| Admiralty Arch | |
|---|---|
 Admiralty Arch seen from The Mall, June 2009 | |
  Location of Admiralty Arch in central London | |
| General information | |
| Status | Grade I listed |
| Type | Triumphal arch, government building |
| Architectural style | Neoclassical |
| Location | The Mall,London,SW1, United Kingdom |
| Coordinates | 51°30′24″N0°07′43″W / 51.50678°N 0.12869°W /51.50678; -0.12869 |
| Current tenants | Motcomb Estates |
| Completed | 1912; 113 years ago (1912) |
| Client | Edward VII |
| Owner | HM Government |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Aston Webb |
| Main contractor | John Mowlem & Co |
TheAdmiralty Arch is a historic landmark building inLondon, providing road and pedestrian access betweenThe Mall, which extends to the southwest, andTrafalgar Square to the northeast. Commissioned by KingEdward VII in memory of his mother,Queen Victoria, it was designed byAston Webb, and is now a Grade Ilisted building. Until 2011, the building housed government offices, including the residence of theFirst Sea Lord, and was used by theAdmiralty. In 2012, the government sold the building on a 125-year lease for £60m for redevelopment into theWaldorf Astoria London Admiralty Arch luxury hotel, which is scheduled to open in 2026.[1]
The arch was designed by Aston Webb, who also designed theVictoria Memorial and the new façade ofBuckingham Palace at the other end of the Mall.[2]: 1 Admiralty Arch was constructed byJohn Mowlem & Co and completed in 1912.[3] It adjoins the Old Admiralty Building, hence the name. The building was commissioned by King Edward VII in memory of his mother Queen Victoria, although he did not live to see its completion in 1912. Admiralty Arch served as the official residence of theFirst Sea Lord, includingLouis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma. It also housed various government offices, initially for theAdmiralty.[2]: 1
The structure, which combines the features of atriumphal arch with those of a government office building, is asymmetrical. As viewed from the Mall, the right wing of the building has one floor more than the left one: below thecornice there are three on the right, but just two on the left.[2]: 11
_-_Latin_inscription.jpg)
A Latin inscription along the top reads:
: ANNO : DECIMO : EDWARDI : SEPTIMI : REGIS :
: VICTORIÆ : REGINÆ : CIVES : GRATISSIMI : MDCCCCX :
(In the tenth year of King Edward VII, to Queen Victoria, from most grateful citizens, 1910)
The sculptural figures ofNavigation (left) andGunnery (right) at the end of the two wings were designed by the English sculptorThomas Brock.
Beneath the building is a warren of tunnels and chambers, including vaults which used to house the government archives.[2]: 11 In 2000, theCabinet Office moved into offices in the building, while maintaining its headquarters onWhitehall. It was also home to thePrime Minister's Strategy Unit and theSocial Exclusion Task Force.[4] In 2011, as part of theUnited Kingdom government austerity programme, the building became vacant and was put up for sale[5] for a reported £75 million. In October 2012, the winning bidder was reported to be the Spanish real estate developerRafael Serrano, who planned to turn the property into a luxury hotel. The property was sold as a 125-year lease.[6][7]In August 2013,Westminster City Council granted full planning permission for the restoration and conversion of Admiralty Arch into a 100-room hotel, residences and private members' club.[8]
The architects Blair Associates were retained by property developer Prime Investors Capital (run byRafael Serrano)[9] to convert the building into a hotel, restaurant and four apartments. The residences went on sale in July 2016.[2]: 11
In 2022, Motcomb Estates took over development of Admiralty Arch.[10] The building is currently being converted into a luxury hotel under theWaldorf Astoria brand,[11] and is scheduled to open in 2026.[1]
There is reputedly an underground passage connecting Admiralty Arch to10 Downing Street.[2]
As the ceremonial entrance fromTrafalgar Square toThe Mall, itself the ceremonial road leading up toBuckingham Palace, Admiralty Arch plays an important role on ceremonial occasions. Processions at royal weddings, funerals, coronations and other public processions such as the 2012 processions at the end of the Olympic and Paralympic Games all passed under its arches.[12] The central archway is reserved for use by royalty.[2]: 1
On the inside wall of the northernmost arch is a small protrusion the size and shape of a human nose. It was placed there by the artist Rick Buckley in 1997 as part of a campaign against the "Big Brother" society. The nose is at a height of about seven feet, and sits at waist-height for anyone riding through the arch on a horse.[13]
Media related toAdmiralty Arch at Wikimedia Commons| Buildings |
| ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Statues |
| ||||||
| Adjacent streets | |||||||
| People |
| ||||||
| Events | |||||||
| Miscellaneous | |||||||
