Monarchs - Queen Victoria - Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, UK - Monarchs of the World on Waymarking.com

The Grade II listed statue of Queen Victoria is located in Queens Gardens on Ironmarket.

The Grade II listed description given by Historic England reads as follows;

"NEWCASTLE UNDER LYME
644-1/9/55 IRONMARKET 27-SEP-72 Victoria Statue in Queen's Gardens (Formerly listed as: STATION WALKS VICTORIA STATUE)

II Statue of Queen Victoria. 1903. C.B. Birch, Sculptor. Bronze figure, in conventional pose carrying orb and sceptre, on polished granite square plinth. Inscription on front of plinth reads `VICTORIA, R.I./ BORN AT KENSINGTON PALACE/ 24TH MAY 1819/ DIED AT OSBOURNE/ 22ND JANUARY 1901/ BURIED AT WINDSOR/ 2ND FEBRUARY 1901'. Inscription on rear of plinth reads `PRESENTED/ TO THE/ PARLIAMENTARY BOROUGH/ OF NEWCASTLE-UNDER-LYME/ BY/ SIR ALFRED SEALE HASLAM KT. M.P./ MAYOR OF THE BOROUGH/ 1901-2-3/ AND UNVEILED BY/ H.I.H. THE GRAND DUKE MICHAEL/ OF RUSSIA/ NOVEMBER 5TH 1903'.

HISTORY: The statue was originally erected in Nelson Place and unveiled on 5th November 1903 by the Grand Duke Michael of Russia to celebrate the coronation of Edward VII (August 1902). It was given to the town by Sir Alfred Haslam, then mayor of the town, who also presented similar statues to London (on Blackfriars Bridge) and Derby (in grounds of Royal Infirmary), both of which are listed at Grade II. These are three of a number of identical statues to C.B.Birch's design; others are to be found in Scarborough and Aberdeen as well as Adelaide, Australia.
This statue was moved to Station Walk in 1963, and then moved again in 2001 to its present position near to the original location.

REASONS FOR DESIGNATION * One of a number of statues of Queen Victoria to the design of notable sculptor C.B.Birch * One of three identical bronze statues presented by the politician and engineer Sir Alfred Haslam to Newcastle-under-Lyme, Derby and London; the other two are also listed.
Legacy: The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number: 385971"
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The bronze statue was sculpted by Charles Bell Birch and is mounted on a polished granite plinth in the centre of Queens Gardens. It shows Queen Victoria standing wearing a long dress that falls over the base of the monument, a textured shawl, with lace at the neck and on the cuffs, and a Star of India. Her crown is decorated with Tudor roses and she is holding the orb in her left hand and the sceptre in her right.
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An inscription in gold lettering on the front of plinth reads as follows;
VICTORIA, R.I.
BORN AT KENSINGTON PALACE
24TH MAY 1819.
DIED AT OSBOURNE
22ND JANUARY 1901.
BURIED AT WINDSOR
2ND FEBRUARY 1901.

An inscription on the rear of the plinth reads as follows;
PRESENTED
TO THE
PARLIAMENTARY BOROUGH
OF NEWCASTLE-UNDER-LYME
BY
SIR ALFRED SEALE HASLAM KT. M.P.
MAYOR OF THE BOROUGH
1901-2-3.
AND UNVEILED BY
H.I.H. THE GRAND DUKE MICHAEL
OF RUSSIA,
NOVEMBER 5TH 1903.

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Photographs of Queen Victoria's statue in its original position in Nelson Place can be seen at the following links: (visit link) (visit link) (visit link)

"Queen Victoria, in full Alexandrina Victoria of Kent, (born May 24, 1819, Kensington Palace, London, England—died January 22, 1901, Osborne, near Cowes, Isle of Wight). She was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (1837–1901) and Empress of India (1876–1901). She was the last of the house of Hanover and gave her name to an era, the Victorian Age.
During her reign the British monarchy took on its modern ceremonial character. She and her husband, Prince Consort Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, had nine children, through whose marriages were descended many of the royal families of Europe." Source: (visit link)

"Victoria had a gift for drawing and painting; educated by a governess at home, she was a natural diarist and kept a regular journal throughout her life. On William IV's death in 1837, she became Queen at the age of 18.

Victoria and her family travelled and were seen on an unprecedented scale, thanks to transport improvements and other technical changes such as the spread of newspapers and the invention of photography. Victoria was the first reigning monarch to use trains - she made her first train journey in 1842.

Victoria continued her duties to the end - including an official visit to Dublin in 1900. The Boer War in South Africa overshadowed the end of her reign. As in the Crimean War nearly half a century earlier, Victoria reviewed her troops and visited hospitals; she remained undaunted by British reverses during the campaign: 'We are not interested in the possibilities of defeat; they do not exist.'

Victoria died at Osborne House on the Isle of Wight, on 22nd January 1901 after a reign which lasted almost 64 years, then the longest in British history. Her son, Edward VII succeeded her.
She was buried at Windsor beside Prince Albert, in the Frogmore Royal Mausoleum, which she had built for their final resting place."
Above the Mausoleum door are inscribed Victoria's words:
"Farewell best beloved, here at last I shall rest with thee, with thee in Christ I shall rise again"
SOURCE: (visit link)

Monarch Ranking: King / Queen Proper Title and Name of Monarch: Her Majesty Victoria, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland Queen, Defender of the Faith, Empress of India. Country or Empire of Influence: United Kingdom and India Website for additonal information: [Web Link]

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