Relief

Temple Bar memorial - Victoria's first visit to City

Erection date: 1881

Inscription

{On the south side, below the statue there is a bronze relief showing the coronation coach stopped near St Paul's. Victoria is being addressed by a student of Christ's Hospital kneeling on a heavily draped hassock. Under the relief:}
Queen Victoria's progress to the Guildhall, London Nov. 9th. 1837.
{And inscribed on the hassock:}
Edward our Founder, Victoria our Friend
{Signed:}
C. H. Mabey. Sculpt.

Site: Temple Bar memorial (9 memorials)

EC4, Fleet Street

This is the site of the 17th century Temple Bar entrance to the City of London. Having become an obstruction to circulation it was removed in 1879 and this monument unveiled in 1881, as a memorial to the old Temple Bar and as a marker for the entrance to the City at the point where it was traditional for the Lord Mayor to welcome royal visitors to the City.

This is a typically overwrought late Victorian edifice, topped with a giant griffin (or dragon; there are competing definitions of the differences) by Charles Birch. The north and south sides hold large statues of Queen Victoria and, the soon to be, Edward VII. To east and west are medallion portraits of the Lord Mayor at the time, Sir Francis Wyatt Truscott, and Prince Albert Victor, the King we never had. At the bottom of the west face gilt lettering carved into the granite base announces "City of London".

Each side holds a bronze relief plaque, one of which states that the monument is aligned exactly with the west side the old Temple Bar and specifies the north-south displacement - a good example of Victorian flamboyance married to technical confidence. A carved pillar is placed at each corner, decorated with symbols for arts, science, peace and war.  Arts includes two busts: to the north Homer and to the south Chaucer.

We have treated many of these features as separate memorials and give more details of each one on its own page. Ornamental Passions has a very good post on this edifice.

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This section lists the subjects commemorated on the memorial on this page:
Temple Bar memorial - Victoria's first visit to City

Subjects commemorated i

Queen Victoria's first visit to the City of London (as queen)

In the Temple Bar ceremony the Queen, or King, stops so that the Lord Mayor o...

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Christ's Hospital

Founded by Edward VI in the remains of Greyfriars Monastery for the education...

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King Edward VI

Only son of Henry VIII (with Jane Seymour who died 12 days after the birth), ...

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Queen Victoria

Reigned: 1837-1901, 64 years. Born Kensington Palace. Daughter of Edward, Duk...

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This section lists the subjects who helped to create/erect the memorial on this page:
Temple Bar memorial - Victoria's first visit to City

Created by i

C. H. Mabey

Sculptor.  His father and son were also sculptors and at one time the ran a j...

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This section lists the other memorials at the same location as the memorial on this page:
Temple Bar memorial - Victoria's first visit to City

Also at this site i

Temple Bar memorial

Temple Bar memorial

{On the frieze at the top of the monument, above the columns, text runs aroun...

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Temple Bar memorial - Edward VII

Temple Bar memorial - Edward VII

The niche on the north face holds a marble statue of the Prince of Wales, lat...

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Temple Bar memorial - Homer

Temple Bar memorial - Homer

Homer {in ancient Greek lettering}

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Temple Bar memorial - Prince Albert Victor

Temple Bar memorial - Prince Albert Victor

The west face is framed with pilasters each side, decorated with emblems of "...

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