Memorial day - 54

The most famous memorial to Queen Victoria’s consort is the Albert Memorial in Kensington Gardens. The structure designed in the Gothic style by Sir George Gilbert Scott is located just north of the Albert Hall.

However, the subject of today’s blog, is the less well known memorial to Prince Albert located on a traffic island at the busy intersection of six roads at Holborn Circus. To the east is Holborn Viaduct, the subject of this blog on 25th July 2007; while to the north Hatton Garden, London’s jewellery quarter and UK’s diamond centre.

Albert Prince Consort was born 1819 and died of typhoid in 1861.

The bronze statue showing Albert on horseback was unveiled in 1874 and is mounted on a granite pedestal. The statue, donated by the City Corporation, commemorates Albert laying the foundation stone of the Royal Exchange in 1842.

Isolated on the traffic island, one has to be both quick and reckless to dash between the traffic to take a close-up view of the plaques on the plinth.





On the north side the inscription reads “The Prince laying the first stone of the Royal Exchange 17th January 1842”





On the south side “Exhibition of all Nations 1851. Britannia distributing Awards”




On the west side is the figure of Peace, while on the east side the figure of History, holding a book dated 1851 - 1862.









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