Marble Arch

Marble Arch

Marble Arch is a white Carrara marble structure located at the western end of Oxford Street in London, England, at the junction with Park Lane and Edgware Road, almost directly opposite Speaker's Corner in Hyde Park. The arch is situated on a busy large traffic roundabout, which also has a very small park. This traffic roundabout faces Marble Arch Underground Station.

In 1828, John Nash designed Marble Arch based on the Arch of Constantine in Rome. It was originally located on The Mall as the main gate of Nash’s redevelopment of Buckingham House into the new Buckingham Palace. At the time, the eastern part of Buckingham Palace had not yet been built, meaning the inner courtyard, surrounded by two wings, remained open on one side. Marble Arch was placed at the entrance to the open side of the courtyard. In 1855, during the construction of the eastern part of Buckingham Palace, Marble Arch was moved to its current location.

The arch once contained three small rooms that served as a police station until 1950. Due to Nash’s financial issues, some sculptures originally intended for the arch ended up on the façade of the National Gallery, notably "Britannia." The statues that disappeared beneath the portico were meant to depict the Duke of Wellington. These sculptures included personifications of Europe and Asia/India, with a blank circle in the middle. Had the arch been completed as planned, the Duke of Wellington’s face would have been depicted in the circle.

Marble Arch

Must-visit reason: London’s most famous triumphal arch

Continent where the attraction is located: Europe【Europe】

Country/Region where the attraction is located: Britain[Britain]

Province/State where the attraction is located: Greater London [Greater London]

City where the attraction is located: London [London]