Kensington Palace and Hyde Park
With the main entrance in Hyde Park, Kensington Palace was originally built as a two-storey Jacobean mansion in 1605 known as Nottingham House. In 1689, the joint monarchs King William and Queen Mary purchased this site from the Earl of Nottingham and instructed the famous Sir Christopher Wren to expand the house to accommodate the royal family moving from Whitehall Palace. It is presently the official London residence and offices of, among others, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry. Another famous occupant was the late Diana, Princess of Wales up until her death in 1997.
Hyde Park is the largest of the four Royal Parks located in Central London, with an area of 350 acres. It was built by King Henry VIII in 1536. The park is home to number of famous landmarks and sites other than Kensington Palace, such as Serpentine Gallery, Serpentine Lake and Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain.
In summer time, Hyde Park is famous for open air concerts and in December, it hosts the fun-loving theme park, Winter Wonderland. The park also offers various recreational activities such as open water swimming, boating, cycling, tennis and horse riding.