The arch was built to commemorate a visit to the city by Queen Victoria and her husband, Prince Albert, in 1844.

The royal boat landed near a triumphal arch erected for the occasion and the couple returned and embarked for London on 1 October 1844.

[3] The first arch, designed by harbour engineer James Leslie, was made out of wood.

The arch was demolished on 16 March 1964, as part of land reclamation work required for the construction of the Tay Road Bridge.

The structure was dynamited and the rubble deposited in both the King William IV and the Earl Grey Docks.