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Winter Wonderland Hyde Park, or simply Winter Wonderland, is a huge festival that takes place every year in Hyde Park in London from about the middle of November until the beginning of January. It is a celebration of the Christmas season. More than a hundred rides and attractions from all across Europe can be found here, together with a Giant Wheel, a circus, an ice show, and live musical performances.

Major Attractions at Winter Wonderland

The highlights of Winter Wonderland Hyde Park are:

Magical Ice Kingdom
An indoor museum with ice sculptures you can explore. Immerse yourself in a wintry wonderland carved out of more than 500 tonnes of ice and snow.

The Giant Wheel
Soar 70 metres into the air on the world’s largest portable ferris wheel and get a bird’s eye view of Hyde Park and the incredible London cityscape beyond.

Ice Rink
During the winter, the park plays host to the biggest temporary outdoor ice rink in the UK, complete with a bandstand where regular concerts may be enjoyed.

Ice Mountain
Visit the local penguins and polar bears and ride through a mountain cave lit by the northern lights. This indoor roller coaster is quite popular because it spins around and gives riders a sense of what it would be like to ride in the Arctic.

Aeronaut Starflyer
Starflyer, the soaring aeronaut at 80 metres in height. Dreams of flight come true on board Aeronaut, the biggest transportable Starflyer in the world.

Helter Skelter
As you make your way down the lighthouse slide, take in panoramic views of Hyde Park. Ride this classic amusement park ride and feel like a kid again.

Bavarian Village
The Bavarian Village in Hyde Park is an authentic slice of Bavaria, complete with cosy chalets, pubs, cafe’s, restaurants, and outdoor seating where visitors can relax and enjoy themselves.

While Hyde park provides the perfect getaway from busy London by providing tons of fun activities and sporting events, it is also home to memorials depicting British history. Here are some of them.

Animals in War Memorial

The Animals in War Memorial was inaugurated in November 2004 during the 90th anniversary of World War 1. The memorial is located outside Brook gate as a commemoration of animals that died or suffered during wars in which Britain took part. For example, it commemorates animals such as mules which had their vocal cords cut to be used as food to grow worms. The worms were used as sources of light for soldiers to read maps.

Princess Diana Memorial Sites

Princess Diana used to call Kensington Palace home. The park and gardens host various memorial sites to pay homage to the living legacy of one of the most loved princesses in British history. For example, the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain is designed to reflect and celebrate her personality.

Albert Memorial

The memorial located in front of the Royal Albert Hall commemorates the life of Prince Albert, who was robbed of life aged just 42 years by typhoid fever.

Even if you are visiting Hyde Park for its fun events and activities, you may also want to explore the history of Britain by visiting the various memories at the site.

Wellington Arch is an easily-recognisable London landmark, with a statue of the Duke of Wellington towering over an imposing neo-classical structure. But what many of the people who come to see the arch do not realise is the monument’s complex history. Since its initial construction in the early decades of the nineteenth century, Wellington Arch has evolved and even changed location.

Wellington’s Arch: how it first came to be

The history of Wellington Arch can be traced back to 1824, when architect Deccimus Burton was commissioned to create gateways for the royal parks of London that would capture the triumphal spirit of the era: this was, after all, less than a decade after Britain’s victory in the Napoleonic Wars. One design that Burton came up with was for an ornate arch to go in Green Park, serving as an outer entrance to Buckingham Palace. The arch was duly constructed over the following years, but due to budget limitations it lacked many of the sculptural details proposed by Burton.

The Wellington connection: honouring a hero

Originally, the arch had no connection to the Duke of Wellington. It was not until the following decade that a proposal was made to incorporate a memorial of Wellington, honouring his status as war hero of Britain. The proposal was approved in 1838 and sculptor Matthew Cotes Wyatt was chosen to create a statue of Wellington on horseback. The statue was erected in 1846 and stood atop the arch, but many observers felt that it looked out of place.

Moving Wellington Arch: a vast undertaking

A much bigger change was in store for Wellington Arch, as the entire structure was moved during the 1880s to make way for a new road. In the process, the controversial statue of Wellington was removed. A new sculpture of Wellington on horseback, this time the work of Joseph Boehm, was built and can still be seen near the arch today.

The final touch: the sculpture of Triumph

Deccimus Burton’s original design for the arch featured a sculpture of a four-horse chariot on top, although this was on of multiple elements that were left out. However, towards the end of the nineteenth century a sculptor named Adrian Jones was given approval by the Prince of Wales to create a bronze sculpture for Wellington Arch, and the design was to be a four-horse chariot. The sculpture, entitled Triumph, was erected in 1912, marking the final state of Wellington Arch’s evolution into its now-familiar form.

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Di Σπάρτακος – Opera propria, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=26334185