Marble Arch Area Guide

Marble Arch is a 19th-century white marble faced triumphal arch and London landmark. The structure was designed by John Nash in 1827 to be the state entrance to the cour d'honneur of Buckingham palace; it stood near the site of what is today the three bayed, central projection of the palace containing the well known balcony.  In 1851 it was relocated and following the widening of Park Lane in the early 1960s is now sited, isolated and incongruously, on a large traffic island at the junction of Oxford Street, Park Lane, and Edgware Road. Historically, only members of the Royal Family and the King's Troop, Royal Horse Artillery are permitted to pass through the arch; this happens only in ceremonial processions. The arch gives its name to the vicinity of its site, particularly, the southern portion of Edgware Road and also to the nearby underground station Marble Arch on the Central Line