They expected "hundreds of thousands of visitors to come back to the West End to see this spectacular attraction." They were not proved correct.
Instead the Marble Arch Mound, as it was downgraded, opened as a laughing stock and promptly closed a few days later. The vegetation planted on the exterior of the mound hadn't bedded in so looked threadbare, the exhibition due to take pride of place within the exterior of the mound was nowhere near ready and the whole thing was exposed as a badly disguised pile of scaffolding in the centre of a busy gyratory. Westminster council's deputy leader duly resigned over the sheer waste of public money and the 'attraction' reopened with free admission throughout the month of August, attracting those curious to see what all the fuss was about. So I've been up.
Admission may be free but you still have to prebook, ostensibly because there's a limit of 25 people at the summit. I was expecting all yesterday's tickets to have gone when I checked first thing, it being the school holidays, but no, there was decent availability for an ascent within hours. E-ticket at the ready I set off for Marble Arch... and was unexpectedly ushered through the opening gazebo without it being checked. The lady with the clicker said they were letting anyone up on spec, so that was good news for the family wandering in behind me. I can't guarantee they'll be quite as lenient a) at the weekend b) after August c) on the day you turn up.
The mound is 25 metres high so it's a decent climb, roughly the equivalent of an eight-storey building, although there is a lift if you'd rather not. Ascent is via a metal staircase twisting up the southern flank - I counted fifteen flights of nine steps each - with the vista graduallyimproving as you go round. Before long you're looking down at tourists on the top decks of open buses and little taxis pootling by, and eventually peering over the tops of trees. The climb is also the best time to stare at the greenery covering the mound, for which read scrappy mats of sedum, although I did spot a bumble bee amid the occasional flower and irrigated tree. Try not to think about the fact that what you're really doing is climbing a massive stack of temporary scaffolding, and best not drop anything down the gaps.
The summit is a circuit of metal plates above a dark void... although you won't be looking in that direction. Instead you'll be focusing on the 360° panorama because this is a unique view, even if it's not exactly perfect. Oxford Street, for example, is entirely shielded by a single very large plane tree whose lush foliage blocks all sight. Marble Arch ought to be clearer but the saplings planted at the top of the mound ensure that's part-obscured, indeed it was best seen from about five flights up, which is a self-inflicted own goal. The top of the BT Tower pokes out above a rooftop, but every single skyscraper in the City is concealed behind the London Marriott Hotel Park Lane and the next landmark of interest on the skyline is the Shard. At least the Edgware Road is clear.
Perhaps the biggest disappointment is Hyde Park. A summit high above Speakers Corner ought to be a great location for an overview but instead all that's visible is an undulating canopy of trees almost as far as the eye can see. It must have looked very different in the winter when the architects did the recce, but don't expect to see anything more than the tiniest scrap of grass before the end of November. Even the far side of the park is light on landmarks... that's Battersea Power Station, that's Basil Spence Tower and that's er, something tall with a copper dome on top. No attempt has been made to explain to visitors what it is they're looking at, perhaps because there's nothing much to point out, perhaps because Westminster's policy on limiting high rise buildings has been impressively successful.
According to the FAQ "visitors are expected to spend a maximum of 10 minutes at the viewing deck". This seemed about right as a steady stream of folk climbed to the summit, walked round a couple of times to point at things and pose for selfies, then headed back down. The August flow included several families with children, plenty of young couples and a few groups who looked like they'd made a special journey from the outer suburbs or Home Counties. Later in the year the way out will be down a separate staircase into the belly of the mound, surrounded by a claustrophobic forest of metal poles, to see the Insta-friendly exhibition that isn't yet there. But for now the exit has to be back the way you came, 136 steps down, which to be fair is ideal if the main reason you came up is for the view.
But I stayed 20 minutes at the top. I absolutely love going up things, especially for unique views you can't normally see, and an artificial hillock beside Marble Arch totally ticks my boxes. I didn't mind that the planting was poor because when you're atop the mound that's mostly irrelevant. I didn't mind all the exposed scaffolding because how on earth were they going to build this attraction otherwise. I didn't mind the waste of taxpayers' money because it's not my council wasting it. And I didn't mind that the exhibition wasn't ready yet because that's how I got to go up for free in the first place. It's not what was advertised but, as Ian Visits concurs, it is indeed rather fun to visit. [10 photos]
