The Wellington Arch started as a grand entrance to Buckingham Palace, designed by Decimus Burton to satisfy a king's need for a majestic approach. Burton had to redesign the arch because his first attempt was deemed not sufficiently ostentatious for the royal ego. This new design was much larger and modelled on a fragment found in the Roman Forum.
But then the money ran out. A 1828 moratorium on spending meant the arch was built nearly bare, stripping away most of the intended exterior ornamentation and all the decorative sculpture.
In 1846, a colossal bronze statue of the 1st Duke of Wellington by Matthew Cotes Wyatt was installed on top, despite vehement objections from Burton. When the arch was moved and rebuilt in the 1880s, the statue did not go with it. It was held in storage in London until 1885, when it was sent to Aldershot.
Since 1912, the arch has been topped by a different bronze - the sculpture Peace descending on the Quadriga of War by Adrian Jones. This bronze depicts the Goddess of Victory Nike riding an ancient four-horse chariot.
Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons
Written by Nicolo Ciampini
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