The Mall

THE MALL

The Mall is a wide and straight avenue that runs between Buckingham Palace and Admiralty Arch. The Mall follows an old path at the edge of St James’s Park, which was initially laid out in the reign of King Charles II and it soon afterwards became London’s most fashionable promenade. The Mall was specifically created to be an imposing route for ceremonial occasions.  London was late amongst major world cities in creating such an avenue and it was part of a scheme that included a new façade for Buckingham Palace, The Victoria Memorial and Admiralty Arch. The project was commissioned by King Edward VII to commemorate the death of Queen Victoria and the works were completed by 1912.

The road surface of The Mall consists of a distinctive hot rolled asphalt wearing course with red aggregate pre-coats, that gives the avenue a ‘red carpet’ effect, befitting its location in front of Buckingham Palace. The Mall is closed to traffic on Sundays and on public holidays, leaving it free for pedestrians to take the popular walk from Trafalgar Square up to Buckingham Palace. The Mall is also shut for various ceremonial occasions, when vast crowds assemble there, particularly for the occasions when the Royal Family appear on the balcony of Buckingham Palace. The Mall is closed for events such as the finish of the London Marathon (see earlier blog: LONDON MARATHON), the Queen’s Official birthday with The Trooping of the Colour at Horseguards (see earlier blog: TROOPING OF THE COLOUR) and the celebrations held over the fiftieth anniversary of the end of The Second World War.

The Mall has a distinct nautical feel. It is lined on either side with mighty flagstaffs, reminiscent of the masts of ships. Both a memorial statue to the seafaring explorer Captain Cook and The Royal Marines Monument are located by The Mall. At the easterly end is the Admiralty Arch, designed by Sir Aston Webb who also designed the Royal Naval College in Dartmouth. Admiralty Arch consists of three high arches to accommodate traffic. The northernmost arch has a mysterious small human shaped stone nose, protruding from the wall at a point seven feet up. Mounted soldiers are known to touch the nose for good luck as they pass through the arch. The Duke of Wellington was famous for his large nose and the stonemasons may have had the Duke in mind and chiseled this reminder as a prank. In 1997, the British Government temporarily housed a number of homeless folk inside offices and apartments within the arch, from which they could look over to Buckingham Palace from the dramatic semicircular balustrade. Lord Nelson was laid in state above the archway and it was in the Admiralty buildings near to the arch that news arrived on the night of the sixth of November 1805 of the victory at Trafalgar and the admiral’s death.

The Mall acts as a grand processional route from Buckingham Palace to the Houses of Parliament. During state visits to the United Kingdom by heads of state from across the four compass points of the world, the monarch and visiting head usually travel down The Mall in a state carriage with the flags of both countries lining the avenue. Alongside the flagstaffs are mature trees on either side, leading down to St James’s Park to the south and up to splendid Nash terraces to the north. Known as Carlton House Terrace, it consists of two terraces of white stucco-faced houses built by John Nash between 1827 and 1832. The terrace was commissioned by George IV following his accession to the throne. The Nash buildings replaced his former palace on the site, Carlton House, where he resided as Prince Regent. The terrace was the final component of John Nash’s master plan, connecting the prestigious development at Regent’s Park with the social and administrative centre of the capital.

The freehold of Carlton House Terrace still belongs to the Crown Estate and each terrace consists of nine large houses. Carlton House Terrace was badly damaged during the Second World War and the exteriors were painstakingly restored but many interiors are now very different to the originals. The addresses remain as fashionable today as they were on construction. William Gladstone lived at number eleven. At number six is located The Royal Society, which is the oldest such society in existence. The Royal Society originated from a group of eminent scholars who began to meet informally in both London and Oxford in 1645, with a Royal Charter of Incorporation dating from 1662. It now numbers about seven hundred and sixty fellows. The rooms contain many busts and portraits of eminent deceased members and there are also interesting relics on display, including Newton’s telescope, watch and his sundial.

Amongst other residents of Carlton House Terrace is The Royal College of Pathologists, located at number two. The College has six thousand five hundred members and it is the professional body for medical specialists and those pathologists who investigate the causes of death. The Institute of Contemporary Arts moved to its present premises on The Mall in 1968. The ICA was founded in 1946 with support from the Arts Council and is separated into departments specializing in visual art, theatre, cinema, music, performance art and rooms for talks and lectures. Adjacent to the ICA is The Mall Galleries and set behind it are British Council offices.

Between The Mall and St James’s Park is the Boer War Memorial to the Royal Artillery which was unveiled in 1920. It shows a winged figure of Peace controlling a horse, which is representative of the spirit of war. A little further beyond is The National Police Memorial which was conceived by the film director and journalist Michael Winner. On the opposite side and at the top of the steps leading to Waterloo Place is the statue of the Duke of York, atop a one hundred and twenty-four feet high Tuscan Column. The Duke of York was the second son of George III. He was the one and same Duke of York immortalised in the well known rhyme, ‘The Grand Old Duke of York, He had ten thousand men.’  He was commander in chief of the British Army until his death in 1827. Every officer and soldier in the army contributed a day’s wages to pay for the monument to be erected. The column was completed in 1834 and the bronze statue of the Duke of York, once known as ‘the soldiers friend’ is by Richard Westmacott.

Also erected just off The Mall on Waterloo Place and only a short walk from the Duke of York Memorial, is a fine statue of King George VI, draped in his garter robes. Unveiled in 1955, the statue is the work of William McMillan, who also made the mermaids in Trafalgar Square. The coffin of his wife, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, passed beneath his gaze on the way to her funeral at Westminster Abbey. She herself is now represented in bronze, neighbouring her husband, the statue was erected in 2009. The Queen Mother’s home from 1953 until her death in 2002, Clarence House, is located behind The Mall and it is now occupied by the Prince of Wales. Close to St James’s Palace is Marlborough House with gardens leading down to The Mall. It houses the Commonwealth Secretariat and the Commonwealth Foundation.

At the east end of The Mall is a solid, brown windowless bunker known as The Citadel, its bomb proof hard edges are softened by climbing plants. Dating back to the Second World War, it was used as a communications headquarters by the navy. It is said to be connected to a number of subterranean government tunnels, some of which run directly beneath The Mall. The Mall also leads to Horse Guards Parade (see earlier blog: TROOPING OF THE COLOUR) and when the guard changes at eleven each morning at Horseguards, the Household Cavalry traverse the length of The Mall, to and from their barracks at Hyde Park.

Where to view The Mall and video clips of London

London in Motion has some of the best London Stock Footage and London Library Footage with moving clips of many of the above mentioned places to see, are available to browse through by simply visiting the ‘The Mall’ category of this website.  New additions of London video clips are being frequently uploaded and further categories will be appearing over the coming months.