Albert Memorial
The Albert Memorial is located in Kensington Gardens in London , England , across from the Royal Albert Hall .
history
The Albert Memorial was commissioned by Queen Victoria of Great Britain and Ireland in memory of her beloved husband Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha , who died of typhus in 1861 . It was built in the neo-Gothic style by Sir George Gilbert Scott between 1864 and 1875 . It was financed mainly by donations from the British people.
The Albert Memorial consists of a nearly 60 meter high canopy supported by four columns , under which the four meter high statue of Albert sits. In his hand he is holding the catalog for the Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations , the first world exhibition that took place in London in 1851. As President of the Society of Arts, Prince Albert had been a great proponent of the idea of the Great Exhibition, which eventually took place in neighboring Hyde Park . The proceeds of the Great Exhibition were used to build many of the museums in South Kensington that Albert's statue now faces.
A marble frieze runs around the base of the memorial, bearing the life-size representation of 169 composers, architects, poets, painters and sculptors. The memorial is flanked at the base of the pillars by four groups representing agriculture, trade, engineering and manufacturing. Four other groups, which are located at the foot of the stairs on which the memorial stands, represent the four continents of Europe , Asia , Africa and America . Each of the four groups consists of some ethnographic figures and a large animal typical of the continent. The sculptures were made under the direction of Henry Hugh Armstead with a number of Royal Academy artists including William Theed and Hamo Thornycroft.
The memorial was completely restored at the end of the 20th century. At the same time, the cross that crowns the canopy and which had been removed during a previous restoration attempt was returned to its original location. During this restoration, the entire gold leaf paneling of the memorial was replaced. Albert's statue was also newly gilded. It had lost its gilding, probably due to the high level of air pollution, at the beginning of the 20th century and was then painted black.
Web links
Coordinates: 51 ° 30 ′ 9 ″ N , 0 ° 10 ′ 40 ″ W.