Town mouse visits Admiralty Arch
Admiralty Arch is to be made into a luxury hotel, finds Clive as he takes a tour


Strange how little fuss has been made about Buckingham Palace. There's just time in the calendar for me to remind you that the east front was built a century ago this year. This is the front with the balcony on which the Royal Family appears-a landmark known around the world. Sir Aston Webb, a consummately efficient architect, erected it in a mere 13 weeks, when George V was away for the summer. It provided the finishing touch to the Queen Victoria Memorial, comprising the sculptural group outside Buckingham Palace, the Mall improvements and Admiralty Arch. Together, they constitute London's one really grand piece of town planning.
* Subscribe to Country Life and save up to 40%
Admiralty Arch's moment should have come two years ago: it was opened for George V's Coronation in 1911. But the architectural establishment is prone to sneer at the combination of a triumphal arch with offices for Admiralty civil servants. I think it was an inspired solution-not least because it enabled the thing to be built. The result, as I know from having just gone around the empty structure, prior to its conversion to a luxury hotel, is unexpectedly suave. Webb did miss one trick: he did nothing with the roof, even though it has stupendous views towards Buckingham Palace in one direction and Nelson's column in the other. The hotel plans terraces.
* Follow Country Life magazine on Twitter
Exquisite houses, the beauty of Nature, and how to get the most from your life, straight to your inbox.
Country Life is unlike any other magazine: the only glossy weekly on the newsstand and the only magazine that has been guest-edited by HRH The King not once, but twice. It is a celebration of modern rural life and all its diverse joys and pleasures — that was first published in Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee year. Our eclectic mixture of witty and informative content — from the most up-to-date property news and commentary and a coveted glimpse inside some of the UK's best houses and gardens, to gardening, the arts and interior design, written by experts in their field — still cannot be found in print or online, anywhere else.
-
Rogue sellers and puppy farmers are exploiting Government licensing loopholes at the expense of responsible dog breeders, says The Kennel Club
The Kennel Club launched a report in the House of Commons last week calling for an urgent review of current licensing regulations.
-
The real Bear Grylls: Country Life Quiz of the Day, July 2, 2025
Britain's longest pier is among the highlights of Wednesday's Quiz of the Day.