Commissioned by Queen Victoria's son, King Edward VII (who died before it was completed), it was designed by Sir Aston Webb. Piercing its center is a quintet of arches faced with Portland stone, marking the first (and widest) stage of a majestic processional route leading from Buckingham Palace eastward to St. Paul's Cathedral. The centermost of the five arches is opened only for ceremonial occasions; the two side arches are for vehicular traffic, and the two smallest arches for pedestrians.
The inscription above the arches reads:
ANNO:DECIMO:EDWARDI:SEPTIMI:REGIS
VICTORI�:REGIN�:CIVES:GRATISSIMI:MDCCCCX:
Roughly translated: "In the tenth year of the reign of King Edward VII, to Queen Victoria from a grateful nation, 1910"
If you pass beneath the arch you will enter the wide panoramic thoroughfare known as the Mall, which leads to Buckingham Palace.