Albert Memorial Photos, Hyde Park London Architecture, Kensington Gardens Building Pictures, Location
Albert Memorial London : Hyde Park Architecture
Hyde Park Building in west London, England, UK – design by George Gilbert Scott, architect
12 Jul 2009
Albert Memorial in Kensington Gardens
Location: northside of Kensington Gore, Hyde Park / Kensington Gardens, West London
photo © Nick Weall
Date of consruction: 1872-76
Architect: George Gilbert Scott
Unveiled in 1872, The Albert Memorial commemorates the death of Prince Albert, Queen Victoria’s husband, who died of typhoid fever at the age of 42.
Influenced by the series of 13th Century Eleanor Crosses (Charing Cross is a famous example) and other statues in Edinburgh and Manchester, the monumental structure in Kensington Gardens is one of the grandest high-Victorian Gothic extravaganzas anywhere.
photo © Nick Weall
Officially titled the Prince Consort National Memorial, the design by architect George Gilbert Scott celebrates Victorian achievement and Prince Albert’s passions and interests.
photos © Adrian Welch
The memorial shows Prince Albert holding the catalogue of the Great Exhibition, held in Hyde Park in 1851, which he inspired and helped to organise.
Marble figures representing Europe, Asia, Africa and America stand at each corner of the memorial, and higher up are further figures representing manufacture, commerce, agriculture and engineering. Yet further up, near the top, are gilded bronze statues of the angels and virtues.
All around the base of the memorial the Parnassus frieze depicts celebrated painters, poets sculptors, musicians and architects, reflecting Albert’s enthusiasm for the arts. There are 187 exquisitely carved figures in the frieze.
photos © Adrian Welch
Address: Kensington Gardens, London W2 2UH
Phone: 020 7298 2000
Location: Kensington Gardens, west London, England, UK
Architecture in London
Contemporary Architecture in London
London Architecture Links – chronological list
Another Hyde Park monument on e-architect:
Adjacent structure to the Albert Memorial:
Royal Albert Hall, Kensington
photo © Adrian Welch
Building close by, to the south of Kensington Gore:
Natural History Museum
Building close by, to the north, in Kensington Gardens:
Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2009
London Architecture Walking Tours
60-70 St Mary Axe
Design: Foggo Associates Architects
image courtesy of the architects
Comments / photos for the Albert Memorial London Architecture page welcome