Albert Memorial

The Albert Memorial, located in Manchester, is a Grade I listed memorial dedicated to Prince Albert. It was constructed between 1862 and 1865 by architect Thomas Worthington, with a statue created by Matthew Noble. The memorial is primarily made of sandstone, featuring a statue of white marble. It is designed as a large Gothic ciborium or canopy, inspired by the 13th-century church of Santa Maria della Spina in Italy. The structure has a square base and includes tall, two-centred arched openings on each side, topped with steep gables adorned with carved decorations. The corner piers are topped with tall canopies that have shafts and intricately carved crocketed tops, housing statues that represent Art, Commerce, Science, and Agriculture. At the top, there is an octagonal spire with a crocketed peak and a delicate wrought-iron open-work finial. The memorial is raised on a base with a moulded plinth and bands of heraldic panels, and it stands on a podium of five steps. This memorial was the first major tribute to Prince Albert to be completed and may have served as a prototype for the Albert Memorial in Kensington, designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott.