Admiralty Arch, in

Holyhead Holyhead (; , "Cybi's fort") is a historic port town, and is the list of Anglesey towns by population, largest town and a Community (Wales), community in the county of Isle of Anglesey, Wales. Holyhead is on Holy Island, Anglesey, Holy Island ...

Anglesey Anglesey ( ; ) is an island off the north-west coast of Wales. It forms the bulk of the Principal areas of Wales, county known as the Isle of Anglesey, which also includes Holy Island, Anglesey, Holy Island () and some islets and Skerry, sker ...

, was built in 1824 to mark the end of

Thomas Telford Thomas Telford (9 August 1757 – 2 September 1834) was a Scottish civil engineer. After establishing himself as an engineer of road and canal projects in Shropshire, he designed numerous infrastructure projects in his native Scotland, as well ...

's Holyhead road. The arch was designed by Thomas Harrison and its main purpose was to commemorate the visit of King

George IV George IV (George Augustus Frederick; 12 August 1762 – 26 June 1830) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 29 January 1820 until his death in 1830. At the time of his accession to the throne, h ...

in August 1821. The King arrived in Holyhead on the royal yacht ''Royal George'' on the 7 August, continuing to Plas Newydd where he stopped overnight. He returned the next day to his yacht, but due to poor weather his departure was delayed and the decision was made to transfer to the steam packet ''Lightning'' which conveyed him on the 12 August to

Howth Howth ( ; ; ) is a peninsular village and outer suburb of Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The district as a whole occupies the greater part of the peninsula of Howth Head, which forms the northern boundary of Dublin Bay, and includes the ...

, near Dublin for his

state visit A state visit is a formal visit by the head of state, head of a sovereign state, sovereign country (or Governor-general, representative of the head of a sovereign country) to another sovereign country, at the invitation of the head of state (or ...

to Ireland. The change to the packet boat was met with widespread approval. Funded through public subscription the structure took two years to complete and was made of stone quarried at Red Wharf Bay on the eastern side of Anglesey. Due to its history it is known alternatively as the George IV Arch by the

Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales (RCAHMW; ; ), established in 1908, is a Welsh Government sponsored body concerned with some aspects of the archaeological, architectural and historic environment of Wales. ...

or the Triumphal Arch. The

Grade II* listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...

arch is situated within the

Port of Holyhead file:Just inside the 'new' harbour at Holyhead port - geograph.org.uk - 579776.jpg, 300px, Just inside the 'New' harbour at Holyhead port., alt=Port of Holyhead From geograph.org.uk 8 October 2007 The Port of Holyhead () is a commercial and fe ...

on Ynys Halen and cannot be accessed by the public due to safety reasons. In 2017, plans to move it to a more open location were mooted. At present the best place from which to view it is from

St Cybi's Church St Cybi's Church is a medieval church near the Roman Caer Gybi in Holyhead, Anglesey, Wales. The church was Grade I listed in January 1968. The original church was constructed at Holyhead around 540 AD by St Cybi, a cousin of St David. The c ...

yard. At the seaward end of the Admiralty Pier, beyond the arch, is the Grade II listed Holyhead Mail Pier Lighthouse, completed in 1821 it was designed by

John Rennie the Elder John Rennie (7 June 1761 – 4 October 1821) was a Scottish civil engineer who designed many bridges, canals, docks and warehouses, and a pioneer in the use of structural cast-iron. Early years John Rennie was born near Phantassie in Haddin ...

as part of extensive improvements to Holyhead Harbour. File:The landing of his Majesty, George the Fourth, at Holyhead, August 7th 1821.jpeg, George IV arriving at Holyhead, 7 August 1821 File:William John Huggins (1781-1845) - George IV On Board the 'Lightning', the First Post Office Steam Packet to Dublin, 12 August 1821 - BHC0619 - Royal Museums Greenwich.jpg, George IV on board the 'Lightning' en route to Dublin, 12 August 1821 File:A plan of a triumphal memorial intended to be erected by subscription on the pier at Holyhead - in honour of the visit of His Majesty George IV, to the principality of Wales on the 7th. of August 1821, by Thomas Harrison Esq. Architect.jpeg, A plan of the triumphal arch, pier and lighthouse

References

{{Authority control Buildings and structures completed in 1824 Terminating vistas in the United Kingdom Triumphal arches in the United Kingdom Landmarks in Wales Grade II* listed monuments and memorials Grade II* listed buildings in Anglesey