This broad sandy avenue runs for nearly a mile along the south side of London’s Hyde Park, and there is absolutely nothing rotten about it – either literally or figuratively!
It was first laid out during the joint reign of King William III and Queen Mary II, which lasted from 1689 to Mary’s death in 1694 (after which William reigned alone for another eight years).
The avenue was laid out as a private road to grant safe access for the royals between Kensington Palace and the central London residences of St James’s Palace and Whitehall (reached via the adjoining Green Park to the east).
The route was lit at night by 300 oil lamps, as a precaution against highwaymen, and Rotten Row was thus the first artificially lit road in Britain.
In later years Rotten Row became a fashionable place for exercising horses, being close to the homes of many upper-class Londoners who lived in the vicinity of Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens. It was somewhere to see and be seen and was often crowded with riders, although these days not many Londoners have houses with stables attached, so the Row is usually empty.
However, it is still a regular exercise route for the Household Cavalry, whose barracks are close by.
But why the name Rotten Row? It is simply a corruption of the original name “Rue du Roi”, or “King’s Road”. It is not difficult to see how Londoners with no knowledge of French might convert the name to what it has been for several centuries past!
© John Welford
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