User:Chris j wood/sandbox/Serpentine and Long Water
Lake in Hyde Park, London / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Serpentine and Long Water make up a single 40-acre (16 ha) recreational lake in Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens, London, England. Although the names are sometimes used interchangably, strictly the name Serpentine refers only to the half of the lake east of the Serpentine Bridge, whilst the long and narrow western half of the lake is known as the Long Water. The Serpentine, also sometimes called the Serpentine River, takes its name from its snakelike, curving shape.[1]
Serpentine / Long Water | |
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Location | London, England |
Coordinates | 51°30′19″N 0°10′10″W |
Type | Artificial lake, created 1730 |
Primary inflows | Three boreholes from the upper chalk |
Primary outflows | Storm Relief Sewer |
Basin countries | United Kingdom |
Surface area | 16.2 ha (40 acres) |
Max. depth | 5.30 m (17.4 ft), 2012 data |
Water volume | max 393,700 cubic metres (319.2 acre⋅ft) at 14.96 m (49.1 ft) AOD |
Residence time | 10 years before 2012, 5 months after May 2012 |
Islands | 1 |
The lake was created in 1730 at the behest of Queen Caroline. Originally fed by the River Westbourne and Tyburn Brook in the 1730s, the lake's water is now pumped from three boreholes within Hyde Park, the most recent being installed in May 2012 as part of the 2011–2012 restoration of the Lake. The Serpentine provided a focal point for The Great Exhibition of 1851, and more recently was a venue for the men's and women's triathlon and marathon swimming events in the London 2012 Olympics. Since 1864 the Serpentine Swimming Club has organised a 100-yard race every Christmas morning. In 1913, the Peter Pan Cup was inaugurated for this race by J. M. Barrie, the creator of the fictional character Peter Pan.
There are many recreational facilities around the Serpentine, as well as boating on the lake itself, whilst the Long Water is maintained in a more natural state, with important populations of breeding and migratory birds.[2] Among the landmarks near the lake are the Peter Pan Statue, the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain, and the Hyde Park Holocaust Memorial.