William III and Rotten Row blue plaque

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# William III and Rotten Row Standing here in Hyde Park, you're witnessing the remnants of an ambitious vision born from the practical needs of a Dutch king settling into his new English kingdom. Between 1690 and the early 1700s, William III ordered the carriage drive you're now walking along to be...

Location

Hyde Park

Inscription

WR III Rotten Row The King's Old Road completed 1690. This ride originally formed part of King William III's carriage drive from Whitehall to Kensington Palace. Its construction was supervised by the surveyor of their Majesties roads Captain Michael Studholme and it was the first lamp-lit road in the Kingdom. Designated as a public bridleway in the 1730's, Rotten Row is one of the most famous urban riding grounds in the world. ER II 1990