Devonshire Gates
These decorative gates – by Inigo Jones – protect a distant view of Buckingham Palace and are the last remnants of one of London’s grandest houses. Devonshire House stood on the opposite side of Piccadilly until the 1920s. The sphinxes at each end, obviously too large for their posts, are later additions.
opp 101 Piccadilly W1
Tube: Green Park
Porter’s Rest
‘At The Suggestion Of R.A. Slaney Esq. Who For 20 Years Represented Shrewsbury In Parliament This Porter's Rest Was Erected In 1861 By The Vestry Of St. George Hanover Square For The Benefit Of Porters And Others Carrying Burdens.’
opp 128 Piccadilly W1
Tube: Hyde Park Corner
Down Street ‘lost’ station
Opened in 1907, Down Street was never busy, being too close to Hyde Park Corner and Dover Street (later renamed Green Park) stations. It was closed in 1932, though it served as a deep level shelter during World War II (with Prime Minister Winston Churchill being a frequent visitor).
Down Street W1
Tube: Hyde Park Corner
After St James’s, most people leave Piccadilly to enter The Green Park - so named because of its lack of flowers (it was built on the site of graveyard for the leper hospital at St James’s). However, there are a few treats before Hyde Park Corner.
Tube: Green Park/Hyde Park Corner
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Piccadilly St James’s to Hyde Park Corner
Cambridge House
Cambridge House, built in 1760, was later home to Viscount Palmerston. The oldest man ever to become Prime Minister – in 1855 at the age of 70 – he walked to Westminster daily from here. From his death (until 1996), it was the Naval and Military Club, known as the ‘In & Out’ because of the gateposts.
94 Piccadilly W1
Tube: Green Park
Hard Rock Cafe
Surprisingly, this is the site of the world’s first Hard Rock Cafe, opened in 1971 in a former car showroom. In the (free) vaults, you can see guitars from legends such as Clapton, Hendrix or Kurt Cobain, John Lennon's hand written lyrics to Imagine and Elvis Presley's jujitsu suit.
150 Old Park Lane W1
Tel: +44 (0)20 7514 1700
Tube: Hyde Park Corner
www.hardrock.com
The Green Park
Once swampy open land on the edge of London, the park was notorious for robbery and duels. It was later used for fireworks with Handel’s Fireworks Music written for a concert here in 1749. The park now has no grand buildings; two vast temples burnt down during displays in 1749 and 1814.
Tube: Green Park
www.royalparks.org.uk
