Admiralty Arch  

Email to a friend

• Visitor Information

Admiralty Arch, a grade I listed building just off Trafalgar Square, was commissioned by Edward VII in memory of his mother, Queen Victoria. The inscription reads "Anno decimo Edwardi Septimi Regis Victorię Reginę cives gratissimi MDCCCCX" which translates as "In the tenth year of King Edward VII to Queen Victoria from most grateful citizens 1910". Designed in 1910 by Sir Aston Webb, it was completed around 1911, after King Edward VII had passed away and remains one of London's best-known buildings. The grand, triumphal Portland stone arch leads to a grand boulevard, The Mall, and provides a visual barrier between Buckingham Palace and Trafalgar Square. The building which takes its name from the nearby Royal Navy Headquarters adjoins the Old Admiralty Building and its original use was as the offices and residences for the Sea Lords, leaders of the Royal Navy. It was also used as a hostel for the homeless and as home to several British government offices before being sold to a developer with plans to turn it into a hotel. If you look closely at the arch to the left (when facing Trafalgar Square) you'll see a nose. The reason for this protrusion is debatable - some say it's Nelson's or Wellington's spare nose, while others believe it is in homage to Edward VII, who had a rather large nose. Another legend says it's Napoleon's nose which, in the early 20th century, would be rubbed by those riding through the arch on their horse as a snub to the general, who was small in stature - it's about 7 feet (2 meters) off the ground.