A View of the Mall in St James's Park The Mall in London, which runs along the side of Saint James Park, was originally a playing field for King Charles II of England and his courtiers. They played pall-mall, a game similar to croquet. By the mid-1700s, it had become a tree-lined avenue where fashionable Londoners went to walk and socialize. This Mall, and others like it, helped inspire the design and name of the National Mall. <a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=39&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=Thomas+Bowles+III+%28engraver%29">Thomas Bowles III (engraver)</a> The British Museum. <a href="http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=3305894&amp;partId=1">View original</a> 1753 <a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=38&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=Pre-1800s">Pre-1800s</a>