MARBLE ARCH |
Originally a grand archway leading to Buckingham Palace
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Marble Archway
Tyburn Tree Marker
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WC opposite Marble Arch in subway under Marble Arch fountains
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Marble Arch was designed by John Nash in 1827 as a grand archway leading to the main entrance of Buckingham Palace.
It was made from white marble imported from Carrara in Italy and the
design was based on the triumphal arch of Constantine in Rome. When
Buckingham Palace was expanded during the mid 19th century, there was
no longer room for the arch and it was moved here to its new location
in 1851 to become a grand entrance to Hyde Park.
An engraving by J.Woods shows Marble Arch by Buckingham Palace in 1837
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Situated
in the upper part of the arch are three small rooms that were used by
the police until 1950, first by the royal constables of Hyde Park and
later the Metropolitan Police. During a riot in 1855 the crowd were
brought to order by a body of police, who emerged from the arch taking
the demonstrators by surprise.
Detail on Marble Arch
Photo © bruce bruce948 (CC)
Did You Know?
Only senior members of the Royal Family and the King’s troop of the
Royal Horse Artillery are allowed to pass under the central arch.
A hairy face at the top of the arch
The area around Marble Arch is known as Tyburn,
named after Tyburn Brook that flowed into the Westbourne River, which
is now the Serpintine in Hyde Park. Nearby is a plaque marking the site
of the famous Tyburn Gallows or Tyburn Tree, where the most notorious criminals were strung up before a crowd of bloodthirsty spectators until 1783.
Tyburn Tree Marker
This
massive triangular set of gallows was erected, could hang over 20
people at a time and it is thought that around 50,000 criminals were
executed here. The condemned were brought along Tyburn Street, now
Oxford Street, from Newgate Prison. Hanging days were public holidays
and the convicted, dressed in their best, were offered a last mug of
ale and allowed to address the crowds before being hanged.
William Hogarth's The Idle Prentice Executed at Tyburn, showing an execution in 1747
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Did You Know?
The first execution at Tyburn was in 1196, when William Fitz Osbern,
the leader of the London tax riots was cornered in the church of St
Mary le Bow. He was dragged naked behind a horse to Tyburn, where he
was hanged. In 1649, 24 prisoners were hanged simultaneously, having
been conveyed there in eight carts. The Tyburn gallows were last used
in 1783, when John Austin, a highwayman, was hanged.
Tyburn Tree
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