The Mayoress, Mrs Wigram unveils the memorial statue of Queen Victoria in Victoria Square on Empire Day
The Mayoress, Mrs Wigram unveils the memorial statue of Queen Victoria in Victoria Square on Empire Day
[1903]
The bronze cast statue was produced by the English sculptor Francis John Williamson (1833-1920). It was unveiled on 25 May 1903, the date of Queen Victoria's birthday which was observed as Empire Day. When the statue was unveiled in 1903 it was incomplete. A year later two levels of bronze relief panels were added to the pedestal and the statue was presented to the public a second time on 7 Apr. 1904. The reliefs on the lower level of the pedestal observe the fiftieth anniversary of the pioneers landing in Lyttelton in 1850, and there are also reliefs to commemorate Canterbury's involvement in the Boer War in South Africa, honouring those who died in service. Further up the pedestal are reliefs containing figures symbolic of the province's prowess in art, industry and education.
File Reference CCL-KPCD14-0098
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