Park Lane Pomp: Part 2

Park Lane Pomp: Part 2

Park Lane Pomp: Part 2

Pedestrians beware, the prestigious address of Park Lane between Hyde Park and the Mayfair district is a busy, noisy thoroughfare. Despite this, Park Lane houses several famous, luxury hotels, whose upper floors offer wonderful views over Hyde Park. Many Park Lane hotels were developed on the site of former mansions belonging to the wealthy landowners who first built on what was literally a lane on the fringes of London, and this is reflected in their names such as Grosvenor House Hotel and the Dorchester. Others are branches of well-known chains such as the Hilton (on Park Lane) and Intercontinental Park Lane hotel.

Apart from visiting one of the hotels, there are other reasons for tourists to brave the traffic and stroll down the road. Park Lane is home to several car showrooms, with their most expensive, top-of-the-range offerings proudly displayed to passers-by. These include BMWs, Aston Martins and a bizarre contrast Minis. The few other shops are mainly highly expensive outlets attached to the hotels, however, tucked amongst all the luxury and splendid buildings is a prosaic newsagents.

If you are on the lookout for a central London property, then Park Lane is the street to browse, with upmarket estate agents including Harrods Estates. There's even a bank, housed in a charming stone building.

Continuing the motoring theme that doesn't seem to leave Park Lane, the street contains one of the few petrol stations in central London, and on the western edge is the entry to a huge car park that lies underneath Hyde Park. There's even an unusual statue of a car in the central reservation, a work by sculptor Lorenzo Quinn (son of the actor Anthony Quinn) of a giant silver hand descending to pick up a miniature Fiat car. Its title? "Vroom Vroom!"

Something else to look at in the central reservation is the poignant Animals in War memorial. These works of art can be reached via the few pedestrial crossings in the street, although there is also an underpass. On the opposite side of the road to the hotels, there is plenty to see on the Park Lane edge of Hyde Park, including the memorial to the victims of the London terrorist bombings on July 7th, 2005. It is a street of contrasts, and despite the constant traffic, is still one of London's most exclusive addresses.

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