The Queen Alexandra Memorial was constructed between 1926 and 1932 by the British artist Sir Alfred Gilbert. It stands as a bronze screen, set into the garden wall of Marlborough House and facing St James's Palace. As a work in the Art Nouveau style, it can be seen as a 'swan song' for the artist - his final major public artwork. However, this unusual piece holds a deeper significance. The central sculptural group represents 'Love Enthroned', supported by Faith and Hope, and the figures are set against a backdrop of a River of Life, symbolizing Alexandra's charity for children and her advent to Great Britain from across the water.
Lovers of architecture and design will be intrigued by the Perpendicular Gothic-inspired composition, featuring three buttressed and pinnacled canopies, linenfold motifs, and two further allegorical statuettes on finials. The memorial was cast by A. B. Burton at the Thames Ditton Foundry and was unveiled on June 8th, 1932 - Alexandra Rose Day - by King George V. It was blessed by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Cosmo Gordon Lang, and the choir of the Chapel Royal performed the first-ever performance of Queen Alexandra's Memorial Ode, which had been composed for the occasion by Sir Edward Elgar.
Gilbert himself received his Knighthood from the King at Buckingham Palace the following day. The inscription on the bronze base reads 'Queen Alexandra/ 1844 - A tribute to the Empire's Love 1925', while the granite base bears the inscription 'Faith, Hope, Love/ The Guiding Virtues of Queen Alexandra'. The memorial can still be found today in the gardens of Marlborough House, a testament to the enduring legacy of Queen Alexandra and the artistry of Sir Alfred Gilbert.
Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons
Written by Nicolo Ciampini
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