| Victoria Memorial | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | The Mall |
| Coordinates | 51°30′06.65″N00°08′26.34″W / 51.5018472°N 0.1406500°W /51.5018472; -0.1406500 |
| OS grid reference | TQ291797 |
| Area | London,SW1 |
| Height | 25 m[1] |
| Unveiled | 16 May 1911 |
| Built | 1901 (memorial gardens) 1906–24 (monument)[2] |
| Restored | bronzes – April 2011[3] |
| Sculptor | SirThomas Brock |
| Architectural style | Beaux-Arts[2] /Edwardian Baroque |
| Governing body | The Royal Parks |
Listed Building – Grade I | |
| Official name | Queen Victoria Memorial |
| Designated | 5 February 1970 |
| Reference no. | 1273864[4] |
  The Victoria Monument in central London | |
TheVictoria Memorial is a monument toQueen Victoria, located at the end ofThe Mall inLondon, by the sculptor SirThomas Brock. Designed in 1901, it was unveiled on 16 May 1911, though it was not completed until 1924. It was the centrepiece of an ambitious urban planning scheme, which included the creation of the Queen's Gardens to a design by SirAston Webb, and the refacing ofBuckingham Palace (which stands behind the memorial) by the same architect.
Like the earlierAlbert Memorial in Kensington Gardens, commemorating Victoria's consort, the Victoria Memorial has an elaborate scheme of iconographic sculpture. The centralpylon of the memorial is ofPentelic marble, and individual statues are inLasa marble and gilt bronze.[5] The memorial weighs 2,300tonnes (about 2535short tons)[1] and is 32 m (104 ft) in diameter.[6] In 1970 it waslisted at Grade I.[4]
KingEdward VII suggested that a joint Parliamentary committee should be formed to develop plans for a Memorial toQueen Victoria following her death. The first meeting took place on 19 February 1901 at theForeign Office,Whitehall. The first secretary of the committee wasArthur Bigge, 1st Baron Stamfordham.[7] Initially these meetings were behind closed doors, and the proceedings were not revealed to the public.[8] However theLord Mayor of London,Sir Joseph Dimsdale, publicly announced that the committee had decided that the memorial should be "monumental".[9]
Reginald Brett, 2nd Viscount Esher, the secretary of the committee, submitted the proposal to the King on 4 March 1901.[10][11] A number of sites were suggested, and the King visited bothWestminster Abbey and the park near thePalace of Westminster.[11] Several ideas were rumoured at this time, including an open square inThe Mall near to the schoolDuke of York Column, and a memorial located inGreen Park.[12]
On 26 March the decision was announced to locate the memorial outsideBuckingham Palace and slightly shorten The Mall. It was estimated that the work would cost £250,000 and decided that there would be no grant given by the Government to the construction.[13] Once the site was selected, a competition was conducted for the design.[14] Five architects were chosen to develop designs.[15] This phase lasted until the beginning of July 1901, when the committee selected its primary choice for the construction and took it to the King for approval.[14] It was announced on 21 October 1902 thatThomas Brock had been chosen as the designer. The expectation was that the memorial would cost £200,000.[16][17]
Funding for the memorial was gathered from around theBritish Empire as well as the public. The AustralianHouse of Representatives granted a £25,000 contribution for the construction on 17 October 1905.[18] TheNew Zealand Government submitted a cheque for £15,000 towards the fund.[19] By October 1901 some £154,000 had been gathered for the construction of the memorial.[20] During 1902 a number of tribes from the west coast of Africa sent goods to be sold, with the proceeds going towards the fund.Alfred Lewis Jones had arranged for these items to be brought from Africa to Liverpool free of charge on his ships.[21]
Following the public and national donations towards the funds, there was more money collected than was necessary for the construction of the Victoria Memorial. Funds were therefore diverted towards the construction ofAdmiralty Arch at the other end of The Mall, and a redevelopment to clear a path directly from that road intoTrafalgar Square. SirAston Webb was put in charge of this project; he built the Arch so economically that enough money was left over to re-front the entirety ofBuckingham Palace, a job that was completed in 13 weeks due to the pre-fabrication of the new stonework.[citation needed]
The initial preparatory stage was to re-route the road and modify The Mall. Brock hoped that work on constructing the memorial itself could be started at some point in 1905.[17] The lower half of the memorial was revealed to the public on 24 May 1909. Thousands of people visited it on the first day.[22]
Following a practice ceremony on 11 March, in the presence ofPrince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn,[23] the late queen's last surviving son, the dedication ceremony took place on 16 May 1911, presided over by KingGeorge V. His first cousin,Wilhelm II of Germany, was also present. These two were the senior grandsons of Victoria,[24] and arrived, together with their families, in royal procession. Also in attendance were a large number of Members of Parliament, and representatives of various armed forces.[25]
In his role asHome Secretary,Winston Churchill carried the text of the speeches.[25] Lord Esher addressed the King and the gathered crowd, explaining the history of the memorial. The King replied to this, referring to his involvement in the development of the monument to his grandmother. He talked of the impact of Queen Victoria and of her popularity with the public. In total, the ceremony went on for thirty minutes. Following this, it was revealed to the press that the King had decided that the sculptor of the memorial, Thomas Brock, was to be knighted.[24]
As part of the celebrations of theGolden Jubilee of Elizabeth II, the Victoria Memorial (along with areas in Green Park and Buckingham Palace) was used as a platform for a fireworks display which lasted fourteen minutes with a total of two and three-quarter tonnes of fireworks used. In addition, water jets were added to the fountains in the Victoria Memorial, which fired water 40 feet (12 m) up into the air.[26] This display followed a concert held in the Palace forecourt.[27]
It was announced in February 2012 that the Victoria Memorial would form the centrepiece of the stage for Queen Elizabeth II'sDiamond Jubilee Concert on 4 June that year.[28] Platforms designed byMark Fisher were built around the memorial at a cost of £200,000, and were constructed in two weeks.[citation needed] A number of performers appeared from across the sixty years of Queen Elizabeth II's reign, including organiserGary Barlow,Tom Jones,Elton John,Cliff Richard,Jessie J,Madness, DameShirley Bassey andPaul McCartney. Tickets were free and allocated by public ballot; and in addition to being seen live by the 10,000 fans in attendance, the event was broadcast by theBBC and highlights were shown in the United States onABC.[29]
Later in 2012, the memorial marked the end of "Our Greatest Team Parade" on 10 September 2012. This parade celebrated the successes of theBritish teams at the2012 Summer Olympics andParalympics. There were 21 floats holding a total of around 800 athletes, and it was estimated that around a million members of the public cheered them on.[30] The area from Admiralty Arch to the Victoria Memorial down the Mall was reserved for ticket holders.[31] After the arrival at the Victoria Memorial, there was a flypast by helicopters of theRoyal Air Force, as well as aBritish Airways jet and a flight of theRed Arrows.[30] During the games, the Mall and the Victoria Memorial had been used as the finishing point for the Marathon,[32] as well as being on the triathlon route.[33]
At the top of the central pylon stands a gilded bronzeWinged Victory, standing on a globe and with a victor's palm in one hand. Beneath her are personifications ofConstancy, holding a compass with its needle pointingtrue north, andCourage, holding a club. Beneath these, on the eastern and western sides, are two eagles with wings outspread, representing Empire. Below these, statues of an enthroned Queen Victoria (facing The Mall) and ofMotherhood (facing Buckingham Palace), withJustice (facing north-west towardsGreen Park) andTruth (facing south-east).[34] These were created from solid blocks of marble, withTruth being sculpted from a block weighing 40 tonnes.[24]
Brock described the symbolism of the memorial, saying that it was devoted to the "qualities which made our Queen so great and so much beloved."[35] He added that the statue of the Queen was placed to face towards the city, while flanked byTruth andJustice as he felt that "she was just and that she sought the truth always and in circumstances",[35] while theMotherhood was to represent her "great love for her people".[35]
At the four corners of the monument are massive bronze figures with lions, representingPeace (a female figure holding an olive branch),Progress (a nude youth holding a flaming torch),Agriculture (a woman in peasant dress with a sickle and a sheaf of corn) andManufacture (a blacksmith in modern costume with a hammer and a scroll).[36] The self-bases of the last two groups are inscribedTHE GIFT OFNEW ZEALAND.[5] At nearly 25 metres (82 ft) tall, the Victoria Memorial remains the tallest monument to a King or Queen in England.[37] The whole sculptural programme has a nautical theme, much like the rest of The Mall (Admiralty Arch, for example). This can be seen in themermaids,mermen and thehippogriff, all of which are suggestive of theUnited Kingdom's naval power.
The memorial is agrade I listed structure.[4] Its architectural setting of formal gardens and gates was designed by SirAston Webb and has a separate Grade I listing.[38]
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