Following the death of Queen Victoria in 1901, her successor, King Edward VII, commissioned the leading architect Sir Aston Webb to create two memorials to his late mother. They were sited at each end of The Mall, the processional route that leads from Trafalgar Square to Buckingham Palace. The one at this end of The Mall is Admiralty Arch. At first glance it would appear to be symmetrical but look closely from The Mall side and you will notice there are more floors on the right wing than on the left. It was designed to be both a triumphal arch and offices for the Admiralty, the government department responsible for the Royal Navy.  Below the building is a warren of tunnels and chambers that have been used to store government archives. In 2012 the government sold the building, to be converted into a hotel.