Importantly, if you are ill or fall into one of the vulnerable groups, then you must postpone your visit Serpentine Artistic Director Hans Ulrich Obrist and CEO Bettina Korek selected this year’s architect with advisors Sir David Adjaye OBE, Professor Lesley Lokko and David Glover alongside the Serpentine team – Julie Burnell, Head of Construction and Buildings, and the project’s curator Natalia Grabowska. He knew he was very ill, but he was absolutely determined to beat it," Lantz said. "Thank God it was very fast."

Serpentine Pavilion 2021 designed by Sumayya Vally Serpentine Pavilion 2021 designed by Sumayya Vally

This is the original Rotten Row, which is a corruption of the French 'Route de Roi' or King's Road. Hyde Park and a Queen’s touch This book is the perfect accompaniment to the smash-hit BBC true crime drama and paints a portrait of a master manipulator psychopath who still resides in jail to this day. Several times while reading “Serpentine”, my jaw hit the floor. Other times, I had to put the book down in disgust. But still, I soldiered on because I was reading a brilliantly written account of one of the most sociopathic, self-serving and evil conmen and murderer that’s ever walked this earth. The famous trumpeter, Harry Mortimer, described Hyde Park's bandstand as "uncomfortable, unsanitary, but much loved". He did a week's engagement on the bandstand during World War II in 1944 with the Fodens Motor Works Band. He wrote in his autobiography:

Enjoying sport in the park

The park is a great place for a picnic! A selection of freshly cut sandwiches, artisan baguettes and drinks are available in our cafés and kiosks. The payoff of the upstairs neighbour and the civil servant, who through pure efficiency final nail a truly desperate (and by then fairly stupid) Sobhraj to the post is great reading. The sentence as the epilogue is a joke of giant proportions. Until 1783, the infamous Tyburn Gallows sat just outside Hyde Park. Tradition dictated that everyone condemned to die there could make a final speech – and since you were about to die, you could say pretty much what you pleased. After the gallows were closed, the tradition for public speaking remained and the part of Hyde Park known as Speaker’s Corner became a popular place for Londoners to have their say. You’re really close to other amazing gardens! Cross over into Kensington Gardens and stroll the 400m long Flower Walk or the Italian Gardens. And if it’s spring – don’t miss the drifts of thousands of daffodils in both St. James’s Park and The Green Park Can I bring my dog?

Barnor: Accra/London - A Retrospective - Serpentine James Barnor: Accra/London - A Retrospective - Serpentine

Hyde Park’s 350 acres are a unique mix of habitats and ecosystems, from the native wildflower Tyburn Meadow to the rustling reedbeds edging the Serpentine Lake, to acre upon acre of rolling grassland, majestic plane trees and sweet chestnuts. The meadowlands are key habitats for boosting biodiversity and growing the numbers of butterflies, bees and wildflowers.

Created as an ornamental lake in 1730, the Serpentine has been a recreational landmark for central London for almost 300 years, used for boating and swimming. Not chlorinated or heated, it also attracts wildlife, including wading birds. The Serpentine Lido Swimming Club is the oldest in the capital, with early morning access to the lake from 6am, as well as holding the famous annualPeter Pan Cup, which sees hardy swimmers take to the freezing waters on Christmas Day morning. From pond dipping or mini beast hunting to ice creams and pedalos, the whole of Hyde Park is a playground for adventurous minds. Bring the children here to learn and discover the natural world right on their doorstep through one of our Discovery Days at The LookOut Discovery Centre or hire a boat on the Serpentine Lake. Play a game of tennis or just lie on the grass with a picnic. And they’ll have lots of mini adventures and make new friends at the Hyde Park Playground.

Serpentine - Jonathan Kellerman

The lido will be operating until early September for just four hours a day, 10am-2pm, and those swimming there will have to book 45-minute slots in advance. Other changes to ‘normal’ are the restriction of the lido being lap swimming only, and there will be no pay-and-stay option for this summer’s season.

Try something different each time you visit

Thompson received the National Headliner Award for investigative reporting. He was also the 1977 Edgar Award winner for Blood and Money.

Serpentine: A short story from the world of His Dark

Closing times: 18:00 in April and May / 20:00 from June to August / 19:00 in September / Dusk from October to March Finally in 1976 Sobraji was arrested and sent to prison in India for seven years, where by all accounts he lived a happy existence as he had money and gemstones to bribe his captors. He deliberately got himself resentenced to prison there after trying to escape, so he could not be extradited to Thailand. Finally in 1996 he was set free and returned to France where he lived for several years.

Major events in the park

For a more tranquil visit, explore the winding paths and picturesque meadows in the north of the park or head for the rose garden, near to sandy Rotten Row – a historic route that ran from Kensington Palace to Whitehall.