Tuesday 6 May 2014

Queen Victoria

Here is the Birkenhead's Queen Victoria Monument in Hamilton Square gardens. It is made of sandstone but for the steps something more resilient has been used, granite. Designed by Edmund Kirby in the form of an Eleanor Cross it was unveiled in 1905.   The origin of  the Eleanor Cross shape are from the 13th Century when King Edward I commemorated the sites the coffin of his Queen, Eleanor of Castile, had rested on its journey from where she died in Hertfordshire to her final resting place in Westminster Abbey.
The Queen Victoria monument has the coat of arms of Birkenhead, Cheshire, Wales, Ireland, Scotland, England and the Royal Arms around the bottom. The clock tower in the background is that of the Birkenhead Town Hall.
The monument is 75 ft (23 metres) high and its light and airy construction contrasts to the robust War Memorial built after World War I nearby.

An entry to ABC Wednesday, a journey through the alphabet, this week sojourning at Q here
      

5 comments:

photowannabe said...

A fascinating and Quite beautiful piece of architecture.

Roger Owen Green said...

Royally lovely.

SamuraiFrog said...

That monument is particularly beautiful.

Susan Moore said...

I learned something new once again - your posts are always interesting to me - a little history and some nice photos too!

Leslie: said...

It's absolutely stunning. I did see the Queen Victoria statue in 2012 in London.

Leslie
abcw team