Statue of Queen Victoria, Hove
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| Statue of Queen Victoria | |
|---|---|
_(September_2018)_(2).JPG) The statue in 2018 | |
 | |
| Artist | Thomas Brock |
| Year | 1901 |
| Medium | Bronze |
| Subject | Queen Victoria |
| Location | Hove, England |
| 50°49′29″N 0°10′09″W / 50.82463°N 0.16925°W | |
The Statue of Queen Victoria stands on the sea front at the bottom of Grand Avenue in Hove on the south coast of England. The statue is one of 14 by Thomas Brock and was unveiled in February 1901, the month after Queen Victoria's death. It is a Grade II listed building.[1][2]
The statue is one of fourteen of Queen Victoria by Thomas Brock and the first of them to be completed after the monarch's death. Brock designed the statue in 1897, having been commissioned for Victoria's diamond jubilee, which provided work for many sculptors. It was not unveiled until 9 February 1901, a month after she died. Hove's statue was the fourth of fourteen by Brock of Queen Victoria to be commissioned. It cost £3,000. The committee wanted a large memorial (it asked Brock to "design a Memorial Statue of large proportions and of the highest class"),[3] so Brock made Victoria taller than his previous version in Worcester and increased the perception of height by placing the statue on a substantial plinth. Similar versions appear in Carlisle, Birmingham, and Belfast, though Brock's most famous work was the Victoria Memorial, on which the queen is depicted in a seated position.[2][4] Work began in March 1899, when the Hove Borough Surveyor gave permission for the concrete foundations to be laid.[5]
Because it was intended to commemorate Victoria's diamond jubilee, the statue has been described as "the one tangible reminder of [the] jubilee in Hove".[6] This jubilee had been celebrated in an unexpectedly muted way in Hove, with little in the way of special events, illuminations, bunting or similar, although there was a special service at All Saints Church[7] and a procession followed by a sports day event at Hove recreation ground.[8]
The statue was unveiled a week after Victoria's funeral on a "great day of mourning", according to the mayoress of Hove. The ceremony was kept simple out of respect for the late queen. A wreath was laid on behalf of the women of the town.[4] The programme for the day was printed with a black mourning border and noted that there would be no speeches or "the popular demonstrations which are usual on such occasions".[9]
The statue has been cleaned and restored on several occasions, most substantially in 1992 when a specialist firm re-burnished the bronzework and applied a new chemical coating. Vandalism has occurred on several occasions since the 1980s, including paint being thrown over the statue.[10]
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