The Marble Arch Mound received so much bad press and negativity during its construction and after it first opened. By the time I visited in mid September 2021, the problems had been resolved and I was rather impressed.
The Marble Arch Mound was commissioned by Westminster Council as a tourist attraction. It was part of a post-Covid revival plan for the West End. It was meant to give views of the capital’s Oxford Street, Hyde Park, Mayfair and Marylebone. The artificial hill cost some £2 million to construct. The framework is covered with grass, shrubs and trees.
Visitors were charged £4.50 to walk up the mound to the viewing platform. People had booked tickets in advance. But it was a huge flop when it first opened on 26 July, as it was not ready. As a result, it was closed after just one day. People complained that trees blocked the view and the vegetation was dying. It seems the mound had been opened before it was really finished and it was lower than originally planned. There had been a rush to get it open for the summer holidays, but this proved to be a costly mistake.
After the teething problems were sorted out, it was free entry to go up the mound. People who had paid were given refunds.
I first saw it 12 July during construction -
And the completed view, on 18 Sept
Entry is free, you have to go through a security search of bags. A gentle series of stairs lead up to the top, with security officers based in several places. The views from the top -
The grassy area in front of the 3 fountains is sometimes used for sculptures, the most recent being the bronze
orphan elephants, before they moved to
Spitalfields in 2020.
Looking down the Edgeware Road, this runs straight for almost 10 miles. This end of the road is often known as Little Cairo and Little Beirut due to the number of Arabs in the area. In the centre of the photo is a triangular road island with 3 small oak trees.
Looking down the start of Oxford Street.
The start of Park Lane, with Hard Rock on the extreme left, the entrance to Marble Arch underground station, and in the centre background, the London Eye can be seen (to the left of the 2 cranes), as well as The Shard and some buildings in Canary Wharf.
Looking over Hyde Park, with Park Lane. Unfortunately the trees obscure the view of Hyde Park -
The way down from the mound is a series of steps inside, which is quite interesting, as you get to see the scaffolding and construction. The first photo is looking vertically down, and the third photo is looking up and you can see people on the viewing platform -
There is an added bonus at the bottom as you go into a "
light exhibition". British sculptor, Anthony James, has installed the Lightfield art exhibition which is a series of light sculptures in three rooms within the Mound temporary exhibition space. Anthony James commented: “Lightfield consists of 12 cubes that allude to the mycorrhizal nature of birch tree forests. This is the first time my works have been displayed and viewed in this fully immersive way – installed within an infinity room that transports visitors into another world to create a meditative and limitless narrative.”
It certainly is an immersive display, there seem to be unending passages within the cubes and shapes. Unfortunately the photos don't do it justice at all as it is hard to get the "3d" effect and you really don't get the feeling of the depth -
Back outside I had a look at some of the vegetation
The Mound will be open daily until early January 2022 and will remain free of charge.
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Evening Standard 6 Aug "Marble Arch Mound to open as free attraction for August after ‘spectacular flop’"
ITV 2 Aug "Free entry to Marble Arch Mound after 'teething problems' disappoint visitors"
ITV 5 Aug "Why was the £2m Marble Arch Mound such a 'spectacular flop'?"
Time Out 14 Sept "The beloved Marble Arch Mound is doing a light show"
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The mound closed 9 Jan 22022.
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