(CNN) — Just six months after opening, London’s newest tourist attraction is shutting its doors.
The much-derided Marble Arch Mound, which cost a reported £6 million ($8.15 million), and was overseen by Westminster Council, will close January 9 after developing a reputation as a major disappointment and having been the source of widespread mockery on social media since July.
Ahead of its impending closure, tickets to the attraction are being sold for free, and are available on the door as well as on the Mound’s official website.
The Mound — situated on the corner of Hyde Park and Oxford Street — had promised sweeping greenery, unique views of the city and a light exhibition inside. It was conceived by Westminster Council as part of a “smarter, greener” future for the borough.
But when it opened, visitors were shocked to discover that elements of the attraction were clearly unfinished. Scaffolding used in the development of the structure was still visible and the lush greenery that had been promised was sorely lacking, as photos on social media showed.
The views at the top of the Mound — 130 steps up — were described as underwhelming and less than had been expected.
In a review written for The Critic when it first opened, Dan Barker said that the marketing material around the Mound had described entering into the inside of the structure as “descending into the heart” yet felt “a little soulless rather than a beating heart, an empty space used to store hand sanitizer and temporary signs.”
Barker also said the café and the shop that was promised, along with a light exhibition by W1 Curates which has since appeared, had yet to emerge when he visited in its opening days.
In his review, Barker compared the Mound to “that famous Cristiano Ronaldo statue” — in reference to the sculpture of the soccer star that failed to capture any of his features — rather than “Michaelangelo’s David” and concluded that the money spent on the attraction by the council “could have…
Source : cnn
