Park Lane runs north from the west end of Piccadilly to Oxford St., near the Marble Arch. Beyond the point where it is joined by Hamilton Place (likewise leading from Piccadilly) it is bordered on its west side by the railings of Hyde Park, while on the east side rise the luxurious dwellings that have made its name a synonym for opulence if not for rank. Lord Eldon died at No. 1 Hamilton Place in 1838. No. 4 was occupied by the Duke of Wellington in 1814-15. At No. 11 is the Bachelors' Club.
At the convergence of Park Lane and Hamilton Place stands a Fountain by Thomas Thornycroft (1875), crowned by a figure of Fame, with statues of Chaucer, Shakespeare, and Milton, and figures of Tragedy, Comedy, and Poetry in the lower tiers. The mansion (No. 19 Park Lane) at the corner of Hertford St., on the right, is Londonderry House, built by the Wyatts in 1850 on the site of Holdernesse House. In Hertford St. Sheridan once lived at No. 10; at No. 14 Edward Jenner, the champion of vaccination, made an unsuccessful attempt to establish a practice in London (1803); and at No. 36 Bulwer Lytton wrote his 'Last Days of Pompeii' and 'Rienzi.' 'The Cottage' in Little Stanhope St., a turning off Hertford St., is a survival of the rural simplicity of 18th century Mayfair. Farther on, beyond the short row of irregular rear-facades presented to Park Lane by the houses in Seamore Place, Great Stanhope St. and Deanery St. diverge on the right. Lady Blessington held her salon at No. 8 Seamore Place in 1832-36; and in Great Stanhope St. lived Lord Brougham (No. 4; in 1834). Lord Raglan (1788-1855), Commander-in-chief in the Crimean War (No. 5), Lord Palmerston (No. 9; in 1820-40), and Sir Robert Peel (No. 12; in 1820-25).
