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Cavalry of the Empire Memorial

1924 establishments in England1924 sculpturesBritish military memorials and cemeteriesBuildings and structures completed in 1924Buildings and structures in Hyde Park, London
EngvarB from September 2017Equestrian statues in the United KingdomGrade II* listed monuments and memorialsGrade II* listed statues in the City of WestminsterMilitary memorials in LondonMonuments and memorials in LondonOutdoor sculptures in LondonSaint George (martyr)World War II memorials in EnglandWorld War I memorials in England
Cavalry Memorial, Hyde Park
Cavalry Memorial, Hyde Park

The Cavalry of the Empire Memorial, also known as the Cavalry Memorial, is a war memorial in Hyde Park, London. It commemorates the service of cavalry regiments in the First and Second World Wars. It became a Grade II listed building in 1987, and was promoted to Grade II* in November 2014.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Cavalry of the Empire Memorial (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Cavalry of the Empire Memorial
Serpentine Road, London Knightsbridge

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N 51.50469 ° E -0.15526 °
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Cavalry of the Empire

Serpentine Road
W2 2UH London, Knightsbridge
England, United Kingdom
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Cavalry Memorial, Hyde Park
Cavalry Memorial, Hyde Park
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Wellington Monument, London
Wellington Monument, London

The Wellington Monument is a statue representing Achilles erected as a memorial to Arthur Wellesley, the first duke of Wellington, and his victories in the Peninsular War and the latter stages of the Napoleonic Wars. It is sited at the south-western end of Park Lane in London, and was inaugurated on 18 June 1822. Its total height, including the sculpture, base and the mound on which it stands, is 36 ft.The monument's colossal 18 feet (5.5 m) high statue is by the sculptor Richard Westmacott, produced from melted-down captured enemy cannon. Based on the poses of the Borghese Gladiator and more particularly the Quirinal Horse Tamers, it shows the Greek mythological hero as a muscular, nude young man, raising his shield with his left hand and his short sword in his right hand, with his armour standing by his right thigh and his cloak draped over his left shoulder. The monument was funded by donations from British women totalling £10,000. On being transported to its final site, the entrance gates into Hyde Park were too low for it to fit, so it proved necessary to knock a hole in the adjoining wall. The inscription on the statue's Dartmoor granite base reads: To Arthur Duke of Wellington and his brave companions in arms this statue of Achilles cast from cannon taken in the victories of Salamanca, Vittoria, Toulouse, and Waterloo is inscribed by their country women Placed on this spot on the XVIII day of June MDCCCXXII by command of His Majesty George IIII.This was London's first public nude sculpture since antiquity and, though the artist had already included a fig leaf over the figure's genitalia, much controversy still resulted, pitching the sculptor's supporters such as Benjamin Robert Haydon against fierce critics such as George Cruikshank in his Backside & front view of the ladies fancy-man, Paddy Carey O'Killus'.The controversy may also have been linked to Canova's nude colossus of Napoleon that had arrived just before this at Apsley House, and also treated on whether Achilles was a metaphor for military heroism in general, Wellington in particular or both.

Queen Elizabeth Gate
Queen Elizabeth Gate

Queen Elizabeth Gate, also known as the Queen Mother's Gate, is an entrance consisting of two pairs and two single gates of forged stainless steel and bronze situated in Hyde Park, London, behind Apsley House at Hyde Park Corner. There is also a centre feature made of painted cast iron. It was opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1993 to celebrate the 90th birthday of her mother, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. It cost £1.5 million to construct, raised by private individuals and public funding, under the patronage of Prince Michael of Kent.The stainless steel and bronze gates, railings and lights were designed and made by Giusseppe Lund. The centre piece, featuring a red lion (England) and a white unicorn (Scotland), was designed by sculptor David Wynne. The organic nature of the forged steel reflects the Queen Mother's love of flowers, particularly those from a cottage garden. Her life spanned most of the century and this is represented by a flow from formal symmetry at the base of the gates upwards to an increasing freedom of line at the top. Many of the elements are free to move when touched and the whole structure vibrates when moved. This is in direct contrast to the heavier rectilinear gates found in other entrances to the park. Although much admired, it was described as "hideous" by architect Zaha Hadid. Another architect, Richard Rogers, described it as "romantic candyfloss", and Viscount Linley, a grandson of the Queen Mother's, was reported as saying that he "absolutely loathed" the work. The then arts minister, Lord St John of Fawsley, said they were "full of joy, strength and courage, like the personage in whose honour they have been created".There were also initial concerns that the metal was rusting due to a misunderstanding of the nature of the gate's colouring which was in fact a deliberate creation of chromium oxides with the application of heat. This treatment has since proved to be extremely durable thanks to the initial intensifying of the chromium content on the surface by the use of electro-polishing

The Stones in the Park

The Stones in the Park was a free outdoor festival held in Hyde Park on 5 July 1969, headlined by the Rolling Stones and featuring Third Ear Band, King Crimson, Screw, Alexis Korner's New Church, Family and the Battered Ornaments, in front of an estimated audience between 250,000 and 500,000 spectators.It was the Stones' first public concert in over two years, and was planned as an introduction of their new guitarist, Mick Taylor, though circumstances inevitably changed following the death of former member Brian Jones two days earlier. The band rehearsed at the Beatles' studio in a basement on Savile Row, and Mick Jagger and Keith Richards came up with a 14-song set; the Hyde Park concert would be the first time many of the songs had been played before a public audience. The PA system was supplied by Watkins Electric Music, who had handled amplification at previous Hyde Park events. Fans started to arrive at the park with candles on 4 July in tribute to Jones, and by the morning of 5 July, 7,000 people had already gathered. Jagger read a short eulogy on stage before the Stones' set began, reading two stanzas of Percy Bysshe Shelley's poem on John Keats's death, Adonaïs, from a calf-bound book. After this recital, several hundred cabbage white butterflies were released. The setlist for their performance was "I'm Yours & I'm Hers", "Jumpin' Jack Flash". "Mercy Mercy", "Down Home Girl", "Stray Cat Blues", "No Expectations", "I'm Free", "Loving Cup", "Love in Vain", "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction", "Honky Tonk Women", "Midnight Rambler", "Street Fighting Man" and "Sympathy for the Devil". During the 18-minute-long rendition of "Sympathy for the Devil", a number of African tribal drummers joined the band. While the event is considered a memorable one by several critics, they also agree that it was not one of the Stones' best performances, and the guitars played during the concert were out of tune. In a 1971 interview with Rolling Stone magazine, Richards evaluated their performance, "We played pretty bad until near the end, because we hadn't played for years ... Nobody minded, because they just wanted to hear us play again." The Stones' portion of concert was filmed by Granada Television and broadcast that September. It has since been released on DVD and Blu-ray. In April 2013, the band announced their intention to play two return concerts on 6 and 13 July, although the performances were not free.