Duke of York Column — Attraction in London

In between The Royal Society and The Institute of Contemporary Arts and stood atop of The Duke of York's Steps, overlooking The Mall and St James's Park, is this 124ft tall, hollow, stairwelled, spherical Tuscan column on a square plinth, with a square railed off platform at the feet of the mahoosive bronze statue of The Duke of York, Prince Frederick, George 3rd's 2nd son. Unfortunately, the stairwell is shut off to the public. Designed by Benjamin Wyatt and unveiled 1834. 7yrs after Frederick's death of 1827. Duke of York and Albany, and Commander in Chief of the British Army during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. However, during his command of the Flanders Campaign 1793-4 which lead to heavy loss of lives and eventually defeat at the Battle of Tourcoing 1794 he was recalled to England. Whereupon the nursery rhyme The Grand Old Duke Of York became attributed to him satirically as Flanders is predominantly flat. (The song originally dates from 1642) ; "The Grand Old Duke of York He had ten thousand men, He marched them upto the top of the hill And he marched them down again. And when they were up they were up, And when they were down they were down, And when they were only half way up, They were neither up nor down ". However, He won the praise of Wellington for his administrative reforms but died in debt. The statue and column were funded by British soldiers who each donated a day's pay. In close proximity to a plethora of statues dedicated to British Empire heroes, Giro the dog's grave found also at the top of the steps to the right in front a tree. Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, Horse Guards Parade, Birdcage Walk, and Pall Mall. The surrounding buildings are by John Nash. Nearest stations are Piccadilly Circus, Charing Cross or St...

The Duke of York Column is a striking and often overlooked landmark just off The Mall in central London. Erected in 1834, it commemorates Prince Frederick, the Duke of York, who was the second son of King George III and Commander-in-Chief of the British Army during the Napoleonic Wars.

The column itself stands at over 40 metres tall, topped with a bronze statue of the Duke. Though it’s not open for climbing, its elevated position at the top of the famous steps offers a lovely perspective down The Mall and toward St. James’s Park.

There’s a quiet grandeur to this site, especially if you’re a fan of military history or Georgian-era monuments. That said, there’s minimal signage or information at the site, so reading up in advance (or bringing a guide app) is a good idea.

A great stop during a spring walk through London – especially if you’re also visiting nearby spots like Trafalgar Square, Buckingham Palace, or Horse...

This monument stands in tribute to Prince Frederick, Duke of York, the second eldest son of King George III. His main legacy was his role as commander-in-chief of the British Army during the French Revolutionary Wars and leading the reform of the army into the then more modernised force.

The statue is greatly larger than life at 4.11m tall is made of bronze and features the prince dressed in the robes of the Knights of the Garter, The statue sits atop a 42m (so kind of hard to miss, especially on The Mall) plinth, made of grey granite from Aberdeen in Scotland.

The statue is so high up that unless it's a clear day (can be rare in UK), it's really hard to see the...