The temporary offer of free tickets to climb up the Marble Arch Mound has now been extended until the Mound closes, in a tacit admission that they will struggle to charge people to visit.
Already some 60,000 people have climbed the Mound, maybe a lot to see if it’s as bad as it’s supposed to be, and maybe a few finding that actually it’s not that bad after all.
One of the bigger issues about the view though is that it’s a sea of trees blocking views of Hyde Park, but that may be less of an issue in the winter as the trees do what trees do and become rather less of a foliage blockage. And as tickets are free, you can pop up again for a comparative view in the winter.
The Mound is due to close on 9th January 2022.
The free tickets can be pre-booked here, and depending on how many people are there, they may let you up without a ticket if you’re in the area and curious.
Mound Opening Hours
| 1st Sept to 24th Oct | Mon to Fri | 11am to 5pm |
| Weekends | 10am to 8pm | |
| 25th Oct to 31st Oct (October Half Term) |
Mon to Sun | 10am to 6pm |
| 1st Nov to 12th Dec | Mon to Fri | 11am to 5pm |
| Weekends | 10am to 6pm | |
| 13th Dec to 31st Dec (closed Xmas Day and Boxing Day) |
Mon to Sun | 10am to 8pm |
| 1st Jan to 9th Jan 2022 | Mon to Sun | 10am to 10pm |
However, the free tickets offer means that Westminster Council’s aspiration of recovering around £2.1 million in ticket sales and sponsorship to offset the cost of the Mound has been totally wiped out.
I’m struggling to see why anyone is defending this absolute monstrosity.
Thanks so much for this and your original brilliant review. I was inspired by your original write up so I booked 2 x free spaces for myself and a friend and we visited last Saturday. It was all you reported and more because they now have a light show inside the mound and it’s quite fun (made me think of The Matrix). The mound was covered in butterflies visiting all the wild flowers, we loved the wooden plaques which highlighted interesting landmarks and facts and the climb up those metal steps was a good small challenge and a bit of fun. Also the staff were polite and well informed. You always manage to find fun and quirky places to visit. We tied it in with a visit to Wellington Arch so we had a modern and historical climb on the same day. Thanks again!