Statue of Queen Victoria

     Plans for a statue to honor Queen Victoria in Hamilton were proposed as early as 1860. However, it was not until after the queen's death that a group of local women raised sufficient funds to erect the monument in Gore Park. After a competition in 1906, the French-Canadian sculptor Louis-Philippe Hébert was selected for the commission. On May 25, 1908, a crowd of over 22,000 gathered for the unveiling by Governor-General Earl Grey. In the monument’s inscription the women who brought about the statue’s commission are linked with the ideals of maternal and public service symbolized by the late Queen:

Victoria Queen and Mother

Model Wife and Mother

May Children of Our

Children Say she Wrought

Her People Lasting Good

The Women of Hamilton in

Affectionate Admiration

Have Raised This Monument