Wellington Arch at 200: The monument that lost a statue and gained a tunnel

"Originally called the Grand Triumphal Arch, it was built in part to commemorate Britain's victories in the Napoleonic Wars and as part of King George IV's remodelling of Hyde Park and Buckingham Palace. Announced in 1825, it would take a year of wrangling to settle on a design for the arch. The chosen architect, Decimus Burton, initially planned a triumphal arch modelled on the Arch of Titus in Rome,"

"Burton created a new design, "to pander to the majestic ego",[6] which was much larger and modelled on a fragment found in the Roman Forum, which was accepted 200 years ago - on 14th January 1826. Construction got underway fairly quickly, and by July 1826, the foundations were in place. However, partway through construction, the design changed. The spendthrift King George IV was living up to his nickname and had massively overspent on Buckingham Palace."

Wellington Arch, originally named the Grand Triumphal Arch, was intended to commemorate British victories in the Napoleonic Wars and to complement King George IV's remodelling of Hyde Park and Buckingham Palace. Design debates began after the 1825 announcement and Decimus Burton's initial Arch of Titus model was rejected as too modest. Burton produced a larger design modelled on a Roman Forum fragment, accepted on 14 January 1826, with foundations laid by July 1826. Government spending clampdowns led to cutbacks and cancellation of planned rooftop sculpture. Scaffolding came down in September 1828 and the arch opened to the public; it later served practical uses such as a police station and a fundraising campaign in the 1840s paid for a large bronze statue.

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