ALREADY KNOW YOUR NEXT DESTINATION?
DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE AUDIOGUIDE
When you visit Buckingham Palace do not miss the chance to take a good look at the Queen Victoria Memorial, also called the Victoria Monument, which is right in front of the palace.
Called “the wedding cake”, it is a monument designed by the architect Aston Webb in honour of Queen Victoria. The works began in 1903 and lasted until 1911, when the monument was officially unveiled by King George V in the presence of the German emperor William II.
With a height of 25 metres and built in granite, bronze and 2,300 tons of Carrara marble, it is the largest monument erected in honour of a monarch in England.
In the centre of the piece there is a statue of Queen Victoria sculpted in 1911 by Thomas Brock. This marble figure looks out towards the Mall.
Resting over the plinths of the other sides of the monument are three winged marble figures which represent the values so present in the Victorian period, which are truth, charity and justice.
The highest part of the Queen Victoria Memorial is crowned by a brilliant 4-metre high statue that represents a winged Victory in triumphant pose. The statue is flanked by two seated figures that were given by the people of New Zealand.
Around this series are some steps watched over by dark bronze statues that represent lions and men with torches. If you look carefully, you will also see statues with a nautical theme, such as mermaids, which recall Great Britain’s naval domination during Queen Victoria’s long reign.
Bank of England (55)
Chinatown (41)
Leicester Square (43)
Oxford Street (5)
Queen Victoria Memorial (68)
The Crown Jewels (20)
Trafalgar Square (4)
Big Ben (42)
Covent Garden (39)
London City Hall (107)
Pall Mall (26)
Regent Street (6)
The Shard (117)
Westminster Abbey (79)
10 Downing Street (46)
Admiralty Arch (69)
Battersea Park (73)
Camden Market (78)
Columbia Road Flower Market (10)
Greenwich (108)
Horse Guards (95)
Leadenhall Building (109)
Millenium Bridge (111)
Parliament Square (83)
Richmond Park (13)
Royal Hospital Chelsea (72)
Saint Jame’s Park (94)
Smithfield Market (100)
St Mary-le-Bow (45)
The Barbican Estate (116)
The Old Vic (85)
Victoria Park (119)
Wembley Stadium (15)
20 Fenchurch Street (118)
Albert Memorial (74)
Bond Street (40)
Carnaby Street (106)
County Hall (62)
Guildhall and the Lord Mayor of the City (54)
Kensington Gardens (76)
Leadenhall Market (110)
Neal's Yard (112)
Petticoat Lane Market (97)
Royal Albert Hall (48)
Royal National Theatre (91)
Saint Martin-in-the-Fields (65)
Southbank Centre (63)
Stratford (113)
The Dome (50)
The Routemaster (90)
Wallace Collection (51)
Westminster Cathedral (67)
30 St Mary Axe - The Gherkin (2)
Alexandra Palace (17)
Borough Market (105)
Charing Cross (47)
Dr. Johnson's House (120)
Harrods Department Store (77)
Kensington Palace (75)
Madame Tussaud’s (38)
Notting Hill (11)
Portobello Road Market (12)
Royal Courts of Justice (57)
Royal Opera House (89)
Saint Pancras Station (92)
Southwark Cathedral (59)
Stratford - ArcelorMittal Orbit Center (115)
The Monument (82)
The West End Theatres (98)
Waterloo Station (88)
Winsor Castle (30)
Abbey Road (104)
Apsley House (102)
British Library (53)
Cleopatra’s Needle (64)
Globe Theatre (86)
HMS Belfast (99)
Lambeth Palace (61)
Marble Arch (71)
One Canada Square (3)
Regent’s Park (25)
Royal Exchange (56)
Saint Jame’s Palace (93)
Shepherd’s Bush (14)
Speaker’s Corner (24)
Stratford Sports Facilities (114)
The Old Curiosity Shop (58)
Tower 42 (103)
Wellington Arch (70)