Albert Memorial

About Albert Memorial

Memorial to Prince Albert in Kensington Gardens, London

The Albert Memorial is one of Britain's most famous monuments, standing in Kensington Gardens in London directly north of the Royal Albert Hall. Queen Victoria commissioned it in memory of her husband Prince Albert, who died in 1861, and Sir George Gilbert Scott designed it in the Gothic Revival style as an ornate canopy or pavilion 176 feet (54 metres) tall in the form of a ciborium over a church's high altar, sheltering a gilded statue of the prince seated and facing south. It took more than ten years to complete, at a cost of £120,000 raised by public subscription, equivalent to about £15 million in 2025. Queen Victoria opened the memorial in July 1872, the statue of Albert was ceremonially "seated" in 1876, and it has been Grade I listed since 1970. The monument is rich in detail: sculptural groups at its four corners represent the continents of Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas, with groups above symbolising agriculture, manufacturing, commerce and engineering, while the Frieze of Parnassus around the base carries 169 carved figures of painters, architects, poets and musicians, topped by coloured mosaics, gilded angels and a cross. The memorial is an ideal starting point for a walk through Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park, within sight of the South Kensington museums.

Where:

London, United Kingdom