Royal Artillery Memorial

Charles Sargeant Jagger’s magnificent work - a giant howitzer on a marble plinth of with four bronze artillerymen, faithfully recording their uniform and equipment - was unveiled in 1925. His depiction of a dead soldier, covered by a poncho, as well as one in a crucifixion pose, caused great controversy.

Hyde Park Corner SW1

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Machine Gun Corps

This 1919 statue of David was sculpted by Derwent Wood. ‘Saul hath slain his thousands but David his tens of thousands’ is the rather bloodthirsty inscription. After WWI, Wood made face masks for disfigured soldiers - a pioneer in the field of plastic surgery. There is a tiny copy of the statue on Cheyne Walk.

Hyde Park Corner SW1

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Apsley House

Arthur Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington, bought this house from his brother after his victory at Waterloo in 1815. The first big house on the road from Kensington, it was known as No1 London. Now the Wellington Museum, it is in grand Louis XIV style, and holds such treats as a 2.5m-high nude statue of Napoleon.

149 Piccadilly SW1

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Constitution Arch

The huge bronze quadriga on top of the Wellington Arch was put up in 1912 and is the largest bronze in Europe. Designed by Adrian Jones, it shows the angel of peace descending on the chariot of war. The face of the charioteer was the 11-year-old son of Lord Michelham, who funded the sculpture.

Hyde Park Corner SW1
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‘Lost’ tube station

Now converted into Pizza On The Park, this - the only overground part of Hyde Park Corner station - fell out of use on the conversion from lifts to escalators, when new entrances had to be built for several stations. You can see a similar disused entrance at Euston. The first escalator was at Earls Court in 1911.

11 Knightsbridge SW1
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Wellington Statue

Wellington’s horse, Copenhagen was the grand-son of Eclipse, from whom 95% of modern thoroughbred trace their pedigree. A failed racehorse (winning once in 13 starts) but a great warhorse, Copenhagen was given a full military funeral when he died at age 28.

Hyde Park Corner SW1

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Lord Byron

A traffic island at the bottom of Park Lane is a solitary spot for this bronze of the romantic poet - honoured in Greece, neglected in England. At least Byron does have his adoring dog Boatswain for company. In 1882, sculptor Richard C Belt won a libel case - and £5,000 in damages - over whether this work was his own.

Park Lane SW1
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Anzac Memorial

The New Zealand and Australian War Memorial are a short distance apart on Hyde Park Corner. Every year, at dawn (5am) on ANZAC Day - April 25 - there is a moving joint service to remember the 11,000 soldiers of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps who died at Gallipoli in 1915.

Hyde Park Corner SW1
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