I recently revisited Wellington Arch and was really pleased that the lift wasn’t working that day. It certainly put off some of the tourists, but I was able to take my time on the stairs.
The arch was designed by Decimus Burton as part of the revamping work to the railings and gates of the royal parks. It was designed to sit just to the South of the Hyde Park Screen, also designed by Burton. It was constructed between 1826 and 1830. Apparently awful traffic around Hyde Park Corner prompted a redesign of the road layout, which meant that the arch had to be moved. In 1883 it was completely dismantled and rebuilt where it stands now.
The staircase is very plain and simple; rectangular cross-section treads with a neat rebate between treads.
It has obviously been patched and repaired over time, but that somehow adds to the functional charm.
Near the Ground floor there is a short run of treads that fly past a window supported on a cast iron beam.
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