The Mall

This article describes the street in London, for the park in Washington see National Mall , for the shopping center in Ebikon see Mall of Switzerland

The Mall (2011)

The Mall around 1750

The Mall [ ˈmæl ] in London is the boulevard of the British capital and always the first stage of the sovereign's journey either to the Houses of Parliament or to the Horse Guards parade ground . It extends from Buckingham Palace in the west to Admiralty Arch and Trafalgar Square in the east. The six-lane road, lined with wide sidewalks, is closed to traffic on Sundays and public holidays as well as on ceremonial occasions.

history

Immediately at the gates of Buckingham Palace at the western end of the boulevard is the Queen Victoria Memorial , while Admiralty Arch opens to Trafalgar Square in the east. The south side of the boulevard is almost completely lined by the green areas of the adjacent St. James's Park . Shortly before the east end of the street, in front of Admiralty Arch, a junction, Horse Guards Road , leads south to Horse Guards Parade , where one of the three changing of the guard - daily in summer - takes place as well as Trooping the Color once a year as the queen's birthday parade . On the north side, The Mall at Buckingham Palace initially borders a short stretch of Green Park and then runs eastwards, parallel to Pall Mall , along Lancaster House , Clarence House , St James's Palace , Marlborough House Gardens, the Privy Council Office , the Royal Society , the British Academy , the Institute of Contemporary Arts and the headquarters of the British Council .

The Mall was redesigned as a route for ceremonial occasions in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including the new facade of Buckingham Palace designed by Aston Webb and the newly constructed Queen Victoria Memorial . Models were the boulevards laid out for high national celebrations in large cities such as Washington, DC , Paris , Berlin , Mexico City , Vienna , St. Petersburg and Oslo .

On state visits, the British Queen or the British King, accompanied by an escort, drive the state guest up the Mall, which is decorated with the flags of both countries.

The Mall was originally laid out as a wide boulevard in the 1660s. After its completion, it quickly became London's preferred promenade.

The Mall is the destination of the London Marathon . During the 2012 Summer Olympics , The Mall was the start and finish straight of several cycling and athletics competitions . Among other things, the road races , walking competitions and marathons were decided here.

literature

• Bamber Gascoigne: Encyclopedia of Britain . BCA, London / New York / Sydney / Toronto 1993, ISBN 0-333-54764-0 , p. 401.

Web links

Commons : The Mall  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 51 ° 30 ′ 15 ″  N , 0 ° 8 ′ 7 ″  W.