London possesses at least nine monuments celebrating the lives of two of the country’s military heroes: Arthur Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington, and Horatio Nelson, Vice Admiral, and fleet commander. Nelson, of course, has prime position on his column overlooking the square named after his famous victory in 1805, while Wellington has his triumphal arch on the corner of Hyde Park — which was originally capped by a huge statue of the duke on his horse, Copenhagen. And, but for the death of the high-spending George IV, our city would have had another in a great arch hailing both men — Marble Arch.
The story starts in 1826, not close to Speaker’s Corner in Hyde Park where Marble Arch currently stands, but at Buckingham House, which George IV decided to remodel as a fully blown palace with the help of his architect John Nash. Nash produced designs for the King that included a dramatic state entrance to the palace in what is now the area of the famous Royal balcony.
