Monopoly is one of the best-known board games in history, with multiple versions available around the world. Many Britons likely first encountered London landmarks like Pall Mall and Trafalgar Square on the Monopoly board.
Engrained in the memories of many are the colours of these locations and their positions on the Monopoly board. However, you might be taken aback to learn that recollections diverge widely, especially concerning the colour of the game’s two prime property locations.
There’s an ongoing debate over the colour of Mayfair and Park Lane, Monopoly’s most coveted spaces. While a faction insists these squares are purple, the opposition claims they are various shades of blue.
After one question was published on X which asking “Park Lane and Mayfair on a Monopoly board, are they purple or dark blue?”, opinions were split, with 33% siding with purple and a majority of 67% choosing dark blue. Some participants even suggested indigo, which nestles between blue and purple on the spectrum, reports Cambridgeshire Live.
On Reddit, one user asked: “I seem to remember them being purple, however since searching Google Images I have seen them in various shades of blue. Can someone point me in the direction of an image with what they think is the correct colour?”
Respondents chimed in with mixed views; one insisted “they have always been blue” while another asserted “they’ve been dark blue since 1935”.
On a different thread, a user queried: “Having an argument over Monopoly. Back in the day I had an edition that had Park Lane and Mayfair as purple, or was mine just the only one?”
One said “Mine had Park Lane and Mayfair in violet, so yes, a bluey purple”, and another was adamant that “Mayfair and Park Lane are purple, simple.”
What are the colours of the other Monopoly spaces?
Despite the debate, it seems that there is a clear correct answer to the question of whether the squares are dark blue or purple. On Wikibooks, a page entitled “Monopoly/official rules” lists all the colours and says: “There are 22 streets in the game. Each street belongs to a colour set alongside one or two other streets. Starting from Go and proceeding clockwise, the colour sets are brown (purple in earlier editions), light blue, pink, orange, red, yellow, green and dark blue.”
We’ve also asked Monopoly owners Hasbro to comment with their official position.
How many spaces are there on a Monopoly board?
There are 40 spaces on a Monopoly board. Of these, 22 are streets and, in the UK version at least, four are train stations. The rest are made of Chance, Community Chest, Income Tax, Jail, Electric Company, Free Parking, Water Works, Go To Jail, Super Tax and, of course, Go.
What are the train station names?
In the UK version of Monopoly, the train stations are Kings Cross, Marylebone, Fenchurch Street and Liverpool Street.
