And here we have the photogenic building that I referred to in the previous image. Just as with Pall Mall versus The Mall, this building is also the subject of some degree of confusion. It is often confused with the original "Admiralty House" on Whitehall. That building (which we cannot see in this photo) was constructed in 1788; a very significant year for Australia, but that's a coincidence.

Instead, this is (as the title suggests) Admiralty Arch. It was constructed in 1912 by Edward VII in memory of his mother Queen Victoria. Hence the inscription " ANNO DECIMO EDWARDI SEPTIMI REGIS"; in the 10th year of the reign of Edward VII. It goes on to say that it was given to Queen Victoria by most grateful citizens in the year 1910.

Up until 1964 it was the residence and office of the First Sea Lord; essentially, the chief of staff of the Navy. This office is held by a professional naval officer, as opposed to the First Lord of the Admiralty, which was until 1964 the political head of the Royal Navy. The latter role was the government's senior adviser on all issues relating to naval service, and was abolished in 1964 when the military services were merged into a single Ministry of Defence. Its most famous (or infamous, depending on your view of his performance) holder was one Sir Winston Churchill. But that's neither here nor there since that role didn't entitle you to a bunk here.

In 2012 the government leased the building out for 125 years. From 2022, this will become a Waldorf hotel. Once the head of the mightiest Navy in the world, it will now serve canapés and room service. Talk about taking the "great" out of Great Britain...

That said, should I return to London I would love to stay here. However I would need to become quite grand myself first. Based on rates that I've seen for hotels like the Ritz and the Dorchester earlier in this gallery, I doubt you'll get much change from $1500 Australian per night.

But imagine the history...

Obviously I went for a wide angle lens on this and intentionally incorporated cyclists. There were several frames to choose from, but I preferred this one where the redhead leads onto the cyclist behind which in turn leads onto the arch.