Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume X.djvu/603

 LONDON 597 tic feature of Hyde park, and the most splendid monument of modern times, is the new Albert memorial, erected on the site of the crystal palace of 1851, in honor of the services of Prince Albert. At the corners are marble groups of Asia, America, Europe, and Africa. Beliefs and frescoes rising up to the winged an- gels at the top and on the east and south fronts contain 169 life-size portrait figures of illustri- ous artists, poets, and composers. The central space under the grand canopy is occupied by the seated figure of Prince Albert. This great work of genius, together with the equally fa- mous Albert Hall opposite, and the adjoining South Kensington museum buildings, throw over this part of London an exquisite halo of aesthetic grace and beauty. Eegent's park (450 acres) is nearly circular and surrounded by mansions of the larger class built in uniform terraces, producing a fine effect. The zoologi- cal and botanic gardens, which are in this park, are among its principal attractions. St. James's park (59 acres) resembles in its shape a boy's kite ; the head is bordered by the Horse Guards in the centre, the admiralty on its right, and the treasury on its left; the tail is occupied by Buckingham palace; the N. side by the Green park, Stafford house, St. James's pal- ace, &c. ; and the right or S. side by Queen square and the Wellington barracks. The road connecting this park with Hyde park, and skirting the garden wall of Buckingham pal- ace, is called Constitution hill. Green park (60 acres), next to Hyde park, is entered from Piccadilly by a triumphal arch, surmounted by an equestrian statue of Wellington, and situ- ated between that street and St. James's park, Constitution hill, and the houses of Arlington street and St. James's place. The available space of this park was extended in 1856 by the removal of the reservoir of the Chelsea water works. It is one of the smallest and prettiest parks of London. Alexandra park, JST. of Highgate, a favorite place for horse shows, contains charming grounds, in the midst of which a new palace was fast approaching com- pletion in 1874. Victoria park (300 acres) is a great benefaction for the overcrowded and hard-working inhabitants of Bethnal Green and Spitalfields in the N. E. part of London. On the Surrey side are Kennington park (for- merly Kennington common) and Battersea park, which faces Chelsea hospital. Among recent pleasure grounds are Southwark park at Rotherhithe, between Spa road station and the Lower road, Deptford, and divided by Bermondsey from the district of Southwark ; Finsbury park, between Hornsey and Hollo- way ; and West Hani park, which was opened in 1874 as a relief to the hard-working people of the district, on the grounds of the Gurney family. Hampstead heath, Tooting common, and Clapham common are to be converted into parks, and a similar project was formed in 1874 in respect to Stoke-Newington Green; while strong efforts are made to save the re- maining portions of Epping forest from enclo- sure. Greenwich, Richmond, and Bushy parks are all beautiful resorts. The Kensington gar- dens, E. of Kensington palace, present a charm- ing variety of surface in wood and water and extensive ground, the general beauty of which is unequalled in any part of the world. They are separated from Hyde park by a bridge over the Serpentine. The Kew botanic gardens are 5 m. from Hyde Park corner, on the road to Richmond, with 170 acres of pleasure grounds adjoining, laid out in half garden, half park style. The Chiswick and S. Kensington gar- dens (adjoining the museum) are to horticul- ture what those of Kew are to botany; the former is celebrated for its highly fashion- able garden parties. The other principal gar- dens are the botanic in Regent's park, Surrey, Walworth, Cremorne (Chelsea), North Wool- wich, Rosherville (near Gravesend), People's (Willesden), the Temple gardens, and the su- perb pleasure grounds at Sydenham. Vaux- hall gardens were closed in 1859. Among the many attractive places in almost all direc- tions from London are Harrow, Hampstead, Highgate, Blackheath, Greenwich, Woolwich, Blackwall, Gravesend, Richmond, Hampton Court, Epping Forest, Twickenham, Syden- ham, and Windsor. Besides St. Paul's cathe- dral, Westminster abbey, and three chapels royal (respectively in St. James's palace, White- hall, and the Savoy), there are about 600 parish and district places of worship belonging to the established church. The chapels of the Wes- leyan and other Methodists number about 400, and a recent decision of the Methodist con- ference (1873) favors the annual erection of a number of chapels, to meet the demands of the increasing population. The Baptists have about 300, and the Congregationalists nearly 150. The Roman Catholics possess 100 church- es and chapels, besides St. George's cathedral, Southwark, and the recently opened church of Our Lady of Victory, Newland terrace, Ken- sington, serving as a pro-cathedral in place of St. Mary's, Moorfields, pending the completion of the projected "metropolitan cathedral" in Westminster. The English and other Presby- terians have about 25. Recently it was pro- posed to build 40 new Presbyterian churches, to cost not less than 3,000 nor more than 5,000 each. The Unitarians have over 12. The Swedenborgians, who have since Sweden- borg's time met in Cross street, Hatton garden, recently purchased a site in Camden road, for the erection of schools and a church as the chief centre of the denomination, and they have several chapels besides. The church of Scotland has a number of chapels, besides the national Scotch church, Little Russell street. The German Lutheran, Reformed Wesleyan, and Reformed have altogether about 12 chap- els. The society of Friends have five houses, the Plymouth Brethren three, and there are chapels for Swedish, Swiss, Dutch, French, and other foreign Protestants, and for miscellane-