Plaque

V&A façade foundation stone, Victoria

Erection date: 17/5/1899

Inscription

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!

Comments are provided by Facebook, please ensure you are signed in here to see them

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

Subjects commemorated i

Victoria & Albert Museum

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

Read More

Prince Albert

Born Schloss Rosenau, Coburg, Germany, as Albert Francis Augustus Charles Ema...

Read More

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

Created by i

Queen Victoria

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

Read More

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

Also at this site i

Nearby Memorials

Freemason VCs - N2 - Bent, Bloomfield, Bromley

Freemason VCs - N2 - Bent, Bloomfield, Bromley

WC2, Great Queen Street, Freemasons' Hall

The Freemasons commissioned this memorial to mark the 300th anniversary of The United Grand Lodge of England in 2017 and the centenary of...

War dead, War served | WW1
4 subjects commemorated
Anthony Frey

Anthony Frey

E1, Angel Alley

Frey died aged 31 in an Alpine rock climbing accident.

1 subject commemorated
Sir Ebenezer Howard

Sir Ebenezer Howard

EC2, London Wall

Near this spot at 62 Fore Street on the 29th January 1850 was born Sir Ebenezer Howard, founder of the Garden City Movement. The Corporat...

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator
W. H. Smith - W2

W. H. Smith - W2

W2, Hyde Park Street, 12

This house probably looked OK when it was part of a terrace but on its own it just looks weird.

2 subjects commemorated, 1 creator
Mitcham Court

Mitcham Court

CR4, Cricket Green, Mitcham Court

{Next to the crest of Merton Council:} Mitcham Court The centre portion, first known as Elm Court, was built in 1840, the wings later. Ca...

2 subjects commemorated, 1 creator

Previously viewed

Campden Hill Square

Campden Hill Square

W8, Campden Hill Square

Campden Hill Square was laid out by Joshua Flesher Hanson in 1826. Gates and most of the railings around the central garden are original ...

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator
Elizabeth Stride

Elizabeth Stride

Elizabeth "Long Liz" Stride is believed to have been the third victim of the unidentified serial killer known as Jack the Ripper. Born Elizabeth Gustafsdotter near Gothenburg in Sweden. She was on...

Person, Tragedy, Sweden

1 memorial
Westminster School -  arches

Westminster School - arches

SW1, Dean's Yard, Westminster School

No erection date is given but we've guessed that the work was done and the plaque erected in time for the Jubilee in 1977.

2 subjects commemorated, 1 creator
Olive Morris

Olive Morris

Activist and community leader. Born in St Catherine, Jamaica, and moved to Britain at the age of nine. She was a founding member of the Organisation of Women of African and Asian Descent (OWAAD) in...

Person, Gender Issues, Race Issues, Social Welfare, Caribbean Islands

2 memorials