The Victoria Memorial is a hefty 2,300-tonne hunk of marble and bronze. It was meant to be a tribute to Queen Victoria, but it ended up being a bit of a financial windfall. Why? Because the public and the British Empire were so eager to donate that the committee actually ended up with more money than they knew what to do with.
Instead of just building a big statue, the extra cash was diverted to other projects. They used it to build Admiralty Arch and, more interestingly, to re-front the entirety of Buckingham Palace. Sir Aston Webb managed to finish the palace facade in just 13 weeks by pre-fabricating the stonework. It is a pretty efficient way to turn a memorial fund into a royal makeover.
Construction started in 1901, but the piece de resistance didn't open until 1911. Even then, work continued until 1924. For those who like the details, the central pylon is made of Pentelic marble while the statues use Lasa marble and gilt bronze. Today, it still stands as a massive centerpiece at the end of The Mall.
When you stand there now, you are looking at a monument that literally grew bigger than its own budget. It even hosted a 14-minute fireworks display for the Queen's Golden Jubilee. A bit of pyrotechnic flair for a very sturdy piece of history.
Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons
Written by Nicolo Ciampini
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