‘A joke’: London’s new US$2.8m tourist attraction panned, with visitors offered refunds and free tickets for when it’s had ‘time to bed in’
- The Marble Arch Mound opened this week to widespread criticism, with visitors likening it to a construction site or a slag heap
- The local council admitted elements of the MVRDV-designed attraction ‘are not yet ready for visitors’
London’s latest tourist attraction aimed for the heights but has fallen flat.
The Marble Arch Mound, an artificial hill beside one of the city’s busiest intersections, opened this week – and is already offering refunds to disappointed visitors and admitting “teething problems”.
Designed by Dutch architecture firm MVRDV, the mound is a 25 metre (82 foot) hill made from turf-covered scaffolding that claims to offer panoramic views of Hyde Park, Oxford Street, Mayfair and the surrounding area.
The hill’s website describes it as “a new and meaningful experience that captures the imagination of residents, businesses and visitors”, and local officials hope it will help draw people back to the commercial heart of London after more than a year of pandemic-related restrictions.
Visitors this week likened it to a construction site or a slag heap that bears little resemblance to the lush images on the website. A promised shop, cafe and exhibition space are unfinished.