Plaque

V&A façade foundation stone, Edward

Erection date: 1909

Inscription

This building, being the completion of the Victoria and Albert Museum, was opened by His Majesty Edward VII, King of Great Britain and Ireland and of the British Dominions beyond the seas, Emperor of India, on the 26th day of June 1909,in the 9th year of his reign.

Site: Victoria & Albert Museum façade (38 memorials)

SW7, Cromwell Road

Excluding the allegories (such as Knowledge) there are 36 statues on the two public façades of the V&A Museum, on Exhibition Road and Cromwell Road. This building was designed by Aston Webb and built 1899-1909. Each statue has the subject's name on a label beneath the feet and the sculptor's name inscribed in the wall of the niche to the right of the statue. Starting in Cromwell Road and reading right to left:

Group of 6 British architects:
Chas. Barry
W. Chambers
Chrisr. Wren
Inigo Jones
John Thorpe
Wykeham

Group of 5 British painters:
J. E. Millais
Ld. Leighton
G. F. Watts
J. Constable
J. M. W. Turner

And flanking the entrance:
Queen Alexandra (to the right)
King Edward VII (to the left)

Albert (below the arch)
Victoria (in the arch)

On either side of the arch, at eye level there is a foundation stone:
Stone laid by Edward VII (to the right)
Stone laid by Victoria (to the left)

Group of 5 British painters:
R. Cosway
G. Romney
T. Gainsborough
J. Reynolds
W. Hogarth

Group of 6 British sculptors:
Alfred Stevens
John H. Foley
F. L. Chantrey
John Flaxman
John Bacon
Grinlg. Gibbons

And around the corner in Exhibition Road:

Group of 5 British craftsmen:
William Morris
Roger Payne
J. Wedgwood
T. Chippendale
Thos. Tompion

Group of 5 British craftsmen:
Huntingn. Shaw
George Heriot
William Caxton
William Torel
St. Dunstan

Note that there are more Johns than women but that's not difficult since, excluding royalty, there are no women!

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This section lists the subjects commemorated on the memorial on this page:
V&A façade foundation stone, Edward

Subjects commemorated i

Victoria & Albert Museum

The South Kensington Museum opened on this site in 1857. It expanded and was ...

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This section lists the subjects who helped to create/erect the memorial on this page:
V&A façade foundation stone, Edward

Created by i

King Edward VII

Reigned: 1901 - 1910. Born and died at Buckingham Palace. Victoria's eldest s...

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This section lists the other memorials at the same location as the memorial on this page:
V&A façade foundation stone, Edward

Also at this site i

Nearby Memorials

Emily Wilding Davison - Palace of Westminster

Emily Wilding Davison - Palace of Westminster

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See Davison's page for an explanation of this plaque. While still thinking about how to arrange a 'site visit' to capture this important...

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Victims of WW2

Victims of WW2

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This plaque is on the right-hand fork of the path close to the Camberwell Green air-raid memorial. It is unusually wide in its scope of c...

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Kipling House

Kipling House

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The wording on the plaque could have been clearer. The first half is giving the history of York (Norwich) House. The second half, from 16...

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Nell Deller

Nell Deller

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In memory of Nell Deller who lived here, 1966 - 2003, a tireless organiser and campaigner who contributed so much to this community. Erec...

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Squeeze debut gig

Squeeze debut gig

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Cuthbert Arthur Brereton

Cuthbert Arthur Brereton

Civil engineer. His many projects include: with Wolfe-Barry, the 1903 Kew Bridge, over the Thames, correctly known as King Edward VII Bridge; his involvement with the construction of the Barry and ...

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David Evans

David Evans

Sculptor, born near Manchester.  Other work in London includes: replacements for Gog and Magog, statues in Guildhall which were destroyed in WW2; the relief panel on the Methodist Missionary Societ...

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Fawcett frieze - 02, Cobbe

Fawcett frieze - 02, Cobbe

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Most statues have plinths, which often carry the identity of the statue but little more. The plinth for this Millicent Fawcett statue is ...

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St Nicholas Deptford

St Nicholas Deptford

A church has existed on the site since at least Saxon times. Work on the present building began in 1697 and was completed in 1714. It was virtually destroyed in an air-raid in World War II. The sku...

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J. L. Redding

J. L. Redding

Either lost his life, or gave distinguished service to the London Fire Brigade, and was buried in the Highgate Cemetery plot between 1884 and 1955.

Person, Emergency Services

1 memorial