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The arch, built in 1827, originally stood almost directly opposite Apsley House, a short distance from, and at a right-angles to, its present location in the centre of a large traffic island taken claimed from what was the western tip of Green Park. It was originally designed as a triumphal arch to form a grand entrance to Green Park. In 1846 a giant statue of the Duke of Wellington was added to the top of the arch and its name was changed from “The Green Park Arch” to “The Wellington Arch”. At 28 feet in height, this was the largest equestrian figure ever made and it caused controversy and even ridicule at the time as it was considered to be wildly out of scale to the arch (Link (Archive Link ) an engraving published 1855). To avoid insulting to the Duke of Wellington it was left in place and remained there throughout the remainder of the Iron Duke's lifetime.

During the latter half of the nineteenth century, Hyde Park Corner became a notorious traffic bottleneck and the junction needed to be widened so the arch was dismantled and moved to its new position, facing Constitution Hill, in 1883. The Wellington Statue was removed to Aldershot at the same time (Link Wikipedia).

In 1912, the current sculpture of a quadriga (a chariot drawn by four horses TQ2879 : Quadriga on Wellington Arch) was added to the top of the arch. The artist, Adrian Jones, had originally exhibited a plaster group called “Triumph” at the Royal Academy. Supposedly, the Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII, remarked that it would make an excellent crowning ornament for the Wellington Arch. Jones cast it in bronze and it was added to the arch. The quadriga, which depicts the angel of peace descending on the chariot of war, is the largest bronze sculpture in Europe.

The arch is hollow inside and housed the second smallest police station in London (the smallest being in Trafalgar Square) until 1962 when almost half of the arch’s interior was sacrificed to provide a ventilation shaft for the London Underground and the police station became unviable. It remained empty until it came under the ownership of English Heritage in 1999 and it was opened to the public for the first time in 2000.

information from “Heritage Today” (English Heritage magazine) May 2012
Link English Heritage Wellington Arch page

Link (Archive Link ) shows a print of the arch published in 1827
Link includes a photograph of the arch taken around 1860 with the Wellington statue in place
Link (Archive Link ) and Link (Archive Link ) are early twentieth century postcard views showing the arch before the roundabout was enlarged
Link Francis Frith photograph of the arch dated 1915