Hyde Park looking toward Liverpool St., 18701870 [ca. late 1870s]

This is the south-east corner of Hyde Park, looking across Liverpool Street to the spires of the Unitarian Church. Built in 1879, the church was destroyed by fire in 1936. Hyde Park in the nineteenth century was mostly grass, criss-crossed with paths and dotted with scattered trees. The present design of Hyde Park is the result of a 1924 City Council competition, won by Norman B Weekes' highly formal plan. His plan featured a central avenue of fig trees with gardens on either side.