In this the 26th episode of Danny Hurst´s London Monopoly Board history series we reach Park Lane which runs along the Eastern flank of Hyde Park. A street that is one of the most expensive on the board and in real life, Danny walks you through the connection the street has with Henry VIII, Sherlock Holmes, Muhammed Al Fayed, rough sleepers, what was thought of as London´s safest building and much more.

The street is home to several luxury hotels, each of which has its own secrets, some of which Danny shares during the episode.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Henry VIII established Hyde Park as a place to hunt deer.
• The Dorchester (hotel) came through being bombed with only a few broken windows.
• Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor loved The Dorchester.
• Today, The Dorchester is boycotted by a lot of high-profile people – Danny explains why in the episode.
• Park Lane is home to the largest underground car park in London.
• The average price of property on Park Lane  is £12 million.

BEST MOMENTS

‘For generations, Park Lane has been synonymous with luxury. ´

‘The Grosvenor house was the first hotel in London to have a swimming pool.’

‘Its popularity waned with the widening of the street, which restricted resident access to Hyde Park.’

 

EPISODE RESOURCES

Shop for all official versions of Monopoly here - https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/page/785DC233-0A69-4DF8-98E9-4F50CC50A59E

HOST BIO

Historian, performer, and mentor Danny Hurst has been engaging audiences for many years, whether as a lecturer, stand-up comic or intervention teacher with young offenders and excluded secondary students. Having worked with some of the most difficult people in the UK, he is a natural storyteller and entertainer, whilst purveying the most fascinating information that you didn't know you didn't know. A writer and host of pub quizzes across London, he has travelled extensively and speaks several languages. He has been a consultant for exhibitions at the Imperial War Museum and Natural History Museum in London as well as presenting accelerated learning seminars across the UK. With a wide range of knowledge ranging from motor mechanics to opera to breeding carnivorous plants, he believes learning is the most effective when it's fun. Uniquely delivered, this is history without the boring bits, told the way only Danny Hurst can.

CONTACT AND SOCIALS

https://instagram.com/dannyjhurst
facebook.com/danny.hurst.9638

https://twitter.com/dannyhurst 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/danny-hurst-19574720

Podcast Description

"History is a nightmare from which I am trying to awake." James Joyce.

That was me at school as well. Ironically, I ended up becoming a historian. The Unusual Histories podcast is all about the history you don't learn at school, nor indeed anywhere else. Discover things that you didn't know that you didn't know, fascinating historical luminaries and their vices and addictions, and the other numerous sides of every story.

We start with the Monopoly Series, in which we explore how the game came to be, the real-life connection between the cheapest and most expensive properties, the history of each location, how proportionate the values were then and are today, what the hell a "community chest" is and whether free parking really does exist anywhere in London. 

If you love history; or indeed if you hate history, this is the podcast for you…