Removal of Memorial to Queen Victoria, Leeds Town Hall

A Memorial to Queen Victoria stands in

Woodhouse Moor Woodhouse Moor is an open space approximately one mile (1.6 km) from Leeds city centre, West Yorkshire, England. Today it consists of 3 parts: a formal park, Woodhouse Moor (often referred to as Hyde Park - see below), of around 26 hectares ...

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by popula ...

West Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. It is an inland and upland county having eastward-draining valleys while taking in the moors of the Pennines. West Yorkshire came into exi ...

, England. The memorial consists of figures and a

frieze In architecture, the frieze is the wide central section part of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic or Doric order, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Paterae are also usually used to decorate friezes. Even when neither columns nor ...

in bronze on a

plinth A pedestal (from French ''piédestal'', Italian ''piedistallo'' 'foot of a stall') or plinth is a support at the bottom of a statue, vase, column, or certain altars. Smaller pedestals, especially if round in shape, may be called socles. In ...

and

pedestal A pedestal (from French ''piédestal'', Italian ''piedistallo'' 'foot of a stall') or plinth is a support at the bottom of a statue, vase, column, or certain altars. Smaller pedestals, especially if round in shape, may be called socles. In ...

of Portland stone. The sculptor was

George Frampton Sir George James Frampton, (18 June 1860 – 21 May 1928) was a British sculptor. He was a leading member of the New Sculpture movement in his early career when he created sculptures with elements of Art Nouveau and Symbolism, often combinin ...

, and the architect working with him was

Leonard Stokes Leonard Aloysius Scott Stokes (1858 – 25 December 1925) was an English architect and artist. Leonard Stokes was born in Southport (then in Lancashire) in 1858 the son of Scott Nasmyth Stokes, a school inspector. He trained in London and tra ...

. The figure on the top of the pedestal is that of

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previo ...

sitting on a throne, with a

sceptre A sceptre is a staff or wand held in the hand by a ruling monarch as an item of royal or imperial insignia. Figuratively, it means royal or imperial authority or sovereignty. Antiquity Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia The '' Was'' and other ...

resting on her right forearm, and holding an orb in her left hand. The back of the throne has the appearance of a radiant Sun. On the sides of the pedestal are figures in niches, that on the left representing Peace, and that on the right representing Industry. On the front of the plinth are carved the Royal Arms, and on the back is the coat of arms of Leeds and an inscription. Beneath the pedestal is a plinth with a continuous frieze incorporating the words "INDIA", "AUSTRALIA", "CANADA", and "AFRICA" on scrolled plaques that are flanked by owls and foliage. The plinth stands on four steps. The memorial was unveiled on 27 November 1905, and originally stood outside

Leeds Town Hall Leeds Town Hall is a 19th-century municipal building on The Headrow (formerly Park Lane), Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. Planned to include law courts, a council chamber, offices, a public hall, and a suite of ceremonial rooms, it was built be ...

. It was moved to Woodhouse Moor in 1937. The memorial was designated as a Grade II*

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

on 5 August 1976. During the wave of

George Floyd protests in the United Kingdom Protests were held across the United Kingdom following the murder of George Floyd, a 46-year-old African-American man, by police officers while under arrest in the United States on 25 May 2020. Immediately following his murder, protests and r ...

, it was reported on 9 June 2020 that the statue had been vandalized by painting with slogans such as 'racist', 'colonizer', 'justice', "BLM" (Black Lives Matter) and 'slave owner' (although slave ownership in the British Empire had been abolished in 1833, four years before she ascended the throne).

Notes and references

Notes Citations Sources * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Leeds, Memorial to Queen Victoria Buildings and structures completed in 1905 Memorial to Queen Victoria Grade II* listed buildings in West Yorkshire Victoria, Leeds Sculptures by George Frampton Statues in England

Grade II* listed monuments and memorials 1905 establishments in England Sun in art Vandalized works of art in the United Kingdom Sculptures of birds Sculptures of lions Relocated buildings and structures in the United Kingdom

See also

Notes and references