Constitution Hill, London
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Constitution Hill is a road in the City of Westminster. It connects the western end of The Mall (just in front of Buckingham Palace) with Hyde Park Corner, and is bordered by Buckingham Palace Gardens to the south, and Green Park to the north. At the top of the rise in the roadway at the Corner is the Wellington Arch, near where the road is flanked by the Memorial Gates war monument.[1]
The origin of the name is uncertain. Parliamentary records from 1642 show a reference to "a small redoubt and battery on Constitution Hill".[2] One theory is that King Charles II and others had a habit of taking "constitutional" walks (a stroll to benefit health, a persons 'constitution') there.[1] In Strype's Map, 1720, it is marked "Road to Kensington". (The roadway leads from the areas of St James's and Buckingham palaces to the area of Kensington Palace.) In John Smith's map of 1724, it is called "Constitution Hill".[3]
An old lane on this route was widened in connection with the development of Buckingham Palace in the 1820s by John Nash. It formed a processional route from the palace to Hyde Park.[4] It is now closed to traffic on Sundays and public holidays.[1]