National Police Memorial

On a small patch of grassland, at the corner of The Mall and Horse Guards Road, stands the National Police Memorial. It was the first memorial to be placed in St James's Park in over a century.

On April 17, 1984, WPC Yvonne Fletcher was fatally wounded by a gunshot, fired by an unknown gunman in the Libyan Embassy, on St James's Square. Her murder sparked an eleven-day siege of the Embassy which, when it ended, resulted in the expulsion of those inside the building and the severing of diplomatic ties between the United Kingdom and Libya. 

Following her murder the film director Michael Winner founded the Police Memorial Trust. At first the Trust erected small monuments at the locations where Police Officers had lost their lives, but they wanted something more.

From the mid 1990s they lobbied and raised funds for a permanent memorial to all officers who had died in the course of their duties. Michael Winner gifted £500,000 to the fund, stating, 

"Memorials to soldiers, sailors and airmen are commonplace, but the police fight a war with no beginning and no end."

Walking with family and friends: London Bridge to Bermondsey... and beyond

New prisoners in an old gaol.

Saturday January 31, 2026:

Cloudy with sunny spells, winds at 4 mph, 10°C (50°F)

Erin is really into art, often designing dresses and fashion items.

So, I decided that we should visit the Fashion and Textile Museum, where an exhibition celebrating sixty years of Cosprop was being held.

''Cornerstone' by Austin Emery.

Erin invited our friend, Steve, and, after meeting at Watford underground station, we set off. We changed trains at Finchley Road and took a Jubilee line train to London Bridge. The museum was just a few minutes walk from the station, so we stopped at Chapter 72 for some drinks, before exploring this part of Bermondsey. 

Just before 11:00 we joined the queue for the museum and waited to go in. A sign had been affixed to the door, stating that the next two visiting times were fully booked, requiring some in the queue to book timed slots for later in the day. We, fortunately, had pre-booked our tickets.

On entering the museum we were each handed a booklet containing almost 50 pages of detailed information on each of the items on display, how Cosprop was formed and a brief history.

1820s wedding dress for Miss Havisham from Great Expectations (1967).

The first item of clothing, on display, was Miss Havisham's dress from Great Expectations (1967), followed by uniforms from The Charge of the Light Brigade (1968) and War and Peace (1972).

Annual Commemoration of the Execution of King Charles I

On Saturday January 30, 1649, King Charles I was publicly executed outside Banqueting House, on Whitehall, by the Parliamentarians.

On Sunday January 25, 2026, the English Civil War Society held its annual commemoration of the illegal execution of King Charles I, by the Parliament, for the 54th time.

The costumed march of over 200 volunteers armed with muskets, pikes, swords and cannons began on The Mall, near St James's Palace, at 11:30 and made its way to Horse Guards Parade ground.

It was here that a religious drumhead service was held, a Colour was trooped and blessed, the Oath of Loyalty was administered and awards and commissions were presented. 

The wreath was then blessed and trooped around the whole army, before the honour guard took it and fixed it to the railings of Banqueting House, on Whitehall, bringing the ceremony to a close.

The official policy of the King's Army is to never refer to it as an execution as this infers a legal act, which this was not. 

The Mall

Looking west towards Buckingham Palace and the Victoria Memorial.

The Mall has to be one of the most popular places for tourists to visit, in London, and is open to both pedestrian and vehicle traffic.

Whether it is to see Buckingham Palace, Admiralty Arch, Horse Guards, St James's Palace or either of the two parks, Green and St James's, it is always busy.

A gun salute in Green Park.

Then there are the events that take place along its length, such as Changing the Guard, Royal processions including coronations, state openings of Parliament and state visits.

Changing the Guard always draws the crowds.

Although vehicles are allowed to travel down it, scheduled bus routes are forbidden, unless permission is given by the monarch. This has only been granted twice and occurred in 1927 and 1950.