*LIVERPOOL* - Queen Victoria (1819-1901)

This was an impressive statue of a young-looking Queen Victoria in front of St George's Hall in Liverpool (just round from the gardens where the previous two entries were). The inscription on the plinth (below) states, "Erected by the Corporation of Liverpool in the thirty-fourth year of her reign."

She came to the throne in 1837 and the statue was unveiled in 1870 (some sources give a date of 1869 which was presumably the completion) - more details here. The man behind the work was Thomas Thornycroft, who had done a similar work for the Great Exhibition some years earlier.

At a guess there must be more statues of Queen Victoria than anyone else - definitely in the UK, but probably in the world bearing in mind she reigned throughout the glory years of the British Empire. The sheer size of this piece has impact but otherwise it is a touch ordinary (dare I say bland) but at least it has a more sprightly image of Victoria, rather than the dour seated image we are more used to.

Overall:- 7/10