Marble Arch

Marble Arch is a neoclassical triumphal arch of white Carrara marble at the Speakers Corner end of London's Hyde Park. It was designed in 1827 by John Nash as the state entrance to Buckingham Palace, modelled on the Arch of Constantine in Rome. In 1851 it was moved to its present spot at the top of Oxford Street, supposedly because it was too narrow for the state coach. Until 1968 traffic still passed beneath it; today it stands marooned on a traffic island. Only members of the Royal Family and the Royal Horse Artillery may formally drive through. Combine the visit with a stroll past Speakers Corner into Hyde Park.