* the “Duke of Wellington Mounting Block” – Pall Mall London SW1

It is commonly said, if you want to discover historic London, never look ahead – always look upwards and downwards – because that’s where you’ll find it – and that is certainly the case with this week’s London Shoes blog topic.

Located at the end of Waterloo Place in London’s Pall Mall district, there sits an unusual historic street fixture:-

…..” The Duke of Wellington-Mounting Block”……..

This unique street ‘fixture’ is situated on the pavement outside the magnificent ‘Athenaeum Club’  – a prestigious private members club that was founded in 1824 with a membership that included and still includes today – intellectuals from all different types of professions – who congregate socially to debate this that and the other…..a lot of brains under one roof.

To date, 51 Athenaeum Club members have won the Nobel Peace Prize – and past Club members include the likes of Charles Darwin / Sir Arthur Conan Doyle / Isambard Kingdom Brunel / Winston Churchill / Noel Coward / Charles Dickens and the 1^st Duke of Wellington.

Arthur Wellesley was the 1^st Duke of Wellington (1769-1852) – was a military man and politician who, later in life, served as Prime Minister.

Nicknamed the ‘Iron Duke’ –  he commanded successful military campaigns against many countries, but is probably best known for defeating Napoleon Bonaparte at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.

During his lifetime he was probably one of the Athenaeum Club’s most revered members, especially following his success at the Battle of Waterloo.

He loved nothing better than leaving his residence at Apsley House (a property with the unique address of No.1 London’) then parading through London’s streets mounted on horseback to what the required locations (frequently Athenaeum House). However – as he got older, he found that the mounting and dismounting his horse, became more challenging and difficult.

So – because he was a valued ‘face’ at the Athenaeum Club – in 1830 a ‘Mounting Block’ was put in place for him, directly outside the Club entrance. A 2^nd mounting block was also installed directly across the other side of the street.

This mounting block is made from granite and consists of one long block of stone with a smaller one positioned on top of it – and was a very useful ‘tool’ for getting on and off a horse – particularly useful for the Duke of Wellington at the time he was made Prime Minister in 1828, as he was then in his late 50’s and (like all of us) not as mobile or as lively on his trotters as he once had been.

Amazingly, these two Wellington Mounting Blocks are still in situ today and are in good nick bearing in mind they are now 194 years old – but I bet there are people that walk past them every day, and perhaps don’t even notice them or know what they represent.

So – that’s the ‘Wellington Mounting Block’ (or Stone, as some call it) for you – and ideal topic for the London Shoes ethos of London’s lesser known/more unusual history – hope you enjoyed reading about it.

Before seeking out a nearby pub for the customary liquid refreshment, my London Shoes wandered a few yards down the road from the Athenaeum Club to another lesser-known but fascinating London landmark – the grave of ‘Giro’the Nazi dog.

Giro was a terrier dog, believed to be German Shepherd – who was owned by ‘Leoplold von Hoesch’ the German Ambassador to the UK in the 1930’s.

Giro the dog died in 1934 after chewing through some electrical cable, and was buried in the garden of the then German Embassy in Carlton House Terrace – just a few yards further down from the Athenaeum Club.

Giro’s owner Leoplold von Hoesch the German Ambassodor, died of a heart attack in April 1936 and his body was returned to Germany. However – Giro the dog’s grave remained.

The inscription on Giro’s tombstone reads:-

A faithful companion!
London in February 1934.
Hoesch.

It has been described as Britain’s only Nazi memorial – and flowers are put on Giro’s tombstone every February on the anniversary of poor old Giro’s death……how lovely is that.

So – by now I was in need of a little liquid refreshment, and whilst wandered around Pall Mall I stumbled upon the ‘Red Lion’ pub.

The ‘Red Lion’ – is situated in Crown Passage-St. James-London SW1 – and it claims to be the 2nd oldest licenced premises in London’s West End district.

The current pub building dates back to the 1860’s – but records show that there’s been a licenced premises on the site long before that.

A proper olde-worlde pub with wooden panels and stained-glass windows everywhere – with a nice cosy little vibe going on – an ideal place to enjoy a couple of ‘cheeky’ beers.

Anyway – hope you enjoyed this blog article and that its accompanying photos helped bring the stories to life a bit for you.

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See below the full gallery of photos taken to accompany this blog article