Queen Victoria Monument

Queen Victoria Monument, Queens Square, Sydney, Australia

Public Art : Queen Victoria Monument

Sculptor: © Sir Joseph Edgar Boehm (1834-1890) and granite pedestal designed by Colonial Architect James Barnett.

Date: Unveiled 1888

Description: A bronze statue of Queen Victoria perched high on a granite pedestal, holding her Sovereign's Orb (cross on top) and the Royal Sceptre.

Location: Originally the monument was located in the middle of Chancery Square (now Queen's Square) where trams and horse went all around it. Today the official Address is Queens Square, Sydney, Australia.

Background of Queen Victoria: Queen Victoria (1819 -1901) was the longest reigning monarch of Britain (total of 63 years, seven months and two days), denying her son Edward VII the throne for nearly 65 years. Her other claim to fame was that during her rule the British Empire was in virtual peace, no wars or major conflicts. It became known as the 'Pax Britannica' or 'British Peace'. The love of her life was Prince Albert (whose statue nearby looks on at her). When he died the Queen took to wearing black and became somewhat of a recluse, very rarely venturing out from behind the walls of Windsor and earning the nickname the "Widow of Windsor". She blamed her son Edward VII for her husband's death because she believed he had contracted typhoid fever whilst sorting out one of Edward's playboy "messes" in Cambridge. His mother was quoted as saying "I never can, or shall, look at him without a shudder."

History of the Queen Victoria Monument : The statue is a copy of the colossal statue of Queen Victoria located at Windsor. The monument was commissioned to celebrate the Centenary of British Settlement in Australia. An estimated 50,000 people gathered at 'Chancery Square' for the unveiling of the statue.

Trivia : Joseph Edgar Boehm was best known for designing the head of Queen Victoria found on coins.

Queen Victoria was the last British monarch of the House of Hanover.

Victoria was called Drina within the family.

Prince Albert was Victoria's first cousin and her grand son would eventually be Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany.

When Queen Victoria died she requested that Prince Albert's dressing gown was placed in her coffin and not to mention a lock of, her presumed lover, John Brown's hair and a picture of him (very crowded!).

There were three attempts at assassinating Queen Victoria during her reign, one in 1840 and two in 1842.

Works By Sir Joseph Edgar Boehm :