Image of The Mall in London - London Mall

London Mall

When you are thinking about “London Mall” you might envision a big shopping centre with all of your needs under one roof. Unfortunately for you, you are a million miles away from the truth, as London Mall is the road that stretches from Buckingham Palace at its western end up to Admiralty Arch and to Trafalgar Square to the east, where it crosses Spring Gardens.

The London Mall is closed to traffic on Sundays and public holidays, as well as on ceremonial occasions. The main feature of the Mall is its termination at Buckingham Palace. Buckingham Palace is known by the whole world as the official London residence of the British monarch and is the setting of many state occasions and hospitality.

A rallying point for the British population during both times of joy and crisis, Buckingham Palace remains a popular destination for many tourists wanting to see the regal side of the capital city.

Buckingham Palace and The London Mall

The state rooms of Buckingham Palace are used for official and state entertaining, and are open to the public on an annual basis during the months of August and September, as a feature of the Palace's Summer Opening.

A centre for many landmarks the London Mall has a host of great attractions you simply need to see whenever you are visiting London. As well the hugely famous Buckingham Palace, the residence of the Queen, you will find a range of other landmarks. Immediately before you reach the gates of Buckingham Palace you will see the Queen Victoria Memorial, a grade 1 listed building.

The memorial features a large Queen Victoria statue that faces north-east towards the London Mall, with the other sides of the monument featuring bronze statues of the Angel of Justice (facing Green Park ), the Angel of Truth (facing south-east) and Charity that faces the Palace itself. On the pinnacle sits Victory with two seated figures that were a gift from the citizens of New Zealand.

At the far end of the Mall sits Admiralty Arch, which leads to Trafalgar Square. Admiralty Arch is another grade 1 listed building, and is an office building that incorporates an archway that grants traffic and pedestrian access from the London Mall to Trafalgar Square.

On the south side of the London Mall opposite Green Park is St. James's Park, with St. James's Palace to the north. The park is a 58 acre park and is the oldest of the Royal Parks of London, sitting at the southernmost tip of the St. James's area. The park features a large lake and popular footpaths where people enjoy jogging, cycling, walking and horse riding, amongst other sports.

The park itself has a host of wildlife visiting, including a variety of bird such as Pelicans and the most friendly grey squirrels you could ever imagine. The palace is one of London's oldest palaces and is techniqually in Pall Mall, just next to St. James's Park, which is slightly south of the palace. No sovereign has resided in the palace for almost two centuries, however it has remained the official residence of the Sovereign and the most senior royal palace in the UK. It is for this reason it gives its name to the Royal Court.

Away from the Mall to the eastern end sits the Horse Guards Parade ground where you can see the ceremony of Trooping the Colour. The London Mall has a decidedly nautical theme, epitomised in the Queen Victoria Memorial, where there are mermaids, mermen and hippogriff imagery. It is believed to have been done in an effort to emphasise the United Kingdom's naval power.

The Mall has enjoyed a long and varied history, particularly due to the bustling, prominent and popular place it is situated in. The London Mall was created as a ceremonial route sometime during the early 20 th Century. It was created as a similar ceremonial route to those found in other cities, such as Berlin, Mexico City, Paris, Vienna, Oslo, St. Petersburg and Washington D.C. These routes were to be used as an area for major national ceremonies in the nation state era.

With the development of the London Mall, a new facade was created for Buckingham Palace, leading to the erection of the Victoria Memorial. Victory in Europe (VE) day on the 8 th May 1945, saw the palace at the centre of British celebrations, with King George VI, Queen Elizabeth, the Princess Elizabeth (soon to be Queen Elizabeth II) and Princess Margaret appearing on the balcony with the Mall swarming with happy, cheering British citizens.

During many state visits to the UK, the monarch and visiting head of state are always escorted up the London Mall in a state carriage, with the Mall decorated with Union Jack's and the flags of the visiting head of state's country. As well as this, he 2002 Golden Jubilee ceremonies of Queen Elizabeth II saw over one million people packed on the Mall in an effort to view the public displays as well as the appearance of the British Royal Family on the famous balcony.

An urban myth surrounding the London Mall has been heard by many people familiar with London tales. This myth states that in the event of an emergency or catastrophic event that could endanger the reigning monarch and other members of the government, the Mall can be converted quickly into a make-shift runway. There is no evidence to support this, however it has been a popular myth for quite some time leading some people to believe conspiracy theory.

A walk down the London Mall will ensure you see some of the top UK attractions. Leading yourself to Trafalgar Square will see you pass St. James's Park to the palace, to the Admiralty Arch through to Trafalgar Square. Once you reach Trafalgar Square you can find even more London delights, including another walk that will take you past Baker Street, Downing Street to the Houses of Parliament and the London Bridge, where you can enjoy sights of Canary Wharf, the London Eye and more.