two by the Serpentine...
. To the east of the road is Mayfair
Mayfair
Mayfair is an area of central London, within the City of Westminster.-History:Mayfair is named after the annual fortnight-long May Fair that took place on the site that is Shepherd Market today...
.
Despite the traffic noise the road is still upmarket, featuring five-star hotel
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
s (such as The Dorchester
Dorchester Hotel
The Dorchester is a luxury hotel in London, opened on 18 April 1931. It is situated on Park Lane in Mayfair, overlooking Hyde Park.The Dorchester was created by the famous builder Sir Robert McAlpine and the managing director of Gordon Hotels Ltd, Sir Frances Towle, who shared a vision of creating...
, Grosvenor House Hotel
Grosvenor House Hotel
Grosvenor House is a large and luxurious hotel. The iconic Mayfair, London hotel is owned by the Sahara Group. The name has also been licensed to a property in Dubai....
and InterContinental London Park Lane Hotel) and showrooms for several makes of sports car
Sports car
A sports car is a small, usually two seat, two door automobile designed for high speed driving and maneuverability....
.
The road forms part of the London Inner Ring Road
London Inner Ring Road
The London Inner Ring Road is the name commonly given to a route formed from a number of major roads that encircle the centremost part of London...
and is part of the London congestion charge
London congestion charge
The London congestion charge is a fee charged for some categories of motor vehicle to travel at certain times within the Congestion Charge Zone , a traffic area in London. The charge aims to reduce congestion, and raise investment funds for London's transport system...
zone's boundary. When the zone was extended westward in February 2007, Park Lane was designated as one of the "free through routes", which allowed vehicles to cross the zone during its hours of operation without paying the charge; the western extension was removed on 4 January 2011.
In November 2008, a proposal was made by London mayor Boris Johnson
Boris Johnson
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson is a British journalist and Conservative Party politician, who has been the elected Mayor of London since 2008...
to build a tunnel beneath the street, allowing land to be released for development and green spaces.
Cultural references
Park Lane owes much of its fame to its being the second most valuable property in the London edition of MonopolyMonopoly (game)
Marvin Gardens, the leading yellow property on the board shown, is actually a misspelling of the original location name, Marven Gardens. The misspelling was said to be introduced by Charles Todd and passed on when his home-made Monopoly board was copied by Charles Darrow and thence to Parker...
. It was at the zenith of its social status when the London version of the Monopoly board was first produced in 1936, and before it became a noisy multi-lane highway. On the board, Park Lane forms a pair with Mayfair
Mayfair
Mayfair is an area of central London, within the City of Westminster.-History:Mayfair is named after the annual fortnight-long May Fair that took place on the site that is Shepherd Market today...
, the most expensive property in the game. In real life, Park Lane marks the western boundary of Mayfair.
It is mentioned in the second stanza of London Pride (song)
London Pride (song)
"London Pride" is a song written and composed by Noël Coward.- Composition :Coward wrote "London Pride" in the spring of 1941, during the Blitz. According to his own account, he was sitting on a seat on a platform of a damaged railway station in London, and was "overwhelmed by a wave of sentimental...
. There is also a reference to the street in the works of Jasper Fforde
Jasper Fforde
Jasper Fforde is a British novelist. Fforde's first novel, The Eyre Affair, was published in 2001. Fforde is mainly known for his Thursday Next novels, although he has written several books in the loosely connected Nursery Crime series and begun two more independent series: The Last Dragonslayer...
, in the name of the Parke-Laine family.
2007 car bomb
On June 29, 2007, a car bombCar bomb
A car bomb, or truck bomb also known as a Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Device , is an improvised explosive device placed in a car or other vehicle and then detonated. It is commonly used as a weapon of assassination, terrorism, or guerrilla warfare, to kill the occupants of the vehicle,...
was defused in an underground car park on the street.
Past
- No. 28: Richard SharpRichard Sharp (politician)Richard Sharp, FRS, FSA , also known as "Conversation" Sharp, was a hat-maker, banker, merchant, poet, critic, British politician, but above all - doyen of the conversationalists.-Family background:...
, known as "Conversation Sharp", merchant, critic, MP - No. 93: Benjamin Disraeli, prime minister
- No. 99: Moses MontefioreMoses MontefioreSir Moses Haim Montefiore, 1st Baronet, Kt was one of the most famous British Jews of the 19th century. Montefiore was a financier, banker, philanthropist and Sheriff of London...
, philanthropistPhilanthropistA philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes... - No. 140: Keith Clifford Hall, contact lens pioneer
- Aldford House: Dame Anna NeagleAnna NeagleForming a professional alliance with Wilcox, Neagle played her first starring film role in the musical Goodnight Vienna , again with Jack Buchanan. With this film Neagle became an overnight favourite...
, actress - Grosvenor House and Garden: Hugh Grosvenor, 1st Duke of WestminsterHugh Grosvenor, 1st Duke of WestminsterHugh Lupus Grosvenor, 1st Duke of Westminster KG, PC, JP , styled Viscount Belgrave between 1831 and 1845 and Earl Grosvenor between 1845 and 1869 and known as the 3rd Marquess of Westminster between 1869 and 1874, was an English landowner, politician and racehorse owner.He inherited the estate of...
, richest man in England, race horse owner, philanthropist. - Londonderry HouseLondonderry HouseLondonderry House was an aristocratic townhouse situated on Park Lane in the Mayfair district of London, England.The house was the home to the Irish, titled family called the Stewarts who are better known as the Marquesses of Londonderry....
: Charles Vane-Tempest-Stewart, 7th Marquess of LondonderryCharles Vane-Tempest-Stewart, 7th Marquess of LondonderryCharles Stewart Henry Vane-Tempest-Stewart, 7th Marquess of Londonderry, KG, MVO, PC, PC , styled Lord Stewart until 1884 and Viscount Castlereagh between 1884 and 1915, was an Anglo-Irish peer and had careers in both Irish and British politics...
, cabinet minister and very wealthy Irish aristocrat - Somerset HouseSomerset House, Park LaneSomerset House, Park Lane , was an 18th century town house on the east side of Park Lane, where it meets Oxford Street, in the Mayfair area of London, England...
(No. 40): Warren HastingsWarren HastingsWarren Hastings PC was the first Governor-General of India, from 1773 to 1785. He was famously accused of corruption in an impeachment in 1787, but was acquitted in 1795. He was made a Privy Councillor in 1814.-Early life:...
and the 11th and 12th Dukes of SomersetDuke of SomersetDuke of Somerset is a title in the peerage of England that has been created several times. Derived from Somerset, it is particularly associated with two families; the Beauforts who held the title from the creation of 1448 and the Seymours, from the creation of 1547 and in whose name the title is... - Hyde Park Residence http://www.hpr.co.uk/ (No. 55): Chika Sylva-Olejeme, peace crusader, founder International Peace Institute
- Fraudster Sidney StanleySidney StanleySidney Stanley was a Jewish Polish émigré to the UK who became a businessman of precarious ethics before claiming to be a contact man, able to influence politicians and civil servants in return for cash bribes, claims that led to a...
occupied an apartment there during the 1940s.
Present
- Shirley PorterShirley PorterDame Shirley Porter, Lady Porter, DBE, is a former Conservative leader of Westminster City Council in London and a prominent philanthropist in Israel and the UK. She is the daughter and heir of Sir Jack Cohen, the founder of Tesco supermarkets...
, Tesco heiress and Tory politician, set up home on Curzon Square in 2006 after 12 years of self-imposed exile in IsraelIsraelThe State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea... - No. 55 and 60: Mohamed Al-FayedMohamed Al-FayedMohamed Abdel Moneim Al-Fayed is an Egyptian businessman and billionaire. Amongst his business interests are ownership of the English Premiership football team Fulham Football Club, Hôtel Ritz Paris and formerly Harrods Department Store, Knightsbridge...
, owner of Fulham F.C., former owner of Harrods
Transport
The street is used by London busLondon Buses
London Buses is the subsidiary of Transport for London that manages bus services within Greater London, UK. Buses are required to carry similar red colour schemes and conform to the same fare scheme...
routes 2
London Buses route 2
London Buses route 2 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, England. The service is currently contracted to Arriva London.-History:Route 2 was the last West End bus route that was operated by step-entrance buses other than Routemasters...
, 10
London Buses route 10
London Buses route 10 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, England, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to London United.-History:...
, 16
London Buses route 16
London Buses route 16 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, England, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to Metroline.-History:...
, 36
London Buses route 36
London Buses route 36 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to Go-Ahead London.-The Beginning:...
, 73
London Buses route 73
London Buses route 73 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to Arriva London...
, 74
London Buses route 74
London Buses route 74 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to Go-Ahead London.-History:...
, 82
London Buses route 82
London Buses route 82 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to Metroline.-History:...
, 137
London Buses route 137
London Buses route 137 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is contracted to Arriva London.-History:...
, 148, 414 and 436
London Buses route 436
London Buses route 436 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to Go-Ahead London.-History:...
. In addition, night bus routes N16, N73, N74 and N137 also serve the street.
The nearest tube
London Underground
The London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...
stations to Park Lane are Hyde Park Corner
Hyde Park Corner tube station
Hyde Park Corner is a London Underground station near Hyde Park Corner in Hyde Park. It is in Travelcard Zone 1, between Knightsbridge and Green Park on the Piccadilly Line.-History:...
on the Piccadilly Line
Piccadilly Line
The Piccadilly line is a line of the London Underground, coloured dark blue on the Tube map. It is the fifth busiest line on the Underground network judged by the number of passengers transported per year. It is mainly a deep-level line, running from the north to the west of London via Zone 1, with...
, which is near the street's southern end, and Marble Arch
Marble Arch tube station
Marble Arch is a London Underground station in the City of Westminster. The station is between Lancaster Gate and Bond Street stations on the Central line, and is in Travelcard Zone 1.-History:...
on the Central Line
Central Line
The Central line is a London Underground line, coloured red on the tube map. It is a deep-level "tube" line, running east-west across London, and, at , has the greatest total length of track of any line on the Underground. Of the 49 stations served, 20 are below ground...
, which is located near the northern end of the street.