Victoria Memorial

A memorial to Queen Victoria, designed by Percy Stone, erected in 1903.

MATERIALS: the memorial is primarily constructed of stone with bronze sculptural details.

DESCRIPTION: the memorial rests on a circular stone dais set at a step up from the pavement. The stepped, tripartite base of the monument has three concave sides that meet at squared faces, each bearing inscriptions and crests in bronze. These faces point towards either end of the High Street (i.e. east and west) and south down St James's Square. The plinth follows the same plan with three concave sides meeting at short, squared faces. The short, south face has Queen Victoria's coat of arms above '1901' in Roman numerals. The short east and west faces each have another crest (inscribed with J R) with a crown above and '1901' in Roman numerals beneath. The curved, north face has an inscription in Gothic script that reads: TO VICTORIA THE QUEEN/ THIS MEMORIAL WAS RAISED/ BY THE PEOPLE OF THE WIGHT. At the six corners of the base are unusual stone carvings in relief in the form of roots. The top of the plinth features a foliate, ovolo moulding with letters spelling out VICTORIA incorporated into the carving.

Atop the plinth are three seated, bronze lions cast in natural poses. Positioned centrally between them is a hexagonal pedestal supporting a cylindrical column, both of stone. Around this column is a framework of cast and figurative bronze: three female figures in medieval dress representing Sympathy, Dignity and Fortitude (the latter in armour) hold up the Crown of England that encircles the column. Between these figures, rising from stone corbels, are three narrow, fluted columnettes of bronze which run the full height of the stone column, terminating in foliate, Art Nouveau interpretations of stiff-leafed capitals, which converge into a single bronze capital decorated with unusual spiral motifs. This capital supports a richly-carved Gothic lantern in stone with a pinnacle surmounted by a Celtic cross.