Albert Memorial, London, UK
Posted by: 
hykesj
N 51° 30.140 W 000° 10.744
30U E 695780 N 5709462
The Albert Memorial, in Kensington Gardens, is one of five London landmarks featured on a set of postage stamps issued in 1980.
Waymark Code: WMXF34
Location: London, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 01/04/2018
Views: 8
The Albert Memorial was built in honor of Prince Albert, Queen Victoria’s consort, who died in 1861 at the relatively young age of 42. It was officially unveiled in 1872 even though the central statue of the Prince himself wasn’t ready yet (that was finally put in place in 1876). It was designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott who won a design competition among six other architects.
The memorial is incredibly detailed and ornate. It consists of a gothic style canopy over a golden statue of Prince Albert. It is surrounded by not four but eight allegorical sculpture groups representing all manner of human achievement and geographical reach. The canopy is decorated with mosaics, architectural details, more allegorical figures and other sculptures and verbiage. All around the base is an elaborate frieze depicting 169 different figures from all walks of life. In fact, there is so much detail here that the Royal Parks charity conducts 45 minute guided tours of the memorial to help you appreciate every nook and cranny.
The Albert Memorial, which had become badly deteriorated, has recently undergone extensive restoration returning it to its nineteenth century splendor. The stamp however shows the memorial as it appeared before this restoration and I can see at least two differences. One is the cross at the very top. During an earlier repair effort, it was placed facing sideways rather than to the front of the memorial. This was corrected with the recent restoration. The other difference is with the statue itself. For many years it was painted black for reasons no one seems to remember but now is gilt with fresh gold leaf returning it to its original golden appearance.
Stamp Issuing Country: Great Britain
Date of Issue: 7-May-1980
Denomination: 12p
Color: multicolored
Stamp Type: Single Stamp
Relevant Web Site: Not listed
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