Monday, July 15, 2013

Philatelic Photograph: Marble Arch - London, England

Interesting Places I've Photographed
Marble Arch
London, England
Topic: Philatelic Photographs

GPS: N51° 30.785; W000° 09.534

Quick Description: 

The Marble Arch located on a traffic island at the junction of Oxford Street, Park Lane, and Edgware Road, in Hyde Park in the City of Westminster, London.

Long Description:

Marble Arch is a white Carrara marble monument designed by John Nash in 1825 and based on based on that of the Arch of Constantine in Rome and the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel in Paris. Until 1851 it stood in front of Buckingham Palace and only members of the royal family and the King's Troop, Royal Horse Artillery, were allowed to pass through the marble Arch in ceremonial procession.

The Marble Arch was dismantled in 1850 when Buckingham Palace was expanded. It was then rebuilt by Thomas Cubitt as a ceremonial entrance to the northeast corner of Hyde Park at Cumberland Gate. The reconstruction was completed in March 1851.

Some London tour guides will tell you that the Marble Arch was moved because it was too narrow for the Royal state coach to pass through. However, as the stamp depicts, the gold state coach easily passed under the Marble Arch during Elizabeth II's coronation in 1953.

The stamp was issued on June 2, 2003 as part of a 10 stamp set commemorating the 50th anniversary of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.

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