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Victoria Monument, Liverpool

1906 establishments in England1906 sculpturesBuildings and structures completed in 1906Grade II listed buildings in LiverpoolGrade II listed monuments and memorials
Statues of Queen Victoria
Victoria Monument, Derby Square, Liverpool
Victoria Monument, Derby Square, Liverpool

The Queen Victoria Monument is a large neo-Baroque or Beaux-Arts monument built over the former site of Liverpool Castle at Derby Square in Liverpool. 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. 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, describe the work as Allen's greatest, and as one of the most ambitious monuments to Queen Victoria.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 (4.42 metres (14.5 ft)) statue of Queen Victoria 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 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.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Victoria Monument, Liverpool (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Victoria Monument, Liverpool
Derby Square, Liverpool Ropewalks

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Wikipedia: Victoria Monument, LiverpoolContinue reading on Wikipedia

Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 53.40501 ° E -2.99025 °
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Address

Queen Victoria

Derby Square
L2 9QR Liverpool, Ropewalks
England, United Kingdom
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Victoria Monument, Derby Square, Liverpool
Victoria Monument, Derby Square, Liverpool
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Nearby Places

Derby Square
Derby Square

Derby Square is in the city centre of Liverpool, England. The square stands on what was the original site for Liverpool Castle. Records differ on when it was built, but it is believed to have been constructed any time from 1208 to 1235. Following the English Civil War, parliament ordered the castle to be destroyed and by 1715 the castle was a ruin, with its bricks and stone being recycled for other building work in the city. St George's Church was built on the square and opened in 1726. The church had to be rebuilt between 1809 - 1825 as the tower was starting to crack. This was because the church was built over part of the rubble-filled moat of the old castle and had began to settle and crack. Funding for the church was stopped by Liverpool Corporation after an anti-Semetic sermon was preached following the appointment of a Jewish Mayor, Charles Mozley, in 1863. The church closed in 1897 and was demolished two years later. Between 1838-40 the architect Edward Corbett constructed the North and South Wales Bank building, which is now known as Castle Moat House and still stands on the square. The Victoria Momument, dedicated to Queen Victoria, was built on the square and was officially unveiled in 1906. The monument was given Grade II listed status in 1975. The square was damaged extensively during the 1941 blitz, though despite the heavy damage, the Victoria Monument escaped without any serious damage. In 1973, construction work began on Queen Elizabeth II Law Courts, Liverpool, with the facility opening in 1984. The 1970s also saw the square linked to The Strand as part of Liverpool's skyway project. The project was never fully implemented and the bridges were removed in the 2000s.