HYDE PARK 53 



in a dark and dirty shrubbery, the haunt of all the 

 ruffians and the worst characters who frequented the Park 

 at night. The place was not safe to pass after dark, 

 neither had it any beauty to recommend it. It was in 

 this state when the present Lord Redesdale became 

 Secretary of the Office of Works in 1874. He con- 

 ceived the idea of turning it into a subtropical garden, 

 designed the banks of the little stream, and introduced 

 suitable planting, banishing the old shrubs, and merely 

 using the best to form a background to the spireas, 

 iris, giant coltsfoot, osmundas, day lilies, and suchlike, 

 which adorned the water's edge in front. The dark 

 history of the Dell is quite forgotten, and watching the 

 ducks and rabbits playing about this pretty spot is one 

 of the chief delights of Hyde Park. 



The monolith which stands near was brought from 

 Liskeard in Cornwall by Mr. Cowper Temple, when 

 First Commissioner of Works, and set up in its present 

 place as a drinking-fountain in 1862. In 1887 the 

 water was cut off it, the railings altered, and the turf 

 laid round it, joining it on to the rest of the Dell. 

 To Lord Redesdale are due also the rhododendrons 

 which make such a glorious show on either side of 

 Rotten Row. He contracted with Messrs. Anthony 

 Waterer for a yearly supply, as they only look their 

 best for a short time exposed to London air. In his 

 time, too, many of the small flower-beds which were 

 dotted about without much rhyme or reason were done 

 away with, and the borders at the edge of the shrubs 

 substituted. 



The latest addition to Hyde Park is the fountain 

 presented by Sir Walter Palmer and put up near the 

 end of the '* Row" in 1906. The sculpture and design 



