Statue of Queen Victoria

1906

Sculptor: George Frampton

Commissioned in 1901 to commemorate Queen Victoria

Bronze, on Portland stone pedestal, with bronze figure

Leeds, England, United Kingdom

Large crowds gathered in front of Leeds Town Hall to witness the unveiling of the Queen Victoria Memorial the by Lord Mayor, Edwin Woodhouse, on November 27, 1905. A memorial committee had been formed in 1901 after the death of the queen, and a subscription fund raised nearly £8,000. Two versions of George Frampton’s exist – one was unveiled in St. Helens, Merseyside, England (1905) and another in Winnipeg, Canada (1904). In Leeds, the seated bronze figure of the queen was presented on a tall Portland stone plinth with allegorical figures of Peace and Industry. Celebrating British imperial expansion in the Victorian era, a continuous frieze winds around the base with the inscription “INDIA,” “AUSTRALIA,” “CANADA,” and “AFRICA”. The statue was moved in 1937 to a park in another part of the city.

Related Media

"Unveiling at Leeds Town Hall of a statue of Queen Victoria by the Lord Mayor, Mr. Edwin Woodhouse," November 27, 1906. "Unveiling at Leeds Town Hall of a statue of Queen Victoria by the Lord Mayor, Mr. Edwin Woodhouse," November 27, 1906. [Leodis (a photographic archive of Leeds; www.leodis.net), Leeds Library, subject ID: 2003121_94451541, class no. N L4 Victoria]

Official program for the unveiling of Queen Victoria on November 27, 1906 Official program for the unveiling of Queen Victoria on November 27, 1906. [Yale Center for British Art, New Haven]