Plaque: V&A façade foundation stone, Victoria
Erection date: 17/5/1899
This stone was laid by Her Majesty Queen Victoria Empress of India, on the 17th day of May 1899, in the 62nd year of her reign, for the completion of the South Kensington Museum, inaugurated by His Royal Highness the Prince Consort and henceforth to be known as the Victoria and Albert Museum.
This was the Queen's last official appearance. Via Londonist we found this V&A page that tells the story. The stone was unveiled on a day to suit the Queen, which was before the site was ready for it, so she unveiled it elsewhere (but near to its intended location), in a temporary pavilion built for the event, and it got moved here afterwards.
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!
