
Admiralty Arch, seen from the northeast
'Admiralty Arch' is a large office building in
London which incorporates an archway providing road and
pedestrian access between
The Mall, which extends to the southwest, and
Trafalgar Square to the northeast. It was designed by Sir
Aston Webb, constructed by
John Mowlem & Co and completed in
1912. 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. 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'')
An infamous feature of Admiralty Arch is its "nose". On the inside wall of the northernmost arch there is a small protrusion the size and shape of a human nose. There is little or no public information as to why it is there. The nose is at a height of about seven feet, and would sit at waist high for anyone riding through the arch on a horse. Tradition holds that it is Napoleon's nose. It was to be rubbed by anyone riding through the arch.
Admiralty Arch is a Grade I listed building. In 2000, the Cabinet Office moved into offices in the building, while maintaining its headquarters on Whitehall. It is also home to the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit.[1]