GREAT BRITAIN - Best of Europe 2014 - page 818

▲ Apsley House (Wellington Museum)
Having beaten Napoleon at Waterloo, Arthur Wellesley, the First Duke of Wellington, was
once the most famous man in Europe. He was given a huge fortune, with which he pur-
chasedLondon'sultimateaddress,#1London.Hisrefurbishedmansionoffersaniceinterior,
ahandfulofworld-class paintings, andaglimpse atthelife ofthegreat soldier andtwo-time
prime minister. The highlight is the large ballroom, the Waterloo Gallery, decorated with
Anthony van Dyck's Charles I on Horseback (over the main fireplace), Diego Velázquez's
earthy TheWater-SellerofSeville (totheleftofVanDyck),JanSteen'splayful TheDissolute
Household (totheright),andalargeportraitofWellingtonbyFranciscoGoya(fartherright).
Those who know something about Wellington ahead of time will appreciate the place
much more than those who don't, as there's scarce biographical background. The place is
well-described by the included audioguide, which has sound bites from the current Duke of
Wellington (who still lives at Apsley).
Cost and Hours: £6.50, free on June 18—Waterloo Day, April-Oct Wed-Sun
11:00-17:00, closed Mon-Tue; Nov-March Sat-Sun 10:00-16:00, closed Mon-Fri; 20 yards
from Hyde Park Corner Tube station, tel. [phone], www.english-heritage.org.uk .
Nearby: Hyde Park 's pleasant rose garden is picnic-friendly. Wellington Arch, which
stands just across the street, is open to the public but not worth the £4 charge (or £8 combo-
ticket with Apsley House; elevator up, lousy views and boring exhibits).
▲ Hyde Park and Speakers' Corner
London's “Central Park,” originally Henry VIII's hunting grounds, has more than 600 acres
of lush greenery, the huge man-made Serpentine Lake, the royal Kensington Palace and
Orangery (described later), and the ornate Neo-Gothic Albert Memorial across from the
Royal Albert Hall. The western half of the park is known as Kensington Gardens.
On Sundays, from just after noon until early evening, Speakers' Corner offers soapbox
oratory at its best (northeast corner of the park, Tube: Marble Arch). Characters climb their
stepladders, wave their flags, pound emphatically on their sandwich boards, and share what
they are convinced is their wisdom. Regulars have resident hecklers who know their lines
and are always ready with a verbal jab or barb. “The grass roots of democracy” is actu-
ally a holdover from when the gallows stood here and the criminal was allowed to say just
about anything he wanted to before he swung. I dare you to raise your voice and gather a
crowd—it's easy to do.
The Princess Diana Memorial Fountain honors the “People's Princess,” who once
lived in nearby Kensington Palace. The low-key circular stream, great for cooling off your
feet on a hot day, is in the south-central part of the park, near the Albert Memorial and Ser-
pentine Gallery. A similarly named but different sight, the Diana, Princess of Wales Me-
morial Playground, is in the northwest corner of the park.