Statue Of Queen Victoria

Memorial statue of Queen Victoria, dated 1904, designed by sculptor Francis John Williamson and cast by A B Burton of Thames Ditton, Surrey.

The statue is a heroic-size bronze figure depicting Queen Victoria in state robes, wearing a crown and holding a sceptre in her right hand. It stands on a square, two-tier bronze plinth decorated with pennants to the upper tier. The founder's mark appears on the lower tier of the right-hand side elevation, reading "A.B. BURTON / FOUNDER / THAMES DITTON". The bronze is mounted on a tall, square, stepped plinth of polished pink granite.

The front face of the granite plinth is inscribed "VICTORIA REG ET IMP / 1837-1901", with a second inscription below reading "THIS STATUE WAS ERECTED BY THE CITIZENS OF WAKEFIELD / AS A MEMORIAL TO THEIR GREAT AND GOOD QUEEN / 1904". The left-hand side elevation records: "THIS MONUMENT WAS REMOVED / FROM THE BULL RING / TO THIS SITE IN JULY 1950 / CLARENCE PARK / AND REINSTATED IN 1985".

The memorial was unveiled on 15 February 1905, and on that occasion a telegram was sent to King Edward VII from the citizens of Wakefield expressing their affection for the late Queen and loyalty to the Monarchy. Francis John Williamson was patronised by Queen Victoria and produced many statues of her. This statue is based on his marble statue of Victoria sculpted in 1887 at the time of her Golden Jubilee. Williamson subsequently executed numerous bronze replicas, including statues in Hastings, Paisley, Londonderry, Rangoon in Burma, Perth in Australia, Auckland and Christchurch in New Zealand. The casting foundry A B Burton was initially established in 1874 as Cox & Sons, an ecclesiastical supplier of cast ornaments and statues, and became well-known for major castings. It operated under the name A B Burton from 1902 to 1933.

The statue was originally erected in the Bullring in the centre of Wakefield. In 1950 it was relocated to Denby Dale Road at the entrance to Clarence Park. Following pedestrianisation of the Bullring in 1985 the statue was returned to that area. In 2008 it was cleaned and restored, before being relocated in 2009 to Castrop Rauxel Square off Rishworth Street.