The leafy retreat of Hyde Park is one of the largest parks in London, created in 1536 by Henry VIII for hunting, after he acquired the land from the canons of Westminster Abbey. Property in this area of London is highly sought after and there have been many famous and influential people who have lived here over the years. Who are some of the well-known Hyde Park residents that have made this neighbourhood their home?
Sir Winston Churchill
Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill resided and died in Number 28 on the street called Hyde Park Gate (on the southern boundary of Kensington Gardens). Churchill was Prime Minister of the UK from 1940 to 1945 and again from 1951 to 1955. He was also an officer in the British Army, as well as being a writer, a historian and an artist. He was the first person in history to be made an honorary citizen of the USA and he won the Nobel Prize in Literature.
He is thought to be one of the greatest wartime leaders within the 20th Century and is known for his radio speeches that helped to inspire the British people during World War II. This home is where he spent his retirement years, when he wasn’t visiting the French Riviera. He died at the home on the morning of January 24th, 1965 when he was 90 years old.
The Prime Minister of Qatar
One Hyde Park is one of the most expensive and rich and powerful celebrities from all over the world own prestigious addresses in the city of London and the apartments here. The best apartment on the block is an enormous three storey penthouse that is owned by the Prime Minister of Qatar, whose name is Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jabr Al-Thani.
The properties at One Hyde Park are 10 times the price of average residential real estate in London, but residents get to enjoy an entertainment suite, a stainless steel pool, a golf simulator and a spa managed by Mandarin Oriental. Other famous residents of One Hyde Park include Rinat Akhmetov, a Ukrainian oligarch and Australian pop star Kylie Minogue.
Virginia Woolf
Virginia Woolf was an English writer and one of the most famous literary figures of the 20th century. Her well-known works include “To the Lighthouse”, “Mrs. Dalloway” and “A Room of One’s Own.” She was born at 22 Hyde Park Gate in 1882 and was educated by her well-connected and literate parents at home. She lived there until her father died in 1904, which caused her to have a nervous breakdown. She suffered from depressive periods for most of her life, which affected her socially but did not hamper her literary productivity.
Sir Jacob Epstein
This American-born British artist was a pioneer of modern sculpture. Born in 1880, he became a British citizen in 1911 and produced a number of controversial and thought provoking works that challenged the taboos of the time. He lived at Number 18 Hyde Park Gate. In Hyde Park you can see one of Epstein’s most famous sculptures in a serene enclosure. It is a depiction of Rima, a bird-girl character created by author, ornithologist and naturalist W.H. Hudson. This memorial to Hudson caused a lot of controversy when it was first unveiled – the public was shocked by the nude female figure surrounded by grotesque and distorted birds.
Margaret Kennedy
Born in 1896, Margaret Kennedy was an English playwright and novelist who lived in Hyde Park Gate. She attended Cheltenham Ladies’ College and then Somerville College in Oxford. A history book entitled “A Century of Revolution” was her first publication in 1922 and she is most well known today for her second novel, “The Constant Nymph.” The story was adapted into a successful West End Play in the 1920s and was filmed in 1928.
These are just a few of the famous and influential people that have lived within the Hyde Park area of London over the years – from novelists to politicians to artists. Have you heard of any other famous Hyde Park residents who have made this neighbourhood their home? Let us know in the comments below!