Scotland Yard facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Scotland Yard |
|
|---|---|
|
New Scotland Yard
|
|
The iconic sign outside the New Scotland Yard building on Victoria Embankment, City of Westminster. The sign came to prominence when it was first located outside an earlier Scotland Yard building.
|
|
| General information | |
| Address |
|
| Town or city | City of Westminster, Greater London |
Scotland Yard, officially known as New Scotland Yard, is the main headquarters for the Metropolitan Police. This police force is in charge of keeping the peace in most of Greater London. However, it does not cover the small area called the City of London, which has its own police force.
The name "Scotland Yard" comes from where the police headquarters first started. It was at 4 Whitehall Place, which also had an entrance on a street called Great Scotland Yard. This entrance became the main way for the public to get in. Over time, "Scotland Yard" became a famous name. It's used not just for the building, but also for the Metropolitan Police Service itself and for police officers, especially detectives. In 1964, The New York Times said that just like Wall Street became known for New York's financial area, Scotland Yard became the name for police work in London.
The police headquarters moved from Great Scotland Yard in 1890. They went to a new building on the Victoria Embankment. This new place was called "New Scotland Yard." More buildings were added in 1906 and 1940. In 1967, the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) moved its main office again. This time, it was to a tall, new building on Broadway in Victoria. In 2013, it was announced that the force would move to the Curtis Green Building in Westminster. This building was also renamed "New Scotland Yard." In November 2016, the MPS moved to its current home. This is the fourth location to be called "New Scotland Yard."
Contents
The Story of Scotland Yard
The Metropolitan Police Service is responsible for law enforcement in most of Greater London. This means they handle police work everywhere except for the small area of the City of London. The City of London Police covers that part. Also, the British Transport Police handles the London Underground and train networks.
The First Home: 4 Whitehall Place
The Metropolitan Police was created by Robert Peel in 1829. He helped pass the Metropolitan Police Act in Parliament. Peel, with help from Eugène-François Vidocq, chose the first location for the police headquarters. This was at 4 Whitehall Place.
The first two police chiefs, Charles Rowan and Richard Mayne, worked there. Many other police officers and staff also used the building. It used to be a private house. Number 4 Whitehall Place had a back entrance that opened onto a street called Great Scotland Yard. This is how the name "Scotland Yard" became famous.
This first building was bought by a company in 2015. It was turned into a fancy hotel, which opened in 2019.
Moving to Victoria Embankment
By 1887, the Metropolitan Police headquarters had grown a lot. They used several buildings near 4 Whitehall Place. The police force eventually became too big for its first home. So, new headquarters were built.
These new buildings were designed by an architect named Richard Norman Shaw. They were built on the Victoria Embankment, looking over the River Thames. In 1890, the police headquarters moved to this new spot. It was named New Scotland Yard.
By this time, the Metropolitan Police had grown from 1,000 officers to about 13,000. They needed more space for their staff and a bigger headquarters. As the force grew even more, new buildings were added in 1906 and 1940. This made New Scotland Yard a complex of three buildings. The first two buildings are now very important historical structures. They are known as the Norman Shaw Buildings.
The very first building at 4 Whitehall Place still has its back entrance on Great Scotland Yard. Some of the police horses are still kept at 7 Great Scotland Yard, right across the street from the first headquarters.
The Broadway Location
In 1967, the Metropolitan Police headquarters moved again. This time, it was to a new building at 8-10 Broadway. This building also touched Victoria Street.
In 2008, the police authority bought the building for about £120 million. However, in 2014, 10 Broadway was sold for £370 million. Plans were approved to turn it into a new development with six buildings. The police officially moved out on October 31, 2016. The building was then taken down later that year.
The Current Home of Scotland Yard
.jpg)
In May 2013, the Metropolitan Police announced another move. The building on Broadway would be sold. The headquarters would move back to the Curtis Green Building on the Victoria Embankment. Architects were asked to redesign the building before the police moved in. This building used to house the police's local policing headquarters. It is also next to the original New Scotland Yard (the Norman Shaw North Building).
By December 2015, the outside work on the Curtis Green building was finished. On October 31, 2016, the Metropolitan Police staff left 10 Broadway and moved to their new headquarters. Queen Elizabeth II was supposed to open the new New Scotland Yard building on March 23, 2017. But the opening was delayed because of a terrorist attack that happened the day before. The opening was rescheduled for July 13, 2017.
Like its past homes, this new building also has the Met's Crime Museum. It used to be called the Black Museum. It started in 1874 and has a collection of items related to crimes. This museum is not open to the public.
Scotland Yard in Pop Culture
Scotland Yard has appeared in many books, films, and TV shows. It became famous in the Victorian era. It was featured in the Jack the Ripper cases and the stories of Sherlock Holmes.
- Wilkie Collins's book The Moonstone (1868) is about a Scotland Yard detective. He investigates the theft of a valuable diamond. This book is thought to be one of the first "police procedural" stories.
- Alfred Hitchcock's 1929 thriller film Blackmail features a Scotland Yard Detective named Frank Webber. This movie is considered the first British "talkie" (a film with sound).
- In Monty Python's 1969 comedy sketch "The Funniest Joke in the World", Graham Chapman plays a Scotland Yard inspector. He leaves a house with a joke in his hand, but then dies from laughing too much.
See also
In Spanish: Scotland Yard para niños
- Whitehall 1212 – for many years, this was the main public phone number for Scotland Yard.
