Description

Lovingly constructed by Queen Victoria in memory of her late husband, Prince Albert, this ornate memorial stands in Kensington Gardens and overlooks the South Kensington cultural center. It took 12 years to build--a relatively short period of time considering the elaborate detail of the statue. It features a gilded bronze, 14-foot statue of Albert sitting in a large shrine, complete with a frieze that includes 169 carved figures. The whole structure is supported by both red and gray granite pillars; the gray pieces are from single stones and each weighs about 17 tons; during construction, it took workers over 20 weeks to shape and polish the pillars. The whole gothic shrine is 175 feet high and is a beautiful sight to see when it shines in the sun.