The Queen Victoria Monument is a large neo-Baroque or Beaux-Arts monument built over the former site of

Liverpool Castle Liverpool Castle was a castle in Liverpool, Liverpool, England, that stood from the early 13th century to the early 18th century (1237–1726). Construction The castle was probably erected in the 1230s, between 1232 and 1235, under the orders o ...

at Derby Square in

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

. A large ensemble featuring 26 bronze figures by C. J. Allen (some in New Sculpture style), it was designed by F. M. Simpson of the Liverpool School of Architecture, in collaboration with the local architectural firm of Willink and Thicknesse and built of

Portland stone Portland stone is a limestone geological formation (formally named the Portland Stone Formation) dating to the Tithonian age of the Late Jurassic that is quarried on the Isle of Portland in Dorset, England. The quarries are cut in beds of whi ...

. The foundation stone was laid on 11 October 1902 by Field Marshal Lord Roberts, Commander-in-Chief of the Forces. The monument was unveiled on 27 September 1906. It is a Grade II Listed structure, a preservation category for structures of special public interest. Sharples and Pollard, in the ''Liverpool'' volume of the ''

Pevsner Architectural Guides The ''Pevsner Architectural Guides'' are four series of guide books to the architecture of the British Isles. ''The Buildings of England'' series was begun in 1945 by the art historian Sir Nikolaus Pevsner, with its forty-six original volumes pu ...

'', describe the work as Allen's greatest, and as one of the most ambitious monuments to

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 Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

. There are four groups of figures around the pedestal, representing agriculture, commerce, industry and education. Among the figures representing education is a statue modelled on Sir Oliver Lodge. A large () statue of

is at the centre, centred in four groups of columns which support a baldacchino-like open dome (which Terry Cavanagh called the monument's "least successful feature"). On top of the column groups are four allegorical figures representing justice, wisdom, charity, and peace. Atop the dome itself is a large figure representing fame. In 2002, as part of the

Liverpool Biennial Liverpool Biennial is the largest international contemporary art festival in the United Kingdom. Since its launch in 1998, Liverpool Biennial has commissioned over 380 new artworks and presented work by over 530 artists from around the world. ...

festival, Japanese artist Tatsurou Bashi (b. 1960) created a hotel room around the statue of the Queen entitled ''Villa Victoria'', in which paying guests could spend a night.''Villa Victoria''
Liverpool Biennial website Liverpool Blitz D 5983

References

External links

Queen Victoria Monument, Derby Square, Liverpool
by Bob Speel

at Chester Virtual Stroll {{coord, 53.40501, -2.99025, region:GB_type:landmark, format=dms, display=title Grade II listed monuments and memorials Grade II listed buildings in Liverpool Buildings and structures completed in 1906 1906 sculptures

1906 establishments in England

See also

References

External links