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Queen married Albert, Prince of Saxe Coburg, in 1840; twenty-two years later
Albert died of typhoid, leaving the Queen an "utterly broken-hearted and
crushed widow of forty-two." Soon after the Prince's death, Disraeli
declared: "This German Prince has governed England for twenty-one years
with a wisdom and energy such as none of our kings have ever shown."
Albert supported the Queen, and was instrumental in freeing the monarchy
from political party allegiance. Of his breadth of interests and capacity
it was said that "to an architect he could talk as an architect; to
an engineer, as an engineer; to a painter, as a painter; to a sculptor,
as a sculptor; to a chemist, as a chemist; and so through all the branches
of Engineering, Architecture, Art, and Science . . ." Hyperbole, certainly,
yet nonetheless he was an acknowledged expert in fields as disparate as
practical farming and the paintings of Raphael. |
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Albert, Prince Consort of Queen Victoria,
1819-1861: The principal speeches and addresses
of His Royal Highness the Prince Consort. With an introduction,
giving some outlines of his character.
Tenth thousand. London, John Murray, 1862. KSRL:
19/20 BC 2958
Inscribed: Presented to Mr. John Hunter
by Her Majesty Queen Victoria. Balmoral. 12th. September 1864.
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Collins' illustrated guide to London and
neighbourhood . . .
London, William Collins, 1871.
KSRL: London Collection
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| The map shows how the great
"block" bounded by Kensington Gore, Exhibition Road, Cromwell Road,
and Queens Gate, was given over to the 1871 exhibition, with a note
on the site of the 1862 Exhibition. The area, purchased from the profits
of the 1851 Exhibition, was subsequently occupied by the Natural History
Museum, the Science Museum, Imperial College of Science and Technology,
and the Royal College of Music. This is the "Albertopolis" over
which the effigy of Prince Albert gazes-and can well be considered
the true memorial to the aspirations of the Prince Consort.
The South Kensington Museum at the lower right of the map evolved
into the Victoria and Albert Museum. |
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James Dafforne: The
Albert Memorial, Hyde Park: its history and description.
London, Vertue and company [1877] KSRL:
Willett-Pashley E9
"The Albert Memorial (as seen from the top of the Albert Hall)" The
memorial was completed in 1876, and has recently been lavishly
restored. The site of the Great Exhibition was just beyond
the trees.
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