The statue
Mid-Victorian Manchester developed into a centre of sculptural patronage, helping to establish the reputation of artists such as Matthew Noble. Prominent examples of his work still stand in Manchester, with thousands of people walking past them everyday. These include the Town Hall monument of Oliver Cromwell, the Albert memorial in Albert Square, and the Duke of Wellington monument in Piccadilly Gardens. A number of his works once existed in Peel Park but were removed and relocated shortly after their assembly, including the statues of Sir Robert Peel, and Richard Cobden....
....The statue of Queen Victoria was on of the earliest to be erected during her reign and after its completion in 1857, Prince Albert visited Salford for the unveiling ceremony. He also took time to visit what was then the Salford Royal Museum and Library, also visiting an exhibition on Salford's local art scene. In 1861, the Prince prematurely passed away and it was decided a statue was to be erected in his honour, which was inaugurated in 1864 and placed facing the statue of his wife. This was paid for through public contributions, with Salford's working class donations and Sunday school collections contributing to the commission which saw all of Salford coming together to commemorate the Prince's death.
Situated in front of Salford Museum and Art Gallery there are two of his famed works, the statue of Queen Victoria and his statue of Prince Albert, which still stand in their original setting and represent the surviving examples of Salford's noble history of statues.
Both statues are larger than life size, made from Sicilian Marble, and place on granite pedestals. The Queen is represented in typical regal fashion, wearing a coronet and robes, whilst leaning on the Imperial crown which sits on a cushion atop a pillar. The inscription pays homage to 'the visit of her most gracious Majesty Queen Victoria to this Park' and the reception she was given by the local Sunday school teachers and students.
With the statue of Prince Albert commemorating the man rather than any of his specific visits, he is given an academic personality that does not necessarily correspond with his relation to Salford, but as Chancellor of the University of Cambridge his statue now stands on the campus of Salford University, becoming an intellectual beacon for the area. He is associated with numerous scholarly symbols: wearing the Chancellors robes, holding a scroll in one hand and a university cap in the other, which rests on a globe and a pile of books.
Being situated within the academic heart of Salford, once the Museum and Library but now on the University campus itself, it is in the more modern context that the statue of Prince Albert comes to life as a link between the local history and the ways in which the area has thrived since."
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Prince Albert
"Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (Francis Albert Augustus Charles Emmanuel; later The Prince Consort; 26 August 1819 – 14 December 1861) was the husband of Queen Victoria.
He was born in the Saxon duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld to a family connected to many of Europe's ruling monarchs. At the age of 20 he married his first cousin, Queen Victoria, with whom he would ultimately have nine children. At first, Albert felt constrained by his position as consort, which did not confer any power or duties upon him. Over time he adopted many public causes, such as educational reform and a worldwide abolition of slavery, and took on the responsibilities of running the Queen's household, estates and office. He was heavily involved with the organisation of the Great Exhibition of 1851. Albert aided in the development of Britain's constitutional monarchy by persuading his wife to show less partisanship in her dealings with Parliament—although he actively disagreed with the interventionist foreign policy pursued during Lord Palmerston's tenure as Foreign Secretary.
He died at the relatively young age of 42, plunging the Queen into a deep mourning that lasted for the rest of her life."
Extracted from
Wikipedia